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THE ED MYLETT SHOW: MAXOUT Your Mind Masterclass Ep. 2 - Finding Joy in the Hard Road
Episode Overview In this episode of *The Ed Mylett Show*, titled "MAXOUT Your Mind Masterclass Ep. 2 | Finding Joy in the Hard Road," Ed Mylett explores the often overlooked realities of the journey toward success. He emphasizes the importance of embracing the difficult, lonely, and painful aspects of the road less traveled, underlining how these challenges are indicators of growth and progress rather than failure.
Key Themes and Concepts
Redefining Success
- Success vs. Conventional Paths: Mylett argues that true success is not merely about achieving milestones that society celebrates (luxury, fame) but about the meaningful journey and experiences along the way.
- Living in the Present: He stresses the importance of enjoying the current moment rather than fixating on future achievements.
The Hard Road to Greatness
- Recognizing Resistance as Progress: Feelings of doubt, fear, and anxiety are not signs of failure but indicators that one is on the right path toward achievement.
- The Three Stages of Mastery:
- Awkward Stage: The initial phase where everything feels uncomfortable and unfamiliar.
- Mechanical Stage: The phase where skills are being developed, and actions become more systematic.
- Natural Stage: The final phase where actions become second nature and success feels effortless.
Emotional and Mental Challenges
- Loneliness and Rejection: Mylett acknowledges that feelings of isolation are common on the path to greatness and are indications of pursuing a unique journey.
- Crisis and Catastrophe: He reflects on the inevitability of setbacks and crises, which are often part of the adventure in striving for significant accomplishments.
Important Takeaways
- Signs You’re on the Right Path:
- Experiencing doubt, anxiety, and rejection can be signs of being on the road less traveled.
- Feeling isolated or unsupported is common but necessary for deep self-discovery and growth.
- Invisible Progress: Many people quit before reaping rewards because they fail to see their progress. Mylett uses the metaphor of a piñata to illustrate how cumulative efforts can lead to breakthroughs, even if the results aren't instantly visible.
- Value of Presence: Mylett emphasizes that true richness in life is measured by the quality of moments experienced and not by material wealth or status.
- Commitment Equals Freedom: Mylett argues that total commitment to a goal allows for the freedom to pursue it without distractions.
Actionable Advice
- Course Correction: Regularly assess if your current path aligns with your dreams and goals; make adjustments as necessary.
- Service to Others: Engaging in acts of service can elevate your mindset and energy while contributing positively to others.
- Practice Mindfulness: Focus on the present by engaging with your surroundings through small details to combat future-traveling thoughts.
Final Thoughts
Mylett concludes with a powerful message
do not yield to the easier, well-lit paths that many choose. Instead, embrace the challenges of the road less traveled, knowing that they are essential for personal growth and fulfillment. The episode serves as a reminder that true success is a journey filled with struggles that ultimately enrich our lives with moments to cherish.
Additional Information
- Event Announcement: Mylett invites listeners to attend a unique event, MAXOUT2026, which promises a deep dive into personal planning and strategy in a small, intimate setting.
- Social Media Links: Listeners are encouraged to connect with Ed Mylett on various social media platforms for continued motivation and insights.
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This masterclass offers valuable perspectives for anyone pursuing their dreams, making it clear that the tough road is where true growth and fulfillment reside.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy. Just drop in some details about yourself and see if you're eligible to save money when you bundle your home and auto policies. The process only takes minutes, and it could mean hundreds more in your pocket. Visit Progressive.com after this episode to see if you could save. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states.
0:34This is The Ed Myer Show.
1:02Thursdays. But every Tuesday, you're going to get a masterclass from me that I've created to help you finish 2025 strong and go into 2026 and make it the best year of your life. I'm calling this masterclass, Max Out Your Mind, Faith, Focus, and Fire, Mastering Your Internal World so you can navigate your external world. It's going to come out every single Tuesday. I think you're going to love it. I also just wanted to let you know with that in mind, I'm not doing as much traveling. And so every year at the end of the year, I do an event in my home with just a handful of people and it sells out very quickly.
