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Seeing Clearly Changes Everything · Inspirations for Your Life

0:24
Well, hey guys, welcome to Inspirations for Your
0:28
Life.
0:29
I'm so glad that you decided to join
0:32
me here on the show.
0:34
Thanks so much for being here with me.
0:36
This is Saturday.
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It's March 14, 2026.
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And what Saturday means to us is it
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actually means that we're starting a brand new
0:46
master topic.
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So that's what Saturday means.
0:48
Saturday is the beginning of our week.
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Most people's weeks begin on Monday, but ours
0:53
begin on Saturday and end on Friday.
0:57
All right, guys, it is so wonderful to
1:00
be here with everybody.
1:03
So without any further ado, I want to
1:05
take the opportunity to say thank you.
1:07
And of course, I want to say the
1:09
words, welcome, welcome, welcome.
1:11
You've been here many times before, or if
1:14
this is your very first time, of course,
1:16
welcome.
1:16
If you've been here before, of course, I
1:18
want to say welcome back.
1:19
Thanks for making Inspirations for Your Life a
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daily part of your day and helping you
1:26
become a better version of yourself.
1:29
If you haven't checked out BelieveMeAchieved.com, what
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Go check that out.
1:33
That is after the show is over, not
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now, but after the show is over.
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So you can check that out.
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And I think you will really find that
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content, and yeah, reels, articles, and so much
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more.
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So if you're thirsty, feel free to go
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grab yourself something.
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If not, that's fine, too.
1:58
Maybe you want a snack.
1:59
That could be what you want, right?
2:03
So I think a lot of people today
2:06
don't realize sometimes what happens or how we
2:12
can make things bigger, how we can make
2:14
things better in our lives.
2:17
And I know a lot of you are
2:18
saying to me, hey, John, I get it,
2:21
but for some reason, this doesn't make sense
2:23
or whatever, right?
2:25
So we're going to go through some things
2:26
tonight.
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This is a great show.
2:29
So without any further ado, guys, I'm going
2:31
to go ahead and kick this show off.
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Are you ready?
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I know that I am.
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All right, everyone.
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So welcome to Inspirations for Your Life.
2:41
I'm John Seymour, a serial entrepreneur, engineer, marketing
2:44
specialist, video producer, podcast host, coach, keynote speaker,
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graduate student, and a passionate lifelong learner.
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Yes, and pretty soon a published author.
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This week, I'm talking all about something very
3:01
interesting, the master topic of seeing clearly.
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And we're not just talking about our eyes,
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although that's what most people think it is.
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There's more to seeing clearly to a situation.
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When your vision sharpens, your decisions improve.
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When your awareness grows, your direction becomes stronger.
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And when you learn to look deeper, you
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begin to understand things that others, well, completely
3:31
miss.
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Many people move through life reacting to what
3:36
they see on the surface.
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They judge quickly.
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They assume quickly.
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They decide quickly.
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They decide wrong.
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But surface level thinking often leads to surface
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level results.
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So strong lives are built differently.
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They're built when awareness replaces assumption.
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Now we've talked about the word awareness before.
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This is not our very first time mentioning
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the word awareness.
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But I think awareness can be something that
4:11
gets us to be where we want to
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be, right?
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I think that's a very important thing to
4:19
understand.
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And I know a lot of you out
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there are saying to me, hey, John, like,
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I don't get this.
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I don't get that.
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And so an awareness is a quiet understanding
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of where you are and where you're going.
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Now, the awareness and the assumption that I'm
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talking about is built when patience replaces impulse.
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You know, when you go to the store
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and there's that rack and you want to
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buy everything on it at the register, it's
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that impulse, right?
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And the thing about it is they are
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built when intentional choices replace drifting through life.
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And when we replace the drifting, we become
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a better version of ourself.
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So today's episode talks about some very interesting
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things.
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Because one of the greatest life skills you
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can develop is the ability to see deeper
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when you want to be more immediately connected
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to what's visible.
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So let's drive right into the topics, all
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right?
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Number one, appearances rarely reveal the truth.
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You've heard the old saying, you can't judge
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a book by its cover and those that
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do are doomed for failure.
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I think truth lights people's eyes up, but
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what truth doesn't do is it doesn't always
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give you an immediate answer.
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It sometimes gives you more questions.
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Now, what you see first is rarely the
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entire picture, people, opportunities and situations almost always
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have more depth than what appears on the
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surface, right?
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You might've also heard the phrase before when
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we say, you know, we're just seeing the
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tip of the iceberg.
