DISAPPEAR AND STAY CONSISTENT. IT'S TIME TO BUILD YOUR GREATEST VERSION - Motivational Speech

Consistency beats talent every single time. Keep showing up when it feels pointless because effort compounds. So keep at it. Whenever you try to do something out of the ordinary, people will line up to tell you that you can't do it, why you can't do it, that you'll lose your time, you'll lose your money, that you will in effect die in the desert. Even people who should know better will try to discourage you. To achieve anything great or worthwhile, you must train yourself to rise above these people, ignoring them and pressing on towards your goal regardless. We often use limitations as protection. If we never try, we never have to experience failure. If we never try, we never have to experience embarrassment. If we never try, we never have to experience rejection. That sounds so amazing. But avoiding failure also means avoiding the possibility of growth, the possibility of achieving exactly what you want in this life, the possibility of your... Vision coming into reality. I don't think people realize what a privilege it is to be exhausted by a challenge that you chose for yourself, right? Like, but when you recognize that, like, yo, this is what I signed up for. I chose it. I chose to go after something bigger than I can even imagine in my head. And it is a privilege to have the opportunity to show up for that every single day. There's this deep desire For the easy way out, the deep desire for the work to be done, and the deep desire for characteristics that show the heroic nature of humanity, but these wishes contradict. My advice to you would be don't wish away the responsibility to be strong. Wish for strength. Don't wish for fears to dissipate. Wish for the courage to face those fears until they're afraid of you. The human spirit does not wish for its own end, it wishes for another opportunity to keep going. You don't understand how gifted you are and that's what's holding you back. Why is there anything on this planet that you think you can't do? You can overcome anything. You can accomplish anything. You can come back from anything that has ever happened to you. You are bound by nothing. Why are you so afraid to realize your own greatness? Because fear is what it is. Because you understand what you're going to have to do, how hard you're going to have to work, what you're going to have to sacrifice, the people that you're going to have to get away from in order to fully operate in the greatness that is within you. But there is nothing worth holding on to to dim down your light, to dim down your full potential. That's what I need you to understand. Doing things that take you away from your greatness will never allow you to be great. Overcome your fear and challenge yourself to be the best version of yourself that you know you can be. An ode to people who don't believe in themselves. What comes first? Belief or action. Do you need to believe that you can do a thing before you can do it? Fake it until you make it is one option, but incredibly hard if you're introspective and have low self-belief and high standards. So what about make it until you believe it? Here are some lessons that I've learned. You can believe you're not worthy of a thing and still attain it. You can be adamant that your efforts are going to go badly and still succeed. You can grip and grasp and fear and ruin the enjoyment and be totally unwarranted and things still go well. You can have no self-belief and show up anyway. You can want more for yourself without knowing exactly what that looks like. You can doubt the process, question your talent, be uncertain that you're making progress, disparage your accomplishments, permanently feel like you're not working hard enough no matter how hard you work, never give yourself a break, fail to fully feel gratitude, be terrified of never reaching your goals, and still end up in a place that your 20-year-old self could not imagine you'd ever get to. Self-belief is overrated. Generate evidence. Now you're starting to believe yourself. You're starting to believe that inner voice. You're starting to believe in your actions. You're starting to believe in who you are. You're starting to believe in your words. You're starting to believe in your dreams. You're starting to believe in your thoughts. You're starting to believe in your actions. So what happens after that? What's the next step? Doubt. Listen. Believing. Now you start to trust the one person that you should have always trusted. That other individuals told you not to trust. And that's you. Because you're finally listening to that voice. You're finally starting to have self-belief. Stop doubting yourself for the moment. And you start to grow. You trust yourself. You trust your actions. You trust your words. Not what happens after trust. You start to grow. You've worked way too hard to let one season of darkness convince you that there's no light at the end of the tunnel. As consistent as I try to be at my job, my workouts, my own personal improvements, each and every week is still full of ups and downs. Some runs, even just a few miles, feel like pulling teeth. Other longer ones, I feel unstoppable, like I could go on forever. Some days, it's so easy to get into a flow state, and I feel like I'm