[Music] we don't know true silence and this came to light a few weeks ago during a trip with family and friends we stayed in a cabin out in the middle of nowhere about an hour from Zion National Park in Utah and uh Ashley a friend of the family mentioned that even though our little Sanctuary was quiet compared to our normal everyday lives the Airways were still inundated with noise and so we sat there for a little while paying attention and listening in on you know all the sounds that surrounded us you know planes as they
went overhead but seemed like every 10 minutes or so and I realized for the first time that even 10,000 ft up you could hear a planes engine echoing through the Canyons cars from the two-lane road out in the distance could be heard as as if they were a few feet away this fascinating even while staying in a location as remote as ours we weren't alone we never experienced total silence apparently there are only a few places in the world where this type of Silence exists and Ashley briefly mentioned them citing an article she'd recently come
across and I just found the whole thing more and more interesting it never dawned on me before you know the extent to which noise and complexity surrounded us my normal is one of chaos subtle chaos sure but chaos nonetheless you may be wondering you know where am I going with this this idea well I found value in the understanding that we consistently operate in such an extreme level of commotion right we've learned to navigate consistent noise penetrating our existence in our lives but we haven't really learned how to separate ourselves from it there is always
buzzing humming and shaking as we go about our day-to-day we're so intertwined with our surroundings that even when we seek solitude ude we're unable to totally remove ourselves or or pull ourselves from the noise and to me that weekend was just an incredible reminder of the importance the significance of remembering to separate ourselves from the world from time to time the value of truly being alone with our thoughts shielding ourselves from the externalities it's not that we have to exist in total silence and Solitude somewhere like Northern Washington which I believe is one of the
locations from the article Ashley cited as a you know one of our quietest locations it's more so that we must realize the world around us is constantly seeking to inundate every thought with Impressions and ideas and stories and other noise the world around us is constantly seeking to INF fluence that's the million dooll point right even when we don't realize it we are navigating ideas engines and [Music] electronics there is always something placed between who we are and what's most important to us and it's imperative that we recognize that see peace will never fall out
of the sky and land at our doorsteps it must be sought out the curtains covering who we truly are must be pulled back and without this concentrated effort life you know simply moves us down the stream of Life while we assume it was our own swimming that created the Change Control requires separation from the everyday and so here's to making 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 it is by knowing true silence
that we truly know ourselves and that's a relationship that is invaluable it's in our moments of greatest distress that we must find it within ourselves to see that which is difficult to see it's when things seem hopeless tragic it's when we feel lost that we forget a universal truth behind every Struggle No matter how big there is a win an answer an opportunity for recreation see it's very easy in the midst of a storm to forget that it will pass the Dark Skies block out the light so we forget the warmth of the sun and
the wind and the rain it forces us inside so we forget the Perfection that is simply breathing in the cool air we forget that all storms have one thing in common they come and they go they are temporary and what they leave is Hope answers the clearest brightest of Skies see I'm not asking you to see something that's not there I'm not asking you to imagine or live a life of make believe I'm reminding you of what you already know exists behind those clouds better days Your solution your Victory I'm asking you to look to
precedent because every day leading up to now has had its adversity the road to the current moment was paved with trials and tribulations and what you've done every day until now is figure it out find a way how many times do you have to prove to yourself that you have what it takes that you'll be okay that within the death depths of your soul are answers to any and every problem that you [Music] face I know things aren't easy maybe they even seem bigger scarier more overwhelming than they ever have but as adversity grows so
does your resilience and I'm not sitting here giving you something new or an answer you didn't already possess all I'm doing is reminding you how incredible you are how much you've already overcome and how capable you are of conquering whatever is next sometimes in life the difference between okay and great or stagnation and growth it is only a change in perspective it is how you look at the world and your place within it that little voice in your head reminding you that you are capable of things beyond your current comprehension that your perceived best is
a fraction of what you're capable of reality is manageable it's always manageable it's the fear that if we let it will be our demise and Life's too short to bow down to a monster that doesn't even really exist that we created ourselves so let's commit to being the ones who find calm when others panic and see opportunity where others see hardship and see what can be gained when others remain fixated on what has been lost I love to simplify to find Clarity in that which appears overwhelming and complex so here's the formula U minus negative
thoughts equals infinite possibility you are capable of handling anything life throws at you in terms of potential and resources and ability you are you can overcome the only thing that can make a situation debilitating or permanent is you deciding it so therefore the obstacle will never be life it will be your thoughts about life your thoughts determine how you react that is reality is it a lost job or an opportunity to begin again to grow to fall in love with something you've always wanted to do is it lost time loneliness tragic seclusion or a chance
to write chapter one of your book scene one of your movie laid the first brick of what will become your Empire I've been sad and I've been happy and I've been broke and I've had money and I've felt alone and I felt loved but through it all every step every trial every tribulation I've come out stronger battle hardened cognizant of the fact that happiness was a choice money is reacquired that some people go but the ones that matter stay a part of you forever life is a gift it's a gift when things are hard it
