Here is the cold hard truth about how to be successful. I was out on the water most of the day and I was reflecting on this. I guess I was just thinking about my journey and I’ve done relatively okay in life, I guess you could say. And and it’s always hard to pinpoint what’s that one thing that made it all possible. And I think I figured it out. So, in today’s video, I’m going to talk to you about what it took me 25 years to realize and hopefully I can deliver in however many minutes in this video. First things first, I do apologize. I’m profusely red like a lobster today. So, I literally just came back and showered up. So, I was almost not even going to make this video. So, with that being disregarded, I’m going to share something that took me 25 years to realize and hopefully it saves you many years of wondering. You see, you are not waiting to become somebody. You already are. And I know that sounds very woowoo and very like, oh, you know, self-help, you know, make yourself feel better about your life situation. But, but please hear me out. You see, you are invisible right now to the world. And trust me, I know how that feels. But what you’re going through right now is the test. Most people don’t fail because they’re not talented. Most people fail because they can’t survive the season where no one sees them, where no one acknowledges them. So if you’re putting in work right now, I know what that feels like. And by the way, that is why I have some people ask me sometimes like, “Why do you still keep up all the old videos of yourself when you were 15, 16?” You know, I’ve been uploading on YouTube for this will be my 10th year now. Why do you keep those videos up on YouTube? And the reason why I do it is because I want people to know or I want people to have a reference of what it’s like to be invisible, invisible to the world. What it’s like to feel like you are a hero or you could be the hero, but the world just hasn’t caught up to it yet. So, I want you to know if you’re putting in all this work and no one sees it or the world doesn’t acknowledge you, you’re not crazy. You’re not this wacko dreamer. You are just underground like the roots of a tree. You see, before a tree can blossom into its final form. What does it have to do? It has to build the foundations. Do you ever see the foundations? Do you ever see the roots? No, you never see the roots. The roots just grow deeper and deeper until the point in which you have a tree in front of you. When even when the wind is howling even when everything around it is shaking, it is the one thing that is impenetrable. And I feel like, as I mentioned, I’ve I’ve done okay for myself in my life. And even when people saw me and even when people acknowledge me, I still didn’t feel like my roots were solid enough. You know it’s only now after 10 years in the game where I genuinely feel like not to say that the wind never comes or the storms will never come in future but I just feel so equipped to handle anything life throws me at this point and that’s me after 10 years not thinking that I can accomplish anything not thinking that life will be easy and everything will be roses and fairies but after 10 years only feeling like you know I have saw enough roots I’ve saw enough foundation that whatever life throws me I can handle it so just understand that you are in the process right now you are in the process of becoming even if the world isn’t clapping for you yet. So, I don’t think everyone’s journey will take the same amount of time. So, genuinely for me, when I look at the people who are the most successful in life, I don’t think they’re the smartest. I’ll be frank with you. I’ll be entirely honest with you. I don’t think they’re the most hardworking, although that is a big component to it. I think they are the cat who stands in front of the mirror and rather than seeing a frightened kitten, they see a lion. And that’s a choice you have to make because I think that reflection, that self-image, it genuinely becomes a prophecy. It’s interesting when you speak to very successful people and you know I even get this sometimes people are like oh aren’t you like you must be so surprised or like you must be like so in awe of everything you’ve accomplished and I know in the the right thing to do in that moment is to be very humble and say you know I could have never imagined in a wild years but I’ll be honest I I knew for a fact and I think that level of certainty is incredibly common with successful people now the timelines are very different I’ll be honest I didn’t think that I would be able to accomplish what I have in the time frame that I did but I knew no matter what come hell or I water it would be accomplished. So I genuinely believe the number one, in fact potentially maybe even the only determining factor to someone who’s going to become super successful in life is the ability not to wait for the world to tell you a hero is the ability and the self-belief to believe you are one before anyone crowns you with that. Before you’ve won battles, before you’ve won victories, well actually we’ll talk about victories because um you know I have here tattooed private victories and that was something very instrumental to me. So that’s another thought that I had earlier today. But the point is before the world awards you with the medal or the honors