on track to achieving everything I've ever hoped for. And I'd be lying if I said these highs and lows didn't used to discourage the ---- out of me, man. But recently I've just been embracing the fact that nothing lasts forever, good or bad. No success or accomplishment is permanent. But it also means that no failure is permanent either, not unless you let it be. So if you feel like you've just been against the wall, like you can't break out of a bad cycle, like you've been trying everything but nothing's f***ing working, Like, you wish you could control everything that you can't control. That season of darkness. Just keep on knocking. Because you're getting exactly what you wanted. So dedicate yourself to all of it. The dreams, the work, the suffering, the hopelessness. When you signed up for all of it, you knew exactly what was expected of you. So you'd better meet the standard. Or you can turn temporary into permanent. Convince yourself that this bump in the road is a life sentence, that it's just too hard. Let one season define your year, and let one year define the rest of your life. Or maybe now the clay's just finally starting to get warm, and something's about to happen, something's about to change. But that's entirely up to you to stick out to find out. Don't wish it was easier. Wish you were better. Don't wish for less problems. Wish for more skills. The same wind blows on us all. The difference in where we arrive at the end of the week, at the end of the month, at the end of the year, is not the wind that blows. And the wind is blowing around the world. And it's important because otherwise you can be afraid of pursuing the things that you want to pursue. Right? And that's very common. And so then the fear inhibits you as the promise pulls you forward, but it makes you weak because you're afraid. You want to get your fear behind you, pushing you. And so what you want to be is afraid, more afraid of not pursuing your goals than you are of pursuing them. It's very, very helpful. And lots of times in life, and this is something really worth knowing, You don't get to pick the best thing, you get to pick your poison. You have two bad choices and you get to pick which one you're willing to suffer through. And every choice has a bit of that element in it and so if you know that it's really freeing because otherwise you torture yourself by thinking well maybe there's a good solution to this you know compared to the bad solution. It's like no, no sometimes there's just risky solution one and risky solution two. And sometimes both of them are really bad, but you at least get to pick which one you're willing to suffer through, and that actually makes quite a bit of difference. It's easy to be a victim, bro. It's easy to believe that the world just happens to you. It's easy to believe that the state of your existence is entirely the result of other people's decisions, or it's just... Look, falling short and then blaming everything else but yourself is the easy path. It's the path that hurts the least. But what you're not thinking about is the fact that there's no reward at the end of it. Your life is going to be shitty. Nothing is going to go the way you want. Then you're going to get to the end of your life. You're sitting on your deathbed. And once again, you're going to blame everyone else. You're going to look back at your life and say, at least it wasn't my fault. Is your dog life simply not being your fault worth having a dog? Life, the best path forward is the hard path. The path where everything is your fault. The path where no matter what happens in your life, you find what you did wrong so you can do it better the next time. The path where there's always something for you to learn. That is the path that hurts the most, but it's the path that's going to make you the best person and it's the path that's going to lead to the best life. All that matters is how you see yourself. If you see yourself as the king, you see yourself with all the belts and all everything. And no matter what no one else says, as long as you see that and really believe in it, then that's what's going to happen. Who can tell you otherwise? Who says what when you see things? Who says what when you see of yours? My name is Conor McGregor and I live in Lucan. I'm an up and coming fighter and without a doubt you will see me on the UFC in near future. Without a doubt. If you can see it here and you have the courage enough to speak it, it will happen. A lot of times people believe in certain things but they keep to themselves. They don't put it out there. What do you want to be? Here's another thing. What do you want to be? I don't want to be anything. I am what I am. I am everything I want to be and I'm already there. You truly believe in it if you become vocal with it. My dream is to be world lightweight champion in the UFC. I have more money than I know what to do with. I have a great life with my kids, my grandkids, everyone in my family, everyone that's come up with me. My dream is to be number one pretty much, my goal is number one in MMA. You are creating that law of attraction and it will become reality. I want this, I want to do this and I want to do that, but the vibe you're putting out is want, they're always going to want, I always have the attitude that I have. Some