Live an EXTRAORDINARY LIFE, The Best Motivational Speech inspired by Denzel Washington

What if things don't end up like they're supposed to? What if this work, this energy I've invested doesn't pay off? What if stay average? What if my story was never meant to be unique? What if I try and I fail? What if my friends stop calling? What if I let my family down? What if people don't like what I have to say? What if my idea is a little too out there? What if I'm pushing things too far too quickly? What if the worst possible scenario happens? What if I lose everything? What if success is for someone else? What if I'm meant to work, to pay bills and to sleep? What if the starting role is just too much for me? What if I was a born follower? What if I never find happiness? What if I don't choose the right path? What if I get lost? What if I can never be as good as the person standing next to me? What if a life of meaning will always be something I'll have to stare up at? Wishing, dreaming, or what if I just change the way I look at the world? What if today is just the beginning? What if I decide who I'm going to be and become it? What if my actions can create a ripple effect that will transcend space and time? What if impossible isn't fact? What if it's opinion, and what if I don't buy it? What if this new world means that existence starts with me? What if I can be the one people look up to? What if my past got me here but has no effect on where I can go? What if every single day is a fresh start? What if I can be the one who defies the odds? What if my dreams become the standard? What if my ideas change how people see reality? What if the term difficult is nothing more than a cop-out? What if my doubters ignite the flame that is my success? What if my fear of mediocrity overcomes my fear of the unknown? What if second place is no longer an option? What if I make the choice to live every second of my life like it's a miracle? And what if that's exactly what every second is? What if it's time to start living like it, to start thinking like it, to never sell myself short? What if nothing good happens until I believe it? What if I stopped wasting my time trying to convince others because I am the only one who must be convinced? We get from the world what we invest in ourselves, right? The patience, the daily work, commitment, focus, all these things that transform us, unlock even the toughest doors. Because piecing together the world you want is an impossible task. If you haven't created your ideal self first, if you haven't built yourself up every day making yourself a little better, a little stronger, in the same sense that piece by piece bricks become walls, that become houses, that become cities, that proceed to make up our reality, you are your greatest asset. You need to treat yourself that way. Invest in education, invest in health, invest in happiness. Maximize the person and your experiences and your accomplishments will follow. I was once told that to get what you want, you need to focus on it with everything you have. Better yourself every day. Make your world revolve around success. Build winning habits, winning mentalities, winning mindsets. Then you can watch the world unfold before you. And when that time comes, it will be because of everything you've invested into yourself, into being better the world, reality, life. It had no choice but to follow suit. There's something I want to address for a few reasons. One, because every day I'm asked questions that pertain directly to this. Two, because it will change how you think about your future. And it's that effort and talent always find a way, period. There are no exceptions to this rule. And the funny thing is, the people who are worried that haven't found their path, they don't know where to focus their skill set. Terrified about the future. If that's you, you're doing the work right. You're thinking about the right things. You've made your life a priority. The dude on the couch eating chips for 12 hours, that needs to be concerned. And I would guess that he's probably not. And so here's the golden ticket, right? It's that idea of repurposing your anxiety or any uncertainty you have into a sense of exploration. Because it's a good thing. Caring is step one. Having drive is step one. And you are there. You have the pieces just like a Ferrari in park. Yeah, it's not moving, but is there anything to be concerned about? I think it's on the freeway. Of course it's going to fly. Maybe it doesn't know which. Freeway, but who cares? That's the fun part. It has everything it needs. Sometimes it's not about where you're going. Sometimes it's about what you have, who you are, what you value. If you have the drive to improve yourself, you're going to improve. So relax. Because the truth is, life is not as serious as we make it out to be. You could go live on an island for five years, come back and re-acclimate, and things would be the same here. Once you see that you are the initiator of success, not the class you choose, the person you date, the job you take, you are the Ferrari, the million dollar man, it all comes back to belief and trust. Maybe it's door A, maybe it's B, maybe it's C, but at the end of the day, whatever one you decide to kick down will be yours to conquer. Winners find ways to win. That's what they do. So you might as well trust and enjoy the process. When I think of the people in my life, there are many that I consider to be heroes. People who have helped me grow, shaped the person that I've become over the years. Some I'm lucky enough to interact with every day, right? I know them personally. Others I've admired from a distance, reading their books, learning from their example. It's safe to say that without these people in our lives, we would not be where we are today. They provide the knowledge, the skills, and the tools to take on the world. But what they cannot do is push you through the door. They can help you build your wings, but they can't make you fly. For that, you have to look inward to the most important hero in your life, the one who can save you from any situation, who can take you to heights that you've never dreamed of, the one who decides if you fail or cede long before the challenge is even attempted, you the one you see in the mirror. A hero is someone who is willing to take the dangerous road, to go where most people will not, to put everything on the line for what you believe in. Heroes by their very nature are exceptional. Expect that of yourself. Know that just because everyone sees something a certain way, it doesn't mean it shouldn't be challenged or adjusted. You are an innovator striving towards something new. And heroes don't run from the unknown. They seek it out and find the strength to embrace it. Victory is a product of struggle, of pain, of the times when the walls were closing in around you. But there was never a doubt in your mind that you'd get yourself out. Ask yourself how bad you want to succeed to win. Because once you've decided that you want it, that you truly want it, you'll know that you'll find success. Because you know that you'll do whatever it takes. Heroes don't quit. In having this faith in yourself, it brings a sense of power, of adrenaline. There is nothing you can't do, nothing you can't