of being considered a hero. Now bear in mind you’ll always be a uh to some people you’ll be a hero to some people you’ll be a villain. You know to some people no matter how much proof how much documentation 10 years in the game with everything literally in front of the world to see. I will forever remain a villain in some people’s eyes. You know that comes with the territory as well. So by the way that’s not to say that everyone will like you. A lot of people will dislike you, but I think you always know when people respect you. And just remember, they might not say it to the world. And that’s something you need to be prepared for, by the way, as you get crowned by some people a hero. And by the way, when I say some people a hero, I’m talking about in your circles, you know, changing your family’s trajectory. You know, please don’t think for any second that you need to be a social media this that, you need to document your entire life. I’m not saying, you know, that was a something that just happened by accident in my life. But just understand that even when you become a hero in your community, even when you become a hero for changing your family’s trajectory, to some people you always be a hero, to some people you will be a villain. It’s just the way the world works. Now, I don’t know how many people know this, but growing up, my favorite book, and still to this day, my favorite book uh is Great Gatsby. And for me, it wasn’t the extraordinary vast sums of wealth he amassed or, you know, the notoriety, the the parties, the glitz, and the glam. I’ll be honest, it wasn’t about that for me. For me, it was the vision. the vision he had for his life that he held so near and dear to him, so close to his chest. And well before the world saw it, he always used to look up at the stars and you know, as he says, his mind would romp and he would just be overtaken by these visions for what his life would be. To me, that’s that’s what I love about that book. Long before anyone else saw it, Gatsby saw it. And yeah, you know, there’s many holes you can poke in that story and his life. And you know, I think that’s also what I love about that book. I don’t like the heroes that are perfect, you know, cuz also, by the way, the heroes are perfect always behind the scenes. It’s no hero is perfect. Everyone has their imperfections. Everyone has their skeletons in their closet. And trust me, as I said, the people who seem the best on the forefront and unwilling to ever admit their shortcomings, those are usually the ones you need to be the most afraid of. But for me, it’s just really that refusal to settle. That is what’s so inspiring about that story. And I know I’m throwing a lot of things at you, but really the crux of this video is that you have to become a hero in your mind well before you did. And I think one of the reasons I relate so much to that book is I viscerally remember probably from the age of 8 9 10 11 12 13 all those years my mom would come into my room which you know the reason I say eight is that’s when I got my first room. Before that, I never had my own bedroom, but suffice to say, you know, my mom would come into my room until late hours of night and I’d be doing one of two things. I would either be reading or I would be looking up at the stars. And I don’t know, in my mind, I just had this vision that I would be something. And I know that a lot of you guys are in that place right now. And as I said, I genuinely from the ball of my heart believe that if you have that feeling, you’re going to be fine. You’re going to make it in life. And I’ll give you an example of this. I was just reading the first draft of my dear friend and colleague Alex. I’m sure some of you guys know him. You know, the mystical man behind some of our best creative campaigns and 101 other things. You know, that’s doing him a disservice by just saying that. But anyways, he has been working on a book about the past few years and our life and our adventures and telling his story, which is so incredible, you know, for him to come where he’s come from and end up where he has. And it’s so funny, him and I, even though we come from such different parts of the world, are so similar in so many ways, which is just like everyone thought we were crazy, but we just knew. We didn’t know what way it would take form. We didn’t know when it would materialize, but we we just knew. You know, the reason I keep saying I’m watching from afar and I’m rooting for you. I think sometimes you just need a reminder that like there’s an audience. I know sometimes it doesn’t feel like there’s an audience, but generally like I am your audience. Even if you don’t know it, I am there with you. Not in a weird way. and uh you know and I am watching from afar and I’m rooting for you and I cannot wait to celebrate once you become your hero. And I please urge you to keep going in these moments where you feel like no one’s watching and you feel like you haven’t become the hero of your own story yet. And just know that those stories are boring. The ones where it’s too quick or it’s too easy. Going back to why I leave some of my old videos up on YouTube. I leave them up on YouTube so that way you could see me potentially in the situation you’re at. You know, whatever. Maybe you probably watching this. If you’re a lot older than I was when I was