people's journeys are meant to go other ways. This is my destiny now, and that's when I said, I will give this everything. So you feel guided? Yeah. Every single one of them keep talking about the talk, but never once in your life will you hear them talk about the skill or the technique, because they know I own that. Like, if you have a clear picture in your head of something that is going to happen, a clear belief in that it will happen no matter what, then nothing can stop it. It is destined to happen, and that's what happens. It's crazy how things just form, dreams just form into reality. We can't learn from who we are. Destiny chooses us. Look at all the guilt which burdens you so. What do you blame yourself for? For all of those people. Accept the reality that these things happen. But do not let them cloud and poison your energy. If you are to be a positive influence on the world, you need to forgive yourself. The shapes are always changing. Changing is their normal state, like us. Even if we're not changing on the outside, we're changing on the inside constantly. There's some stuff about me that I've been ignoring for a long time. I'm afraid of that stuff, but it's part of who I am. As long as I know the shape of my soul, I'll be alright. You seem quieter than usual tonight. Every year I come here, I wonder if it should be the last time. I should put the past behind me, try to lead a normal life. Santayana says that those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it. He also said a fanatic is someone who redoubles his efforts while losing sight of his goal. Sonny, my father, always said that when I get old I would understand. Well, I finally did. I learned something from these two men. I learned to give love and get love unconditionally. You just have to accept people for what they are. And I learned the greatest gift of all. The saddest thing in life is wasted talent. And the choices that you make will shape your life forever. I know you think you gotta be perfect to keep the people you love in your life. But, Dean, that's not true. Family homework for mistakes. Does people by their flaws. We just love people. But it is up to you to trust people. The real you. The truth is, for all my struggles to make my mark in life, for all I've accomplished in just a few short generations, my name will be forgotten. Even the greatest of us can't compete with time and death. Then why do you go on? Why does anyone? Why don't I just destroy you and everything else right now? If you do that, you won't see the end of it. The end of what? The evolutionary process. My purpose, if you will, is to see where it's all going. And you, you live forever. You'll be able to see it all. Is that my purpose? Simply to be a witness. We create our own purpose in life. Now go create yours. You know, I heard a quote one time from Vincent van Gogh that really rang true. He said, he has dedicated his life to his art and he has lost his mind in the process. When I sat and I thought about that, it sounded very familiar. I have given every single thing. Every ounce of my life to this craft, to perfecting my craft, and I continue to do so. And in the process, I have lost my mind. But in a good way, to regular society, to people who wake up at 9 a.m., who clock out at 5 p.m., they would look at me and say I've lost my mind. But me, I have found it almost. I saw myself as the number one, and I saw myself as the champion, even before anyone else did. I just kept that in my head. I don't think that's just the way it is. It's 24-7 in my head. I always think about it. I'm always down. I don't do anything else. I'm fighting myself, you know what I mean? Because you are fighting yourself. There is no opponent, you know what I mean? It's you versus you, and I'd say I'm fighting myself in there. I'm going to beat myself. It's not even martial arts. Life, you know what I mean? It's always you versus you. If you compete, if you're competing against other people, you know what I mean? Competing against others, you're going to become bitter. Eventually, you'll become bitter. But if you compete against yourself, You'll become better and there's no talent here. This is hard work. This is an obsession talent does not exist We are all equals as human beings. You could be anyone if you put in the time You will reach the top and that's that so I am not talented. I am obsessed. I had many days on site It's cold. It's damp. It's dark and i'm looking around at everyone else and for me It just wasn't the life. I wanted to live and I was in I remember during one lunch break, I was in the car park and it was pissing rain down and I just said to myself, I don't, there was some music playing and it was like some, there wasn't even words to it, it was just a kind of a beat and I got like real. I went somewhere with it and I was like, I'm out of here, I'm going to just drive out of this building site, head home and pursue this dream of becoming a world champion in mixed martial arts. And that's what I did. I drove home. When I got home, my mother and father said, how come you're not still at work? And I said, I'm never going to go back to that site another day in my life. I was going to go and do this. I was going to put everything into it. And although they didn't understand it at that time, through hard