1:32In fact, we've already sold out the first day, but here's what this is. It's a chance to come spend a day with me in my home, only 12 to 15 people just with me an entire day. And I'm going to take you through all of my planning and strategies that I use to plan out my own life and my business. In addition to that, I'm going to cover all my mental rehearsal techniques that I cover with just my one-on-one coaching clients in a one day event with me, with just 12 to 15 other people. You can go to maxout2026.com to check that out. If you're so inclined, it's not cheap. If you can't afford it. Please don't do it.
2:02You know, most all my content is free, but once a year, I do do something in my home with a very small group of people and it's a life-changing event. You'll never forget it. So if you're inclined to want to come spend a day with me in my home, I invite you to join me. You just go to the website, maxout2026.com and get the details. Maxout2026.com. God bless you. Enjoy the episode. All right. Welcome back to the show, everybody. Really excited today to talk to you about your road to success, just your road in your entire life and the things you should expect if you're going to choose the road less traveled.
2:35I was reading a couple lines from The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. It's a great poem. If you've not read it, you should. But he says, two roads diverged in a wood and I took the one less traveled. And I think if you're going to pursue success in your life, you have to decide you're going to be on a road that most people are not on. And a lot comes with taking that road. And I think a lot of times success is glamorized on social media right now. It looks like it's about Lamborghinis and private jets and, you know, great dinners and amazing stuff like that. But the truth is the journey to success, especially as an entrepreneur or even as an athlete or in really any endeavor can be a very painful journey and you can feel very alone and it's designed that way.
3:15And so it often bothers me when I hear people say, I need this support from my spouse or my friends, or I've got haters or no one understands me, or I'm getting all this rejection and negative feedback from people. I've got haters. That's the road you're on. those are the signs you're on the road less traveled. Those are the signs you're on the path that most people aren't gonna be on, that you're going to a place most people aren't gonna go in their lives. And so what comes with deciding to be great, deciding to do something awesome with your life is all of those things. The other road, the road that almost everybody you know is on, that road's well lit.
3:51It's beautiful. There's all kinds of great scenery. There's not a lot of bumps in the road, not a lot of potholes, right? Everything's wonderful on that road. It's also very crowded. The road to success, the road less traveled, let me just tell you something. That road, it's windy. It's up and down. There's potholes. You're going to have breakdowns. You're going to have blowouts. You're going to have days that you can't even get it started again. It's a dark road. It's not well lit. It's all kinds of bad things on that road. That's the road to success. And You're not going to see a lot of people there.
4:26And then there's going to be a few times you're going to hit a yield sign. And everything in you is going to tempt you to yield to the road everybody else is on. Because it looks so good over there, right? Everyone's there. It's well lit. It's sunny out. Your road, there's ice. It's snowing. It's raining. It's dark. It's windy. It's massive ups and downs. All the breakdowns. And when you hit the yield sign, the reason I'm making this message today, I don't care what level of that road you're on or how far down. By the way, on the road everybody else is on, there's navigational equipment. There's directions.
5:00Everyone kind of goes in the same direction. The road less traveled, the road to success, sometimes you feel like you don't have a map. Sometimes you feel like you don't have any direction or sense of direction. And you get so far down at some times, like, what am I doing? Well, let me just say something to you. When you get down that road, you're going to hit yield signs regularly. They're going to try to get you to yield and give in and yield back to the other road. And it's your decision right now when you're listening to me today to say, I will not yield. I will not give in. My will to win, my will to do something great is not for sale.
5:35Because I'm going to tell you, this road is difficult. And I often find it amazing when people say, I'm getting all this resistance. I'm getting all this rejection. That's exactly what it's supposed to be. Let me tell you what comes on the road to success. And I know this isn't pretty, but maybe for some of you say, oh, that means I'm in the right place. If recently, at any point in the last 12 months, you've experienced doubt, like lots of doubt, you're probably on the road less traveled. There's no doubts on the easy path. There's no doubts just going to a job every day, collecting a check, going about your business, not trying new things, not challenging yourself, not growing, not contributing.