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We're seeing the entire thing that actually goes
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down below and we're seeing just the top,
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all right?
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Just the top.
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Number two, guys, real strength is often quiet.
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It's often quiet.
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The strongest people rarely need to prove themselves.
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They move in a calm confidence way because
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their strength is internal and that internal strength
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is not only their guidance, but it is
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their way of life.
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Number three, guys, character matters more than image.
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So image is important, guys.
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Don't get me wrong, but your character is
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important, who you are.
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Image can attract an attention, okay?
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Character has the ability to earn respect for
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it.
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Over time, character always wins.
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And your character is what you do when
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people around and when people are not around.
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So what people do when they see you
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and people do when they can't see you,
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I think that's a very important thing.
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And so these are real keen things, guys.
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Number four, true potential is not always obvious.
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It's not always obvious.
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So the most capable people are overlooked simply
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because they're not trying to impress anyone.
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They're not trying.
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And they're oftentimes the most interesting.
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Number five, depth beats surface every time.
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When we can go below the tip of
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the iceberg and we can get to the
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depth of the iceberg, or we can get
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to the depth of the challenge or the
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relationship or the person, that's what's exciting.
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Quick impressions might feel convenient, but true depth
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creates real understanding.
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You know, people that are sincere will stay
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when there's depth.
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It'll attract them.
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Number four, people that are superficial will run
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for the hills when depth tries to share
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its head.
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Number six, guys, inner strength shapes outer results.
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So your mindset, discipline, and your resilience determine
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the outcomes you create.
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Real value often, number seven, grows unseen.
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And growth is usually quiet before it becomes
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visible.
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No one pays attention to growth when it's
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quiet.
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But it's that quietness that gets at its
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edge, that gets at the ability to have
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altitude and take off.
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Success often begins long before anyone notices it.
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And that's not a bad thing.
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People all come around when there's something to
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notice, but the real treasure has happened days,
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weeks, months, or maybe years before.
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Number eight, guys, substance outlasts style.
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Style is pretty cool.
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Style may capture someone's attention for a brief
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moment, but substance builds lasting influence.
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Substance.
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Substance is based on truth.
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Hmm, that's interesting.
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So quiet effort builds lasting impact, guys.
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Quiet effort builds lasting impact.
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Not the noisy effort, not the kind where
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you have to let everybody know what you're
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doing.
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And the work you do consistently, even when
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nobody is watching, is the work that builds
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your future.
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It's what builds legacies.
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It's what builds epiphanies.
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It's what builds your miracles.
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Number 10, guys, what matters most is often
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invisible.
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What's that, John?
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Integrity, discipline, vision, resilience.
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Integrity, discipline, vision, resilience, integrity, discipline, vision, and
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resilience.
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These four qualities shape lives, yet they cannot
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always be seen immediately, but they're quietly being
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molded and forming in the background while no
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one else is watching or noticing.
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Number 11, guys, strong character develops over time.
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Don't try to rush your character overnight.
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Character is built through choices repeated day after
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day.
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The choices that you make define the character
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you are and who you're becoming.
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Those are powerful words, guys.
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Number 12, people are deeper than their labels.
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Labels don't really matter, but sometimes people give
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others labels.
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Sometimes people live up to a label, and
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that label might actually be diminishing their character.
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Never reduce someone to a single label or
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an assumption.
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Not only is it a bad thing to
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do when it's rude, but it also might
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stifle that person and get them to be
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limited to just that.
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Every person carries experience, potential, and perspective.
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Every person's a human being.
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We should treat others the way we want
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to be treated, the golden rule, right?
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Number 13, guys, hidden preparation creates visible success.
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Wow, guys, these are very, very powerful tonight,
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aren't they?
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These are very powerful.
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When success finally appears, people often call it
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luck.
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In reality, it is preparation meeting opportunity.
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How long do I have to prepare?
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What I want to say to you is
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don't think about how long you have to
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prepare.
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Just think about being consistent until preparing just
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becomes autonomous.
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Number 14, guys, the obvious choice is not
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always the right one.
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I've said something to you before many times,
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just because we can doesn't mean we should.
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Sometimes the path that looks easiest leads to
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the weakest outcome, and that could be sad
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for people, very sad.
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Number 15, guys, real influence begins within you,
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within your core.
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Before you influence the world, you must first
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lead yourself.
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If you cannot lead yourself in your life,
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how are you ever going to influence other
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people?
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Number 16, surface impressions can mislead, right?