work, through dedication. They saw what I was pursuing and they supported me and I done it. I did it. I fail to be at the pinnacle of any game. In any, whatever you do, you've got to be a little bit gone to it. You're not all there. You've got to be almost insane to your craft. Ah, yeah. Not a lot of people can understand that. Staying on the straight and narrow, you know what I mean, just staying on the straight and narrow, because I mean, I seem to be a product, I can be a product of my environment, you know what I mean, if I'm in with the wrong crowd, I just kind of... Become whatever, you know what I mean, so that's why I like to be isolated because there was no outsiders there was isolation it was Visualization it was motivation and it was dedication. It was no nothing else going on in my life You know what I mean to get to the pinnacle. It needs to be like that. It needs to be no outsiders It needs to be you need to have your team and and your focus and that's it I don't need friends that aren't involved in this game Or that aren't on the same path, you know what I mean? Because it just doesn't make sense. And that is a demon that I need to conquer. As far as I'm concerned, there's no such thing as an accomplished critic. Everybody's a critic, you know what I mean? Everybody has an opinion on it, but there's no such thing as an accomplished critic. So I don't pay attention to what people say, you know, good or bad. It means nothing to me. I listen to my circle and I carry on again. Nothing else matters except getting better, showing up at the gym and improving. I can't hear nothing else. I don't know, I'm just curious about it, I'm curious about it, it's never, I mean, it's in my head 24-7, there's nothing else I can think of, I don't, I don't think about nothing else, if, if, let's see, I'm just curious, curiously fascinated with it, and I can't stop thinking about it, everything I do in my life is related to this, I don't do nothing else that it's not got to do with, fine, in the struggle, you know, when, when things are going good, and you visualize these good things happen, you visualize more good things happening, that's easy, what's not easy to do is when things are going bad, And you're visualizing the good stuff and that that was what I was able to feel I was able to you know Even though I was having these troubles at home, even though I know real I had no job No, you know, you know, whatever didn't know what actually what I was doing if it didn't happen It didn't happen, but I still was able to feel like it was I still was able to go into a different It's just like you might use my imagination, like a kid would use his imagination. I was basically just using my imagination. A little girl in this car that pulls up to a station on a little strobe saying I'm going to destroy her. And I'm shaking down the road. And when I visualized that, and I swear to God sitting in the traffic and all. I visualised, I'm sitting here on the steering wheel visualising a brand new car and visualising good things in times of struggle. When you can do that, I think that really makes that law of attraction work. I think it really attracts to you more, you know what I mean, because that is harder to do. You stare at your past and you'll end up staying there. It's okay to look back and admire it, but you carry on. I'm not in the business of staring back at it. You know what I mean? I'm getting lost back there. People say a loss can make or break a fighter. But trust me, a win can also make or break a fighter because they get comfortable with a win. People can get comfortable with a win and slack off then. Slack off on the training. Slack off on the diet. They've won one. They're winners now. That's not me. You sleep on a win and you wake up with a loss. It's difficult to understand the sum of a person's life. Some people would tell you it's measured by the ones left behind. Some believe it can be measured in faith. Some say by love. Other folks say life has no meaning at all. Me, I believe that you measure yourself by the people who measure themselves by you. A kin may move a man. A father may claim a son. That man can also move himself. And only then does that man truly begin his own game. Remember that howsoever you are praised or by whom, your soul is in your keeping alone. Even though those who presumed to play you would be kings or men of power. When you stand before God, you cannot say, but I was told by others to do thus. Or that virtue was not convenient at the time. This will not suffice. Remember that. Maybe I'm in the wrong line of work. Maybe I should take on something less challenging. You do what you are, Jesse. You mean you are what you do? You do what you are. You're born with a gift. If you start that, then you get good at something along the way. And what you're good at, you don't take for granted. You don't betray it. What if you do betray your gift? And you betray yourself. That's a sad thing. This one's great. Not according to the book. If you go by the checklist, this one's perfect. But I like how mine's a little off-center. It's got Wabi Sabi. You can't win an argument by making up words. Wabi Sabi is an Eastern tradition, Dad. It's celebrating the beauty in what's fallen. Like the crack in the Liberty Bell or the mole on Cindy Crawford's face. The