6:13There's no doubt there. What are you going to doubt? Everybody's doing it, right? So if you're getting doubt, that means you're on the road less traveled. If you have a lot of fear or anxiety on the road you're on, or if you've experienced those emotions recently about what you're doing, you feeling like an imposter, like you have imposter syndrome, like nobody knows, I don't really know what I'm doing. You're on the road that I think you should be on the right road, the road less traveled. If you felt anything like rejection, like lots of rejection, you get all kinds of rejection on the road.
6:44By the way, you want to go get a beautiful relationship in your life and you're on a road to that, it comes with rejection. You want to build an amazing business, it comes with rejection. You want to build an amazing body, it comes with rejection. So if you experience that, you're on the right road. You're on the road less traveled. You don't get rejection on the road to doing nothing. And so the very fact, what I'm trying to get you to understand is the very fact that you're experiencing these things means you're on this road that I've been on, that most of your heroes have been on, that the people that make a difference, the people that change the world, that change their own world, that change their family's generational tree forever, the people that you know that are the most happy and fulfilled at some point had to go down this road to achieve those things.
7:28Maybe if you felt a lot of isolation, like you're alone, I think the number one thing I felt often on my road and my journey, and even to this day, is I feel alone. People don't understand me, right? Just get ready, by the way. If you're going to do something great with your life, you're going to be controversial. People are going to talk about you. You're going to feel like no one understands you. You're going to feel like no one else is coming with you. Even when you're surrounded by a big team, even when you've got a bunch of people working with you, oftentimes you feel very alone. It's a very lonely road.
8:02You know what happens when you're alone and you're lonely? You learn a lot about yourself. You know, when you're at a big party and it's crowded and noisy, and there's all kinds of people around you, everyone's having a great time, you don't learn a lot about yourself then. But it's the times that you're alone and you do feel a little bit isolated is when you actually dig deep into yourself and you find things out about you that you never knew existed. And you work through pain, you work through trauma, you work through difficulties. You're on the right road. You feel any anxiety. You have any anxiety you've experienced recently, you're on the right road.
8:34So I'm actually telling you that these things that seem like the negative things are actually indications. They're actually green lights. A green light is doubt. A green light is fear. A green light is rejection. A green light is isolation. A green light is anxiety. And then here's the other thing that happens when you're on this road because it is so difficult and treacherous. You start really beginning to ask yourself, is it worth it? Is it worth it? And if you've had any occasion in the last recent little while or in the last 12 months of your life to ask yourself, is this worth it? That contemplation of whether it's worth it or not means you're on the right road.
9:16It means you're on the right road. See, people that are on that other road, they're not asking themselves if it's worth it because they're making no sacrifice. There's no commitment. Remember this, with no commitment, with no sacrifice, ultimately in your life, there's never any freedom. And so where you really are is you're on a road to freedom, spiritual freedom, emotional freedom, financial freedom, physical freedom, relationship freedom. You're on the road to have a freedom of choice of your emotions, by the way, as well. Now, do I think the entire journey has to be painful? Absolutely not.
9:49Am I saying there isn't amazing moments and amazing highs and you can have blissful dissatisfaction on the road and you can enjoy your life still on this road, 1 ,000 % on the road less traveled, you can enjoy your life. You can have beautiful experiences and amazing relationships. But the truth of the matter is you see all that on social media all the time. Every once in a while, somebody's got to tell you, and also there's some of this other stuff. Also, there's some pain. Also, there's setbacks. By the way, the other thing that happens on this road is two or three times a year, there's just a massive catastrophe and crisis.