uh uploading back then, you can see me as I get my first inklings of success, the ups, the downs, as I start trying to deal with the inklings of success, not lose my head, not letting my ego get the best of me, which everyone’s got an ego and sometimes it does get the best of you, but you know, I think I’ve done a relatively good job in not, you know, letting it get to my head and, you know, still staying humble enough to keep progressing and keep moving forward and keep working and understanding that yesterday’s win means nothing today. It’s a fresh day. It’s a fresh chapter. And you know, you got to keep putting one foot forward in front of the other. As I always say, now as you are in this season of life, just remember that private victories always come for public victories. And for every one public victory a person sees, there are hundreds, if not even thousands private victories that no one never gets to see. I have tried my best and I will continue to try my best to document as much as I can. But the greatest private victories and battles I have fought and won. Unfortunately, people will never see that. You know, I’m coming off the back of 2024 was the hardest year I’ve had in many, many years. And listen, there’s certain years you take the ass beating and there’s certain years you give the ass beating. Last year was one of those years I took the ass beating and this year is, you know, so far potentially been one of the greatest of my life. And you always need to remember what season of life you’re in. And the only reason I was able to have these wins that I’m having right now is because last year I had many, many private victories. And that was the only reason I’m here today and I get to celebrate some of these public victories. So please never forget the private victories come before public victories. It is the hours and hours you spend building your craft when no one is watching. It is the discipline to keep showing up when you have every reason and every right to quit. It’s choosing excellence not because you think anyone else will notice, but because you know. So just remember and I think this is very pertinent in today’s society because unfortunately once again all tying back to the reason I keep a lot of these old videos up and just remember you saw tail end of 2015. It was all 2014 and 2015 I was still building and you know I’ve tried my absolute best to to highlight the highs and the lows. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to document the highs. This year for every one resounding success I’ve shown publicly I’m telling you right now there’s 10 more. In fact, my best successes and my best wins this year, I have not shown and uh I will not show because unfortunately on the flip side, you’re going to experience this once you get out of that season of being invisible and you get into that season of receiving the fruits of your labor. Now, all of a sudden, it’s like, you know, no one’s no one’s clapping for you anymore because it’s like, cool, we get it. Like, you’re doing well for yourself. So, as I said, I’ve tried to document my highs and my lows. these days, I guess, a lot less of my highs just because quite frankly, I’m I’m very self-aware that people are like, “What do you do?” Like, “Great for you.” You know, what does that mean for us? So, I try my best to to document the lows, but at the end of the day, no one except for yourself truly sees that. Reason I bring all this up is I feel like in today’s society, everyone wants to skip the invisible season. Everyone wants to skip the foundation building and root building season. And if you can just get past the temptation for quick wins and focus on what I’ve talked about for many times, you know, on this channel and in my life, which is skill stacking and constantly evaluating what is the best vehicle for me to be in right now for my stage and season in life. If you can get past that long and arduous period of your life, you will get to the period of your life where everyone finally sees you. Everyone finally sees you for exactly what you knew that you were and are, which is a hero. And as I said, heroes come in all shapes and sizes. For me, hero, by the way, I want to make this very clear, does not mean being the richest person on earth. Uh, it doesn’t always mean material wealth. Being a hero can take many shapes and forms. And in a way, what a dull and bleak life if we were all chasing the same pursuit of heroism. So, as I said, being a hero can mean so many things, and that only you get to decide. But eventually, you will get there. And the funny thing is, when you get there, people will call you lucky. People might call you gifted. People might say that you had XY Z advantage. People will make every single excuse not to give you the flowers that you deserve. And you will just sit quietly smirking to yourself knowing that you did not come out of nowhere. You grew your roots. You believed in the time of your life when everyone saw you as invisible until the point in which you became undeniable. So with that, my friend, it took me 25 years to unpack what is that one thing to make sure that whatever your goal is in life, you will get there. And you got that delivered to you in however many minutes this is going to turn out to be. So, I appreciate your presence as I word vomited all this out.