Liberty Bell is great, but come on, if it was in a contest with a bunch of bells without cracks, it would lose. But sometimes it's the small imperfections that make you love something even more. So what if this rose is a little too short? A little too wide? It's got more personality than those other ones. It says facing fear isn't about being fearless. It's about being brave enough to move forward despite the feeling. That's what courage is. Courage is not the absence of fear. It's deciding to do it afraid, right? We look at these people, man, they're so courageous. They have the same emotion that you have. They're just deciding to act through it rather than allow the emotion to stop them from moving. Go into the unknown because you already know what you know. And so, and that's not enough unless you think you're enough. And if you're not enough and you don't think you're enough, then you have to go where you haven't been. You can't make yourself interested in something. Interest manifests itself and grips you. That's a whole different thing. And so what is it that's gripping you? And how do you conceptualize that? Is that a divine power? Well, it's divine as far as you're concerned because it grips you and you can't do anything about it. And so there's a calling in you towards what you're compelled by and what you're interested in. And sometimes that might be very dark and sometimes not, but you're compelled forward by your interest. And so And so the idea that what moves you away from your country and your father's house and the comforts of your childhood home is something that's beyond you, that you listen to and hearken to. That's exactly right. If you do not listen to that thing that beckons you forward, you will pay for it like you cannot possibly imagine. You'll have everything that's terrible about life in your life and nothing about it that's good. And worse, you'll know that it was your fault and that you squandered what you could have had. Fear and doubt. How many times have you felt pressure and how alive you've felt underneath that pressure? When pressure was a privilege, when it excited you, that's fear. Fear is about the pressure. It's about embracing the pressure. It's about wanting the pressure. It's about not allowing the pressure to get to you, but to propel you. You thrive on it. You look for it. you can't live without it and what does doubt do in a pressure situations you panic you panic fear is an ally doubt is an enemy that you created So one of my favorite quotes that I try to live by each day is, a man who procrastinates his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance. Because the only thing we ever have on our side is the time we choose to take advantage of right now. The opportunities of possibility in front of us at this very moment that only require a down payment of today's effort. Which honestly isn't even as big of a cost as it seems, considering how good you'll always feel knowing that you give a bit about yourself by actually trying today. So I'd rather do all the hard now, if it means I have to run further, Live harder, work longer hours. Day in, day out, it's not easy, I get it. But that's the whole f***ing point, because it's a smaller price you have to be willing to pay today to avoid a life sentence of questions you'll never be able to answer because you kept intentionally putting things off even when you knew your future self would hate you for it. If you keep skipping out on your daily opportunities, which are honestly the greatest ones you'll ever have in your life, don't ever let yourself be just a default decision from never doing anything that made you feel worthwhile. They'll say you're doing too much, that you need to slow down. But what they're really saying is your effort exposes their lack of it. They'll question why you're up before the sun, why you push when it hurts, and why you don't just take the easy way out like everyone else. And one day, when the results they didn't believe in start showing up, they'll ask how you did it and wish they started when you did. The world doesn't reward those who seek approval. It rewards those who stay in the game long enough to prove they never needed it. motivation is garbage it's garbage because it's not there when you really need it because knowing what you need to do it's not enough it's just not enough the clock is ticking waiting for motivation to strike is basically saying it's never going to happen there's no shame in being a broken man i should know you just pick up the pieces in the building i took away your parents Everything. I scarred you for life. See, that's the thing, Shem. Scars heal. You've got to let go of that stuff from the past, because it just doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is what you choose to be now. There are two kinds of sufferers in this world. Those who suffer from a lack of life, and those who suffer from an overabundance of life. I've always found myself in the second category. The realm of the real spirit, the true artist, the saint, the philosopher, is rarely achieved. Why so few? Why is world history and evolution not stories of progress, rather this endless and futile addition of zeros? So what are these barriers that keep people from reaching anywhere near their real potential? The answer to