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THIS Will Change Your Life 

“The moral is to the physical as three is to one,” said Napoleon Bonaparte, emphasizing morale over physical strength.

Legend has it that Napoleon carried a coin to flip before battles: heads meant hold position, tails meant fight with the gods' favor. After his death, it was revealed the coin had tails on both sides, instilling a winning mindset in his men.

This story illustrates that the most crucial victories are often won in our minds. Believing in an outcome transforms “Can I?” into “How will I?” It's about crafting a reality where success is expected.

History shows that people achieve the impossible by believing in their success. Dreams, like battles, are self-fulfilling prophecies fueled by conviction. Challenges present choices: surrender, navigate, or push forward. The true battle is in our resolve.

Start your week with the lessons of Napoleon’s coin. Believe with intensity that your belief becomes the catalyst for transformation. Envision your victories, then step boldly into your day.

Inspired by Napoleon's coin, I challenge you to seize your destiny. Join my Weekly Monday Motivation newsletter here:  https://www.eddiepinero.com/newsletter  , and reply to the welcome email with your top 2 goals for the year—those victories you’re determined to collect. 

Not only will this commitment set your course, but I will personally reach out to you in 12 months to check on your progress. Imagine what you can achieve with a year of focused action. Let’s make these goals not just possible, but inevitable! 

🌨️🏃🏻 Story time: On a cold winter morning in Boston, the alarm goes off, shoes laced, and I step outside for my morning run. But there's a frozen slushy rain coming down. Standing in the doorway, I faced my first defining decision: to run or not to run.

It was tempting to go back to bed, but I grabbed my beanie and gloves and hit the road. It was uncomfortable, but I did it. No awards, no applause, just a quiet satisfaction.

That seemingly trivial run transformed my relationship with discomfort. Fast forward a few months, I had just left my only job to pursue creative projects. With no paycheck or safety net, reality set in hard. I was alone, unsure, and tempted to return to my old job for stability.

But that cold morning run reminded me that what I wanted in the moment wasn't what I needed most. I kept writing, creating, and pushing forward. Discomfort turned into confidence as my brand grew and an audience developed.

Fast forward again, and I'm backstage, ready to give my keynote. I was nervous, but I pushed through the discomfort. That awkward presentation taught me to embrace the challenge, practice more, and grow.

Two years later, I'm in a Uhaul, moving to a new city. The unknown road ahead symbolized a new chapter. Embracing discomfort led to new relationships and opportunities.

Our lives are defined not by how we act when things are perfect, but by our actions in chaos. Success is built in those moments when we step into the unknown, dance with discomfort, and make courageous decisions.

Next time you're in a storm, remember: the things you want most come from those little brave decisions. Stand tall, take a breath, and ask yourself if it's just a run in the rain. 🌧️🏃🏻 

“Everything happens for a reason,” you’ve likely heard it said—a mantra repeated so often it almost loses its weight. But what if I told you that you hold the power to define that reason?

While the saying might echo with wisdom, I’ve come to understand there's a deeper, half-hidden truth. Every setback, every failure, and every unexpected twist life throws at us is full of potential. These challenges are the gifts from the universe, tools handed to us to sculpt our destinies. What we decide to create with these tools rests solely in our hands.

I like to use the Boston Red Soxs as an example. Nestled in the heart of one of America’s most demanding sports cities, the team faces a level of scrutiny and expectations that could easily crush even the most seasoned athletes. Yet, I’ve seen players arrive, fresh and untested, who thrive under the pressure, drawing energy from the intensity that causes others to crumble. What distinguishes these players isn’t merely talent, it’s their mindset, their conscious choice to rise to the occasion and sculpt victory from challenge, rather than succumb to defeat. 

Life mirrors this scenario more closely than you might think. It presents us with a series of events—tools if you will—and it’s up to us to decide how to use them. When faced with a personal setback such as a breakup or a missed opportunity, do you construct a monument to your disappointment, or do you build a bridge to your next adventure? The pieces left behind by these setbacks lay the foundation for future achievements if you choose to see them that way.