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That quick assumption of, you know, don't judge
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a book by its cover.
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Quick judgments can cause us to overlook talent,
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ideas, and opportunities.
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Sometimes we're quick because another person says, oh,
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we don't have the time.
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What I found that when people do that,
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the person has the time, but the person
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that wants them to move ahead doesn't.
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And that's not fair to the other person.
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Number 17, guys, depth creates durability, DCD.
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Shallow foundations collapse under pressure.
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I don't care whether we're talking about a
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house that's not built with the right structure
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or building or a relationship that's built on
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a facade.
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Strong foundations survive the storms.
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If you're becoming friends with somebody because of
15:45
what they can do for you and there
15:48
isn't a true bond, that friendship's going to
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fizzle once it's evident that there is no
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commonality.
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Number 18, guys, true strength requires patience.
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Patience is not an easy thing to have
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or to expect from others, especially when a
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lot of you are anxious for success or
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anxious for an outcome.
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But again, true strength requires patience.
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Things will happen in good time, divine timing,
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right?
16:36
That's a popular one we hear from our
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creator.
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Patience is not weakness, guys.
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It is a controlled strength that we need
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to learn how to deal with.
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The quicker that we develop patience, the better
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we are.
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But I don't say you have to do
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it quickly.
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I just mean that if you don't take
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it seriously, you're going to take forever and
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you're going to get disappointed because you haven't
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developed patience.
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Don't rush developing patience.
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But the quicker that you are able to
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do it in a slow manner, the better
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your life will be.
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Number 19, guys, integrity becomes visible through actions.
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Integrity becomes visible through actions.
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Integrity becomes visible through actions.
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Integrity is not what people claim.
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It is what their actions reveal.
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You're not who you say you are.
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You are who your actions are listening to
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be.
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One of the things I said a long
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time ago is when we talk about what
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we say, how we say it, and what
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we don't say.
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The most important thing in life comes from
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what we don't say, our actions.
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The next most important thing is how we
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say something.
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And the third thing is what we say.
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So what we say is not the most
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important thing, guys.
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Nope.
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It's not the most important.
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Interesting.
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Number 20, guys, hidden growth builds strong futures.
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Hidden growth builds strong futures.
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The improvements you make quietly today build the
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opportunities you experience tomorrow.
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They get you to experience greatness.
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They get you to experience the miracles in
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your life that you want to happen.
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Miracles aren't magic.
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They happen by strategic planning.
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They happen by our persistence, our consistency, our
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dedication, our integrity.
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Number 21, guys.
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Real leaders, they grow quietly first.
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Remember, leaders are not born.
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They are made.
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Leadership begins internally with discipline, responsibility, and awareness.
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Where did I learn to become a leader
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first?
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Scouting.
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When I was at scouting, it was just
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the Boy Scouts.
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Now, because of, well, legal paperwork, they had
19:43
to allow everyone into scouting.
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But the Boy Scouts, when I was involved,
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was about teaching a guy to develop the
20:05
faculties in his mind and in his body
20:09
to be well-rounded.
20:13
When you hear today he's an Eagle Scout,
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that's so amazingly good to hear.
20:31
But there are not hundreds of Eagle Scouts
20:34
coming out every day.
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Being an Eagle Scout is not easy.
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But when you become an Eagle, you're a
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well-rounded person.
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You learn things such as humanities.
20:50
You learn the different badges, like citizenship.
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You learn a lot of things in scouting,
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archery, shooting.
21:06
You become well-rounded.
21:07
You learn how to whittle with your knife.
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I remember the very first time that I
21:13
wanted to whittle, I was told I couldn't.
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I said, what do you mean I can't?
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I said, I got this as a birthday
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gift.
21:20
You can't whittle.
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Why not?
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So I was making a joke.
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I said, not even a whittle?
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Little?
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Whittle?
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Not even a whittle?
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No.
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They said, no, you don't have a totenship
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card.
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I said, I have a citizenship card.
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No, you don't have a totenship card.
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You have to go through a class.
21:39
And that requires proper use of the knife,
21:45
proper use of an ax.
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It's about safety.
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You might have learned many years ago that
21:53
before you could transport a pair of scissors,
21:56
somebody showed you the proper way to carry
22:01
scissors.
22:04
You never carry scissors with the point out.
22:07
You carry them so the point is in,
22:10
and you're walking like this with the scissors
22:12
in your hand.
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So if you don't use a knife or
22:19
an ax properly, you get a point taken
22:26
off your card.
22:29
And you also have to learn how to
22:30
manage fire and firearms, like fires.