that can be found in another question, and that's this. Which is the most universal human characteristic? Fear or laziness? Are you secret? I don't think they don't teach you in your temples. Envy us. Things more beautiful. Cause we're doomed. We will never be here again. You know what I wanna mess around with? The belief that I matter, you know? Regardless of what I do or don't achieve, or the belief that we all deserve to be loved, whether we've been hurt, or maybe we've hurt somebody else. But what about the belief of hope, yeah? That's what I wanna mess with. Believing that things can get better, that I can get better, that we will get better. Believe in yourself, believe in one another, that's fundamental to being alive. And look, yo, hey, if you can do that, if each of you can truly do that, can't nobody rip that apart. Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring. Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything. Fire is the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will and the energy and drive to achieve what they want. Air is the element of freedom. The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom. So this is like a daily battle almost with the good and the bad, right? The tug and pull, the demons, if you will. Yeah. How are you winning that battle? What are you doing to win that battle? And again, it's ongoing. You're under this shoe every day. It's like training. You have to train for a fight. You have to train your discipline. You have to train your skill set. It's the same thing. Only it's akin to being on a tightrope. A very high fall, you know? The stakes are very high. So you better stay balanced. Sometimes when you're down in a place, you don't feel anything else. You have no emotion. You're just here. You're reckless, you're going, you don't pay no attention to nothing. And then when you, eventually you, what most people and all people, they must put that work in on themselves and get themselves back into a steady state of living. That is the time where the rope is even thinner, you get me? The balance, you need to be even more balanced because the fall is even higher then. If you fall when you're in this position, you don't give a ****... You might even do it out of, you know, just to do it. So, I'm in the state now where I balance and making my way through life. These gloves right here, these UFC gloves, you know, we'll be the first Irishman to put these on, to lace these up and get in and do the job. Honestly, no one can take that away from me, no matter what. I'll go, honestly, I don't mean to be disrespectful, but I don't care about nothing else. I don't know about nothing else, you know what I mean? Don't even listen to me. Pressure combat is something else. Just don't listen, don't listen. I'm talking. But if I talk about this, if I talk about unarmed combat, How about I talk about the human anatomy, and I mean, the way the human body moves, then listen, is that not unhealthy? Um, I don't know. Do I look unhealthy? Take a look at this physique. I'm in phenomenal shape, in body and mind. To me, what's unhealthy is living an unhealthy life. To me, what's unhealthy is getting up and going through the same day, every day, at like 9 to 5, in an office or in a room. That's unhealthy. That beats your mind. I don't work. I love what I do and that's why I'm doing what I love. You know what I mean? That's why it's become a career for me because I love it. I love what I do. So I don't think it's unhealthy. I feel good in my mind. I mean it's my life. You know there's no hiding in the octagon. If you've maybe missed the training session or skipped a meal or you know ate something you shouldn't have or you know lived a life of discipline, it's going to show in there. So if you put in the work And you make that walk, you just trust your work, trust your discipline, trust what you've done. I find fighting easy. It's easy to me. I am doing what I was put here to do, and that's why I'm doing it so well. When you hit rock bottom, and there's nothing else there but God. And then, just a divine coincidence is everything just, I keep seeing it. I keep being, I keep being shown it. You say that word rock bottom, it feels profound when you say it. When was rock bottom? A few dark moments are here, a few dark moments, but I relished the opportunity, the opportunity to show my strength. I was put in a position to showcase my strength, so I stood up and showed it, and that's what I do. A few dark moments, I'm through them, I'm in the light, I'm walking the tightrope, I'm keeping my balance, and please God, I keep it. Become anything you want, if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish. You hold to that desire of singleness of purpose. I'm in the business of securing my own future, my family's future, and that's it. You know, that's what I'm in it for. The fight game doesn't last long. Competitive fighting doesn't last long. Learning martial arts and training is for life because that's medication to me, so I will do that forever. But as far as the fight game, I'm in it to get all the money, all the belts, and then I'm gone. If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise. Why are you telling me these things? It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If you take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale. Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole. I'm done being scared. Who said I'm not scared? You took on a croc. And I was scared doing it. If you ain't scared of a croc biting you on the face, you ain't alive. Listen, kid, you can't get rid of fear. It's like Mother Nature. You can't beat her or outrun her. You can get through it. Find out what you're made of. When you lose your money, you lose nothing. When you lose your health, you lose something. When you lose your character, you lose everything. Remember that. Darkness is a powerful ally. If you know how to be friendly, you will not break the rock tonight, or tomorrow, or the next day, or perhaps ever. You said to break the rock. I said to try to break the rock to your family. The whole world knows. Now you want to stop that from happening to anyone else. But evil is as eternal as this rock. Even if you break the rock, there will be pebbles. Break the pebbles, there will be sand. And evil remains. You cannot chase that, no matter how much you train. Accept what you cannot change. It is not your burden to bear. Life is meant to be lived with others. It is too hard to do it alone. It is your journey, young warrior. Only you decide when it ends. No one who dares to raise their hand against a comrade ever dies a decent death. Remember that. Well, that means our fates are sealed. Seems you and I are depraved and worthless. Not true. We're both human, not fish. No matter who you are, you do not truly know what kind of man you've become. Until you reach the very end, one realizes one's true nature at the moment of death. No one answered when I knocked. The door to destiny is always open if you are brave enough to walk through it. You're stronger than your father. He didn't know my father. But I know the rage that drives you. That impossible anger strangling the grief until the memory of your loved one is just poisoning your veins. One day you catch yourself wishing the person you loved had never existed. You'd be spared your pain. This is why you were chosen. Because they're strong men. Who has known power all his life. he loses respect for that power. But a weak man knows the value of strength. Compassion Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier. A good. The reason people are afraid of the word obsession, and they like to stay in the interested area. Because when you're interested about something, when you're passionate about something, it's this beautiful daydream. It's this beautiful... euphoric rainbow but you know what the obsession is the obsession lives in your nightmare obsession lives in your nightmare that's why people love to work with passionate people oh they're so passionate they're so easy to work with individuals that are obsessed they're nightmares to work with, you know why because every detail matters, because you have probably dealt with everything that life has thrown at you so far Do you think that it's because of the way that you grasped and controlled, feared and ruminated, or could it be because you're a capable, competent, gifted person, and the world is fundamentally fair, and over a long enough time horizon, most people get what they deserve? For what it's worth, it's never too late, or in my case, too early. Be whoever you want to be. No time limit. Start whenever you want. Stay the same. I have no rules to this thing. You can make the best or the worst, darling. Hope you make the best. I hope you see things that start again, feel things you never felt before, I hope you live a life you're proud of, you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again. The way I see it, if something makes you sad when it ends, it must have been pretty wonderful when it was happening. Truth be told, I've always felt it a bit lazy to just think of the world as sad, because so much of it is, because everything ends, everything dies. Look out there, out there is the perfect lap. No mistakes. Every gear change, every corner. Perfect. You see it? I think so. Most people can't. Most people don't even know it's out there, but it is. It's there. Now, to see our tree, everything that made that giant tree is already contained inside this tiny little seed. All it needs is some time, a little bit of sunshine and rain and voila! This rock will be a tree. Seed to tree, you've got to work with me here, alright? Okay. You might not feel like you can do much now. But that's just because, well, you're not a tree yet. You just have to give yourself some time. You're still a seed. I know we've had some difficult times lately. We've had to struggle just to get by. But it's nothing to be ashamed of. There is a simple honor in poverty. There's no honor for me without the Avatar. Zocor. Even if you did capture the Avatar, I'm not so sure it would solve our problems. Not now. And there is no hope at all. No, Zuko. You must never give in to despair. Allow yourself to slip down that road and you surrender to your lowest instincts. In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength. To get anything of value is sacrifice. You know that the harder thing to do and the right thing to do is meaning is easy. Easy doesn't enter into growing up. Granddad, what do you do when you can't do nothing, but there's nothing you can do? But you can.