is a gift when they are easy it is always an EG so don't let your losses Define you if you get back up it is nothing short of a victory armor that you now wear as you make your way into the world a world that can push you down but it certainly can't keep you there not if you don't let it for your mind your body your soul made of the same elements that surround you the same Stars comprising the universe they have equipped you to weather any storm outl last any Earthly dilemma through anything
and be anyone never forget that never forget who you are [Music] if you want to be empowered understand this the world is indifferent to you it's not an enemy but it's not a friend either it's a tool the same way that attributing any type of motive to a hammer would be ridiculous right I've seen hammers build things and I've seen hammers destroy things well the same can be said for the world around you what it becomes is determined entirely by how you choose to utilize it you know there are things we learn as we navigate
through life that change us and one of the most critical for me was understanding that yes the world is indifferent to me and no I am not special doesn't mean I can't go do amazing things help people change the way things are but if those results materialize it will be because of what I made with what surrounds me not because of what the world owed me or because I was special or deserving no it will be because I set my sights on something and pursuit it and so you ask why is this empowerment it's empowerment
because it puts things into perspective and perspective is power it simplifies the road B the bad things that happen they are not personal they don't mean the deck is stacked against you and those good things they are never guaranteed everything's a question of grit of depersonalizing the lows in an effort to capture those fleeting highs life is not predetermined life is a game a game that you have the ability to win to leave this place better than you found it but you're also capable of taking a different path right it's just as easy to to
highlight the flaws to take on the role of a Perpetual victim the tools are there to do both and so the question is what will you do with what you have because it's not about where you start it's not about where you came from it's about choosing to look around you and say I choose to be an architect from this reality I will build I will contribute I will go forth and Conquer when the walls cave in it's not because you can't or shouldn't it's because sometimes in life walls cave in and now you choose
whether to lay in the rubble or Rise From the Ashes and this fork in the road it's going to present itself many times right the ones who get angry who point out who project blame who will live very different lives than the ones who brush it off as an obstacle on the windy road that is life and press forward you did not arrive here special but you sure as hell can leave here special the world may be indifferent but you are not if you're passionate if you move forward with conviction you'll become friends with the
trials and allies with the tribulations you'll see that growth only stops not when an angry world around you decides it so but when you do when your feet stop moving and your heart longs for the Horizon no more but until then it's all systems go until then you build what is the difference when I think back to the first time I deviated from my comfort zone my routine I lost the certainty in my life and as much as I wanted to go back I remember telling myself one more day just one more day until someday
became the current day and that made all the difference day one starting my company I remember turning the camera on and feeling so lost saying words into a microphone that I almost didn't press record but I did until one day I realized Not only was it bearable it was my purpose the vehicle that transported my thoughts to the world and that made all the difference during the times when some of the projects I invested the most time and energy into flopped I remember almost saying this isn't for me but I kept creating I kept creating
until I found that intersection of what I love and what adds value to the world and that made all the difference what's crazy is how small a decision that difference seems in the moment how insignificant the decision feels as one stands and looks out from their doorway the difference between going and not going stepping out or staying in making the move or waiting one more day that difference is sometimes disguised in a cloak of triviality but do not be fooled the little decision to move forward to hang on when your ego is screaming at you
to just let go walk away find some semblance of comfort and predictability those decisions to endure in the moments of hardship are what we come to look back on as the turning points that reshaped and redefined Life as We Know It the courage required to make the call release the video register the business send the message reconnect with that loved one deviate from what your friends are doing all those things they may seem small enough now to spend a minute or two thinking about before moving on to our routines and what we are comfortable doing
after all it's easy to disregard the small things but the acorn that becomes the oak tree is small we must along with the current reality see the potential in what those things become and sure there are times where the present and the ideal are so different that it seems almost incomprehensible but how do we get there we get there by making the little decisions that will ultimately make the greatest difference you are always one decision away from that evolution so next time you find yourself looking down at the step in front of you the step
you know in your soul is the right step remind yourself yes it sure would be easy to walk away here it sure would be easy to turn back yeah it's just one tiny step but in totality it's exponentially more than that it's the life blood of your new reality the water to your sea the oxygen to your lungs the Crossroads in front of you will be with your permission the beginning of something Larger than Life it will ultimately be the [Music] difference every run Tells A Tale all those streets sidewalks and paths paint a [Music]
picture each footstep enshrines forever a moment in time that comes together to comprise the now for my time in Cape Cod Massachusetts it was asking why not why not find out if I could be a little faster than yesterday my first dance with the clock waking up early running up snake Pond Road sun shining in my face inhaling that crisp morning air it was running along the canal where the distance was precisely mapped out in paint on the ground below tattooing a path that seemed to go for as long as I wanted to push forward
it taught me that we could do amazing things when we decided to that we have more in us than we could ever imagine in a sense Cape Cod was my eyes opening up to the idea that what life gives us is directly correlated to what we ask of ourselves so ask for a lot in Boston it was exploration it was pushing myself harder and further but also stretching my world view wider a time for transformation it was beginning to see the mundane the common place for the wolves in sheep's clothing that they are I began