At 26, I learned an invaluable lesson: the outcomes of my life were mine to shape. Gone was the notion of a predetermined path dictated by the cards I was dealt. I realized that every moment, every encounter was an opportunity to steer my life in a direction of my choosing. Indecision, I discovered, was a choice in itself—not doing anything at all is often the same thing as building a cage around yourself. 

This realization was liberating but humbling. It revealed that the reality I lived in, the reason things happened, were often the products of my own making. And with that knowledge came power—the power to change, redefine, and actively create a life of meaning and fulfillment.

As you move forward this week, I encourage you to embrace this perspective. Look around you; see not just what is but what could be. Take the raw materials of your life—the joys, the sorrows, the successes, and the setbacks—and build something spectacular. After all, everything happens for a reason, and that reason is yours to define. 

"We don’t know true silence"



This came to light during a trip with family and friends a few weeks ago. We stayed in a cabin out in the middle of nowhere, about an hour from Zion national park in Utah. Ashleigh, a family friend, mentioned that even though our little sanctuary was quiet compared to our normal, everyday lives, the airwaves were still inundated with noise. 



We sat there listening for a while, focusing in on the various sounds all around us. Planes made their way overhead every couple of minutes, and I realized for the first time that even thousands of feet up, their engines could be heard echoing through the canyons. Cars from the two lane road out in the distance could be heard as if they were a few feet away. It was fascinating. Even while staying in a location as remote as ours, we were not alone. We did not experience total silence.



Apparently there are only few places in the world where this silence exists. Ashleigh briefly mentioned them, citing an article she had recently come across. I found the whole thing interesting. It had never dawned on me before, the extent to which noise and complexity surrounded us. My “normal” is one of chaos. Subtle chaos, but chaos none the less.



You may be wondering at this point where I’m going with the story. Well, I found value in understanding that we’ve acclimated to such a substantial amount of commotion. We’ve learned to operate in noisy environments but never really learned how to remove ourselves from them. There is always buzzing, humming, and shaking. We are so intertwined with our surroundings that even when we seek solitude, we are unable to totally pull ourselves away.



This is a great reminder of just how intentional we must be about, every so often, separating ourselves from the world. Being alone with our thoughts and our ideals. It’s not that we have to exist in total silence and solitude somewhere like northern Washington (I believe that was one of the locations from the article Ashleigh cited for being the quietest.) It’s more so that we must realize the world around us is constantly seeking to inundate every thought with impressions, ideas, stories and other noise. The world around us is constantly seeking to influence. Even when we don’t realize it, we are navigating engines and electronics. 



Peace will never fall out of the sky or arrive at the front door. I believe it must be sought out. The curtains covering our true selves must be intentionally pulled back. Without this concentrated effort, life simply moves us down stream while we assume it was our own swimming that created the change. Control requires separation from the every-day. 



Here’s to making the time to truly separate ourselves from what doesn’t matter so that we can focus on what does, to identifying the noise so that we can, when necessary remove ourselves from it. 





Let me know in the comments what value you've found in silence. How often do you find time to seek it out? 



Lastly, in the theme of creating space, I’ve blocked some time in my schedule to offer help to people in a more meaningful and personalized way. I’ve learned that sometimes the right conversation can mean everything to an important project, mindset or anything we’re dealing with in life. If you want to hop on a call for some personal advice on mindset, motivation, consistency, social media, branding, content strategy or anything you think I might be able to help with, see the link below. 50% of all proceeds from these calls will be given to Americas Mighty Warriors. 


www.intro.co/EddiePinero

Best,
Eddie 

How do you handle the hard things in life and how do the people in it help shape the things you care about most, how do they help you through when the stakes are high and things seem overwhelming? 

I‘m continually reminded of how voluntarily putting myself through challenges leaves me stronger and more-equipped to deal with life’s inevitable times of uncertainty and overwhelm. 

I’ve recently leveled up that realization to include the fact that doing hard things with a committed team of people can truly make all the difference in life and bring a renewed sense of hope, when I once thought that it was easier on my own. 