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Not so much guns, but like a fire,
22:37
making a fire, et cetera.
22:39
So if you did something wrong, they chipped
22:40
one corner off your card.
22:42
If you lost all four corners, you had
22:46
to forfeit your totenship card.
22:48
And luckily, I never lost my card.
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And I never lost a point on my
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card.
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I took totenship very seriously for me and
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for the other scouts.
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Responsibility, awareness, discipline, that's what scouting does.
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And of course, leadership, to pass it on
23:11
to others.
23:12
Number 22, guys, what develops slowly often lasts
23:16
longer.
23:18
Fast results may feel exciting at the moment,
23:21
but slow growth often builds, guys, the strongest
23:26
foundations possible.
23:30
Think about plaster of Paris, right?
23:33
If you don't let plaster of Paris settle
23:35
and set for too long, it doesn't get
23:39
fully hard, right?
23:42
If you don't let glue dry properly, even
23:44
these different types of glue that are like
23:47
crazy glue, crazy glue lost their patents.
23:49
And now I think there's a new one
23:50
called Gorilla Glue.
23:51
If you don't let them set even the
23:53
short amount of time, then they're not going
23:55
to work.
23:56
Number 23, guys, look deeper before deciding.
24:01
The more carefully you observe, the better your
24:05
decisions will become.
24:10
Number 24, lasting strength grows internally.
24:16
Confidence that depends on outside validation, it's fragile.
24:22
Real confidence comes from within you.
24:29
Number 25, quick judgments cause us to miss
24:33
the deeper truth.
24:35
The fastest decision is not always the smartest
24:37
decision, even though people make the fast ones
24:40
all the time.
24:43
Number 26, guys, hidden excellence deserves recognition.
24:51
Many people doing extraordinary work remain unnoticed simply
24:55
because they are focused on the work itself.
24:59
They're not focused on the value, on the
25:01
integrity, on the quality or the responsibility they
25:06
need to have while doing that work.
25:11
Number 27, character builds confidence.
25:16
Character also builds your leadership.
25:19
Confidence that comes from discipline and integrity cannot
25:22
easily be shaken.
25:23
No one can take that from you.
25:26
You don't become a leader because of people
25:30
patting you on the back.
25:32
You become a leader by learning what works
25:36
and what doesn't and how the other people
25:39
respond.
25:39
But it's not by giving you a pat
25:41
on your back.
25:42
It's by you recognizing how your awareness, how
25:46
your discipline, how your skills like listening and
25:55
communication can transform another person's life.
25:59
Number 28, guys, quiet discipline creates the power.
26:05
Not the guy with the big megaphone, right?
26:07
That's not leadership.
26:10
I'm not saying leaders don't use a megaphone,
26:12
but that megaphone does not make a person
26:15
a leader.
26:16
If you do, you don't understand the definition
26:19
of leadership.
26:21
The habits you repeat daily become the foundation
26:24
of your strength.
26:28
Number 29, guys, inner strength guides decisions in
26:33
our lives.
26:34
When you value and you see the core
26:37
values are clear, the decisions you make will
26:41
become easier.
26:43
They'll become like pattern recognition.
26:50
Number 30, guys, learn to see beyond the
26:55
surface.
26:59
This may be one of the most valuable
27:02
life skills you can develop.
27:04
If you don't see beyond the surface, go
27:09
explore.
27:12
Maybe the surface is not inevitably visible because
27:19
when you learn to look deeper, you begin
27:21
to notice opportunities others overlook.
27:24
You recognize potentials others ignore, and you make
27:27
decisions with true clarity rather than assumption.
27:35
Seeing clearly is not just about observation, guys.
27:38
We've learned that today.
27:40
It's about awareness.
27:42
It's about a wisdom, and it's about the
27:44
discipline to slow down long enough to understand
27:48
what is truly happening.
27:49
As you move forward this week, challenge yourself
27:54
to look deeper.
27:55
Look at people.
27:57
Look deeper at opportunities.
27:58
Look deeper at your own potential because sometimes
28:01
the greatest possibilities are just beneath the surface,
28:07
and the moment you learn to see them,
28:10
your life begins to change.
28:12
This has been Inspirations for Your Life.
28:14
Be sure to check out BelieveMeAchieved.com, and
28:17
I'm reminding you here that the more clearly
28:20
you see, the more powerfully you can live
28:22
an amazing, powerful life.
28:24
Until next time, let's keep staying inspired.
28:27
Be well, everyone.