overcome. The world transforms into your kingdom. And while it doesn't owe you anything, you owe it to yourself to take what's yours from the world. So be your own person. Live with courage and follow your heart. It will never lead you astray. Sometimes it's not easy to see the finish line, to peer down that long, treacherous road ahead and feel completely confident that things will work out. You know that success is waiting there for you in one form or another. Obviously there's no road signs letting you know that your progress is paying off. There's no blatant indicator that you're on the right track. Essentially there's nothing right, nothing but the feet underneath you, taking you one step at a time to a fate that's completely unknown. And it's in this instance, while looking destiny in the eye, how you have to remember anyone can sail in smooth waters, anyone can dance when the music is playing. The great leveler, though, is how you live when it's not. When all you have is ambition and a plan, when it's just you, your song and the road ahead, there's no concrete, evidential triumph. But you don't need that persistence during times of doubt, during improbability. That's what makes triumph so rare, so precious. It moves the strong-willed forward to bigger and better things. Things aren't handed to you, but they materialize. Over time they transform from nothing to something. They emerge from hardship, out of ideas that were perceived by others as crazy as most achievements throughout the course of human history were. You know, as a child, you place your value on what feels right in the present. You're not thinking about two years down the road or wondering what others are going to think. Your creativity and your sense of exploration are running on all cylinders. Then something happens. We begin to understand the way of things. We see what's valued in society. We see what's expected. We see how success is defined. And so begins our ascent up the ladder. And rung by rung we climb, looking above us, below us, to see where others are, see how fast they've moved in relation to us. And eventually this coincides with how we see ourselves. And as you know, how you see yourself is the best indicator of what you will become. Which is why when so many people aren't happy with their day-to-day, that's a huge red flag. That's breathing, that's not living. Folks have been climbing this ladder their entire lives and never stopped to ask if it's where they were meant to be. Maybe the top of the community ladder isn't what you want, but you never thought, you only acted. And if you don't think it, if you don't ask yourself the question, you will climb and you will climb and you will climb until you burn out. I try and spend a few minutes every day thinking about this. It's the most important thing I can spend time on. It's my life. Don't act because you're supposed to. Act because you so desperately want to that there's no other option. Because you couldn't live without the adventure. You couldn't pass on the experience. Here's a secret. If you become fixated on a life that means nothing to you, at some point you will probably get to the top and from there you will have a beautiful view of everything you missed out on. So maybe there is something to the whole chasing firefly routine. Maybe a four-year-old running after a glowing bug with a jar deserves more credit than he's given. Why is it that some people maintain that winning mentality? They expect greatness out of everything they do and others have the opposite mentality. They see greatness as a far-off thing, like something you see in the window of a store, something to just look at, to dream about. Not realistic. Why? We all know the formula. Sacrifice. And working hard enough at anything, it will get you results. You'll make progress. The problem is belief. People see greatness as something other than themselves, something beyond them, beyond their capabilities. The thought is not entertained. Look where you are now, where you have been. It has no impact on where you can go and what can happen in the future. The possibility of something better is always, always there. If you want to win, you need to see yourself as a winner. You need to associate with winning. No champion ever got there accidentally. They knew they belonged with the best. So before another minute goes by, ask yourself whether you do, because that simple acknowledgement opens the door to infinite possibility. The most important story in our lives is the story untold. Where there are no flaws, there are no setbacks. Just an open road mode. The story untold is where you step away from the world behind your eyes and you embrace the one that's in front of them, right? This story is different. You can't touch it, you can't grasp it, but you can feel it. It's not our past self, right? It's not that fiction that we become tied to and mistakenly identify with. It's something different. It's anything different. It's a blank page. It's a new chapter. It's an opportunity to bring to life all those times we said, I wish you want to tell whatever story you want to tell. There is just no greater freedom. And when you step back, when you really assess, you realize that life is a collection of stories of events that unfolded as we allowed them to and told through our experiences and perspectives. The only truths that exist are the ones we believe. The only facts out there are the ones we've agreed to accept. We are merely authors, writers, and creators. If you're not happy with your storyline changes, that's the beauty of life. You can make yourself the hero. We don't live for the final product. We live for the journey, the adventure, the joy, the process, tackling the unknown and turning it into something of beauty. That's why we get up every day. That's why landscapes, oceans, and skylines run away with our imagination. They're representative of what makes us feel alive. Sometimes it becomes extremely easy to forget that. The degree, the championship, the executive position, these things we seek, they are validation. But they are not life. What you do every day is life. How you turn ordinary things into extraordinary things. Cherish the time you spend. There is nothing of greater importance. Sandcastles will not stand forever. The tide, the wind, a million things will assist in bringing the sand back to its original form. Just like us, its time is finite. But the joy of creating such a masterpiece can never be lost. That's why we build. You most likely won't focus on how tough the climbs were. You probably won't remember the battles and the struggles. What you'll remember are the moments of victory, the times when you were able to do something significant, to contribute to the world, to help and be near those who mean the most to you. Study after study shows that the biggest regret of people with limited time left is living according to the expectations of others. Not having lived a life that was true to themselves, we are fortunate enough to have that wisdom now. Why would we not act on it? Don't let yourself be the person who looks back and dreams about what if. Do your dreaming in the present. We're all writing our stories. Make yours a thriller. Make it a bestseller. Live now. Let that fear fade away.