This lesson found me this past week when I embarked on a 24-hour broken marathon ruck with a group of men committed to leveling up every aspect possible of our mental and physical selves, knowing that we must be broken down to identify weaknesses and blind spots, allowing those to be built back stronger in the process of persistence. 

This challenge was part of a community and brand I’m building called LVLS, where instead of waiting for life to throw things at us and experimenting in real time, we manufacture moments of uncertainty and challenge to help us become more equipped and ready to handle the inevitable challenges of life. There are always more levels waiting to be reached, if we’re willing to pursue them. 

The work was simple, hike 1.1 miles through the desert with a 30 lb ruck at the top of every hour for 24 straight hours, roughly 26.2 miles, a marathon equivalent. While physically taxing, the most challenging component is the mental fatigue, stopping, starting, and sleep deprivation. 

In the beginning I felt the excitement of novelty, doing something fun and different. Setting up camp, I remember thinking that it would be pretty easy, we found and familiarized ourselves with the 1.1 mile path that would meet us at the top of every hour. 

For the first 8 hours or so it was easy, desert hikes with friends, the sun shining down and the excitement of adventure. After the sun set, it started to get cold and real, the switch flipped from a fun little project to a real, tangible challenge, the dark and unsettling desert matched the energy of my mind. Some decided to sleep, some stayed awake, our bodies began to rebel against the things we were asking of them. Suddenly our minds started telling us how silly and unnecessary this was, there’s no real reason to be out here in the desert with just the eeriness of a headlamp, only seeing the steps in front of us while coyotes howl maybe 50 feet away, our bodies beginning to stiffen, physical discomfort and fatigue set in more at every hour. At 3 am it doesn’t seem right to be doing this, the loudness of our mental and physical exhaustion blaring against our efforts at every step. 

This is the point of the challenge, and of life where our circles are most valuable, being surrounded by people who are committed to seeing through the darkness trusting that there’s light on the other side, that there’s purpose to the madness and that we’ll be stronger and better for it. Without people around us it’s so much easier to just give up to the thoughts that beg us to play it safe. 

As the horizon began to glow with the promise of a warm morning sun, it brought a renewed sense of hope despite being physically exhausted and broken from the 17 or so miles we had traveled through the desert one hour and mile at a time since the day before. The sun was our literal and metaphorical guiding light, the excitement of finishing a broken marathon allowed us to navigate around injuries, the knees, blisters, ankles, and backs that were begging us to stop. Things started to make sense, while our bodies were even more tired and worn, the energy from the morning and men rucking alongside each other helped us power through. 

The hardest part of this challenge and almost any big endeavor is not seeing a finish line, getting up every hour throughout the dark cold night knowing we didn’t HAVE TO be doing this, it was a choice. That realization paired with the physically and emotionally depleted moments are what push people out the door, it becomes their rationalization to quit when things are the hardest. 

In life every endeavor is a broken marathon, there’s never a revolver to your head forcing you to continue on the path you chose, you can stop at any time. But to see that sun come up, you have to manufacture the necessity to keep going, tying the outcome to something that is absolutely imperative. 

As I’ve said before, if you allow a way out, let your mind keep the door cracked, you will assuredly kick it open when it hurts the most. 

Enduring a journey like this with hard working people who lift each other up in those moments is the ultimate cheat code, surround yourself with likeminded people who can power you through, in the end that makes all the difference. 

This lesson is so easily translated from a simple challenge with a community to the big challenges in life, business and everything in between. So often we get caught up in doing things on our own, but when we find people who we can do things together with, that make the journey more fun and meaningful, it makes those cold moments in the dark more bearable, meaningful and special. 

✨What if the big things we allow to run our life are really the little things? How much time and effort do we pour into things that don’t really move us towards the life we’re trying to build? 👀 ⬇️ 

I was recently pondering this in Williams, AZ after some hiking around the Grand Canyon. I find that stepping away to gain perspective and clarity in life often is helpful, metaphorically looking at the city of our lives from the outside. 