exploring City street like I simultaneously began exploring life's possibility I saw how taking new routes often came with two distinct components one an unsettling nervous feeling in my stomach and two an eventual gratitude for finding the courage to go there the world will never tell you to go where you have not yet gone it will never assign you a map and hand you Keys a plane or a bus ticket that desire must be cultivated internally Boston was me realizing the unknown wasn't a border keeping me in it was a hand [Music] extended in r Oak
Virginia it was in a sense a rebirth moving away post College everything was new was foreign but everything was exciting I had to learn who I was in new surroundings with new people my Nike running shoes took me through Woods down side streets Into the Heart of downtown I ran and I ran and I ran because with all that change it was one of the few constants in my life it brought me to the realization that with so many moving pieces so many things shuffling in and out there are parts of me that are non-negotiable
that in life it's okay okay and even necessary to change but one should never lose themselves in that process they call Rowan Oak the Star City of the south for the giant glowing star that lights up on the mountain overlooking the city perhaps a reminder to never lose that North Star in our own lives in South Florida it was about connecting the dot had been relentlessly doing now it was seeing seeing myself as that person as someone ready for more worthy of a spot at the table capable of creating Monumental change those soft sand runs
reinforce the notion that I get stronger when the world moves under my feet those hundreds of thousands of footsteps under the hot son reiterated that I'm willing to do what is often deemed unnecessary or even over the top and lastly living in the luxury of no winter remind me to appreciate the Sun the perks the advantages and the victories we collect along the way but to never take them for granted to be ready because life's Winters don't always wait until after fall to show up at your doorstep see every step we take is a lesson
every Street sidewalk and path is part of a story and sometimes we don't understand until we look back at the chapters we don't get it until we have the luxury of [Music] hindsight I didn't know that i' look back on snake Pond Road as sacred ground as a launch pad to everything that would come next no in the moment it was nothing more than a temporary escape from a world that felt bigger than me I didn't know I'd see the city of Boston as the place that taught me to question the normaly of everyday life
to show me that one could be moving awfully fast and still going nowhere at all no in the moment it was merely a decision to dip my toe in the water to entertain the Curiosity and sense of adventure that always seemed a few feet ahead I had no idea Rowan Oak Virginia would be where I learned that as Emerson said to be yourself in a world constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment that there are non-negotiables and Shining down above all the noise and intricacies of everyday life exist the path and
the resources to become who you were meant to be KN in the moment I was simply stepping off my branch and Landing somewhere new I didn't know South Florida would be my consistent reminder to level up to hold tightly that intersection of love and value to find gratitude for what I have and maintain faith in bringing about what has not yet materialized no at the time I was taking my life my business and my running shoes to warmer weather you may not see it now but your path the one that led you to today is
the right path you are exactly where you need to be for the beginning of your next adventure but here's the thing you you must keep lacing up your shoes keep getting up in the morning and chasing those sunrises keep dreaming growing keep your eyes ears and heart open because the world has so much to give you but you have to allow your feet to carry you there you have to give yourself permission to take it all in the normaly of right now down the road will end up being anything but normal these steps are the
steps that make you who you are so own them believe in them and most importantly keep taking [Music] them the will to do anything comes from within yourself you define your goals you map out the journey in my mind comparing yourself to your competitors or anyone else should never contribute to how you define yourself what it should be used as is a tool to drive Improvement to push yourself to make the most of every little opportunity that comes your [Music] way I heard a quote from Mark cubin and he he said to work like someone
is working 24 hours a day to take it all away from you and I was giving this some thought obviously it's a powerful message and I started to apply it to my own situation and the first thing that came to mind was running it's something I do every day right a lot of the most important decisions I've made and ideas I've come up with have occurred while running so I started to think about when I'm at my best right when I'm working out and truly pushing [Music] myself obviously I set goals right I Look to
stretch my limits my boundaries and I can do that on my own I really don't need anyone or anything but when I truly Excel is when I feel those footsteps behind me when I know that if I don't speed up someone will run by and leave leave me behind as they go on for a faster time and this thought drives me insane look I know it's just a run around the Charles River right I'm downtown Boston I'm not at the Olympics I get why it would seem a little crazy but to me it's the same
thing as a race starting a business excelling at work it's instilling the mentality that I will do whatever it takes to stay ahead regardless of how it's perceived just like I do everything in my power to be that same way in all aspects of life there are always footsteps behind me that's how I push to stay at the top of my game if you're not obsessed with getting better at doing more than everyone else you will be left behind [Music] the sound of footsteps is a reminder that you haven't even scratched the surface of what
you can do that you can completely transform how you think of winning and that's how you will get what you want listen every morning when you wake up you need to know that there are footsteps behind you that a million people want what you want they're waking up every day intent on doing what you do and are willing to put in the work the best do that and then some right they step up they're willing to go further be crazy put everything out there for their goals it doesn't matter how ridiculous it looks success is
doing what it takes and I know that's vague I know there isn't you know an answer written out in 10 steps but you will find your way you will stumble you'll fall but if you truly have that tenacity to outrun to outwork everyone else the only thing left to do is win surprise yourself surprise everyone around you they will be there I promise only a step behind [Music] oh [Music] [Music]