In these moments I’ve done some of my best thinking, allowing me to see where I am, where I want to go, and evaluate the things that are going to help move life closer to the goal or further away. 

When I do this, I am reminded of the meetings, phone calls, and things we allow to run our lives, how they’re actually small details to a bigger picture, but in the moment they seem like big important things and we can unintentionally give them the power to shape our lives. 

When I’m surrounded by nature, open skies and landscape, it provides insight, feeling lost allows me to find myself and remember what’s really important. Here in the southwest there’s a lot of open space, being at a cabin in the middle of nowhere allows the convoluted clutter of everyday life to dissipate and brings clarity to the important things. 

In these moments I realize little things that make all the difference, the true importance of social media details, phone calls, meetings, etc., they’re all a little piece of life, but they’re not life.

What important things in your life are calling for you to recognize and prioritize them? What helps you find clarity in your own life? 

Thank you for being here, excited for another issue of the newsletter tomorrow, don’t miss out: www.eddiepinero.com/newsletter. 

Make this week amazing,
Eddie 

Growth is not just one win, it’s grit. That’s all. A relentless journey forward and willingness to play the student. 

This week when I gave at a keynote in Tulum, my third in a 10-day span, I noticed something interesting while waiting to be introduced. The nerves and “pre game” anxiousness I had become accustomed to, has become pure excitement. 

It was one of those reflective moments where you can clearly see the contrast between where you started and where you are now. 

Those who have been here awhile understand the hill I’ve been climbing for 10 years, mostly because you have also been diligently climbing your own. I made a note to share this little epiphany/mental milestone because in a previous life I would have brushed it off as insignificant and continued on with life. I now understand the importance of basking in these milestones for a minute, soaking up the value and sharing it with others who may also find value there.

I share this about myself with you now (and often) because I want you to fully understand it. I want it to resonate so deeply that it melts into your soul: I am NOT special. I have simply lived a blueprint that anyone can take and inject directly into their own life. Consistent progress has been simply a matter of putting my head down and continuously showing up for my dreams one small step at a time, knowing no one else was going to come save me.

I hope this helps you understand how much power you have in your life. Don’t try to be a magician that expects to wake up and redefine everything all at once perfectly. 

A home run every at bat is not required of you. Just show up, daily, for you, the ones you love, and the ones you’ll help along the way. 

Every time you feel frustrated, lost or unsure, look to those you admire. Look hard, and remind yourself THEY AREN’T SPECIAL. They just gave themselves permission to go, and to keep going. 

There’s a moment that exists, floating around in the ether, where you look over your shoulder and smile to yourself about how far you’ve come. Don’t deprive yourself of the opportunity to experience it.

I’m excited for another week to work towards the goals I’m passionate about and help communities I care about deeply, starting off with a fresh newsletter tomorrow, would love to see you there. www.eddiepinero.com/newsletter ( http://www.eddiepinero.com/newsletter ) 

Thank you for being here, you’re what makes this dream so incredible. 

What will you do this week to take steps towards your dream life and also take intentional time to re
flection how far you’ve come?  

- Eddie 

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” -Mark Twain. ⬇️

This is a shot of the gym last Saturday night. It was almost eerie being there without another soul around. Completely quiet, moving from exercise to exercise. I love moments like that, because they provide an ever-relevant reminder: there is a ton of value to be extracted from the “abnormal” decisions we make.

It’s not that going to the gym on a Saturday evening is heroic or special. Really…who cares when someone gets a workout in. It’s not even that there is anything wrong with going during normal hours. It was simply a reminder that “exceptional” is necessarily separate from “ordinary.” It highlighted that there is an entire world slightly beyond the scope of normality that accumulates to provide treasures beyond comprehension.  I love that message. It changed my life, and every time I come face to face with it I feel reinvigorated.

I’ll never forget the explanation Kobe Bryant gave about his morning routine. He mentioned the two hours of extra practice he got in every day. Rain or shine, weekends or weekdays, he was there. Was it absolutely necessary? No. But after weeks turned to months and months turned to years, the extra work simply became too much for others to catch up to. That little extra effort, the shooting and morning workouts in an empty gym every day, ultimately made him untouchable.

In my life, I have found the greatest return on investment by highlighting the things that matter most and consistently delving into them in a way most wouldn’t. No miracles, just an acknowledgement that right beyond where most people stop, there is value. In my world, it was showing up every week to create a YouTube video even when the response for years had been underwhelming. Would most people do that? It was practicing writing speeches and speaking them out loud in my studio to an audience of zero. Would most people do that? It was acclimating myself to risk and my ego to bruises along the way. Would most people do that?

The great news: There is nothing special about that. Those are simply the metaphorical empty gyms I chose to walk into every day. The seemingly insignificant shoot-arounds that defined me and changed my life. And now, because you know I have to ask, what are “yours?” What can become your empty gym? What can be the thing that’s a little out there, or different, the opportunity left on the table, waiting for you to reach out and take it. 

Just because the crowd goes one way doesn’t make that particular decision wrong. It does make the decision ordinary though, and my friend, ordinary is not why you’re here. 

A friend of mine recently said to me, “If you love doing something that no one else is interested in, that’s perfectly fine. Do it. Enjoy it. Find fulfillment in it. BUT…understand that if it’s not adding value to others, then what you have is a hobby. If you want to turn your hobby into a business, you need to find that magical intersection of “passion and value.”

Well, as many of you may know, in addition to the new videos my team and I carefully craft for you every week on YouTube, we also started an agency working 1-1 with businesses, entrepreneurs and content creators to maximize their web presence and community value. It’s been a blast and we’ve helped some major companies expand their reach and tell their stories in powerful and innovative ways.

Here’s the thing though, when I was in year 2 or 3 or my entrepreneurial journey, I didn’t have the funds for a high ticket marketing agency like EP Studio. Most people starting out are in the same boat. It takes a long time to generate that type of revenue. 

This got me thinking, what if I could create educational video content for people earlier on in their journey? What could I provide that would allow creators to invest in themselves at a much more affordable entry point. Where would that intersection of passion and value exist?

Well, there’s really only one way to find out, and it requires your input! I would love for you to vote below and/or add your ideas/requests. This project will be somewhat separate from the regular videos on YouTube, so make sure you’re on the newsletter list to be the first to know about this as it evolves. www.eddiepinero.com/newsletter

Thank you for being here, you truly are the reason I love what I do every day and as a community we are making a positive difference in the world! 

Video topic ideas: 

How often do you allow things not being perfect to hold you back from taking steps forward in the life you dream of? Are there actions you would take if you had more confidence, knowledge, practice, skill or something else? 

Looking back on the career I’ve built as a writer, speaker, entrepreneur and content creator, there were many times of uncertainty where I second guessed whether I was ready to take the action needed to move forward, but now I realize that without those uncertain actions, I wouldn’t have accomplished much. 

I launched my career without having all the answers, and recently launched a new project, hosted a retreat and countless other things thanks to taking action rather than waiting for the perfect conditions. 

Most people hear the concept ready, aim fire… in that you should know where you’re aiming before you pull the trigger. While this can be helpful in many things, life more often rewards the bold, the unsteady and unready… those willing to go without knowing exactly where they will arrive, but can figure out the next step and pull the trigger while trusting the journey. 

It’s not ready, aim fire… it’s ready, fire, aim. Take action and adapt as you learn what the next steps are. 

This concept is similar to a baby bird jumping out of the tree and learning to fly on the way down, the trust it must have to learn to fly, without it would leave the bird stuck in the tree its entire life. 

In this week’s video and newsletter, I dove down the rabbit hole of this concept and how it has changed my life. Thanks for being here, hope you have an incredible week!! 

If you’re looking for another inspirational addition to your week, check out the free ebook I’ve created for the Your World Within community, “While the World Sleeps” it was a really fun project filled with insights and stories that I hope you can enjoy and share with someone you care about.   http://www.yourworldwithin.com/ebook  
 

Cheers,
Eddie