10:24I'm just telling you, I have not had a year go by in my pursuit to my dreams. There's not been a crisis or a catastrophe every three or four or five months, a couple times, two, three, four times a year. If you haven't had a catastrophe or a crisis in your life in the last 12 months, you're not doing something great. You're not trying to grow. You're not trying to change things. You're literally trying to change your life, change your family's life forever. So these things come with it. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. You chose to hit play on this podcast today. Smart choice.
10:57Progressive loves to help people make smart choices. That's why they offer a tool called Auto Quote Explorer that allows you to compare your Progressive car insurance quote with rates from other companies. So you save time on the research and can enjoy savings when you choose the best rate for you. Give it a try after this episode at Progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. Not available in all states or situations. Prices vary based on how you buy. Again, I want to be clear. There's all kinds of amazing experiences. And having been on this road, I can tell you the beautiful experiences and the emotions and the breakthroughs and the pride that comes with overcoming these challenging things, overcoming doubt, overcoming fear, overcoming rejection.
11:50That's the juice of life. It's where all the juice is. It's where all the goodies are. It's ultimately where all the rainbows are is on the more difficult road. You can't get a rainbow if there isn't a storm. And so I just feel like so often people, they listen to podcasts like mine and they think, Like, man, my gosh, it's like most people aren't going through. Everyone that's gone anywhere great in their life has had their version of this adversity in their life. And like I said, you're going to be controversial. You decide to do something great. You've decided people aren't going to understand me.
12:22People aren't going to relate to me. Listen to me. Don't be so caught up in these external voices that are gnawing at you or talking bad about you. You've got to listen to your inner voice, that inner voice that's been with you since you were a little boy or a little girl that says you were born to do something. great with your life. Here's what I know about you if you're on this road less traveled. You've always known you're supposed to do something great. There's been this little part of you when you're a little boy or a little girl and just whispered to your spirit and whispered to your soul, you're supposed to do something awesome.
12:54You're supposed to be happy. You're supposed to be blissful. You're supposed to make a difference in other people's lives. And it's okay that you may not know where this is going or what it's going to look like or even where the end of the road is. It's okay. But all your life you've known this. Here's what's crazy. So have all the other people on the road everybody's on. They heard the same things when they were a little boy or a little girl. They have the same calling. They have the same emotions. They had the same decisions. And they yielded. And there's a bunch of them over there that yield.
13:28And let me tell you what they live with. See, when they get to the end of their road, it wasn't real bumpy. The weather was pretty good. They get to the end of their road someday. It's the end of their life. They're going to look back at their life with regret. They're going to look back and say, I played it safe. I didn't take any risks. I lived my life scared. I lived my life afraid I might crash. I might burn. People might talk bad about me. I might be a failure. And so I just rather just kind of cruise. In fact, at some point in my life on the road everybody's on, I just flipped on the cruise control, took my hand off the gas pedal, hand off the steering wheel, and it was all about cruise control and hitting the brakes.
14:15The road you're on, it's beautiful. It's more beautiful than you realize. You're going to see things you would have never seen. You're going to experience things you would have never experienced. You're going to achieve things that you would have never achieved. And you'll get to the end of your life. And by the way, you may not get where you want to go. You may not get all the way to whatever this place is you think you're going. And for some of you, you don't even know what it is. You just know it's not where you are now. You just know it's not where I am now. This is not what I was made for.
14:41This is not what I was born for. And I'm just going to get on this road. I wasn't born for this. I'm going to get on this other road. I'm going to start driving. And I don't know where it's going to take me, but I'll take a left turn and a right turn. I'll do whatever I got to do. but I know I wasn't born to be where I am right now, and I may not have the exact map, the navigational equipment, nobody's supporting me, but I know I wasn't born for where I am now. And you may get to the end of that life, the end of that road, and not even get to a place you thought you would get. But here's what you won't have.
15:09You won't have regret. See, I don't think in life we regret the things we try to do and we fail at. I think the regrets in life are the acts of omission, the things we didn't do that we omitted from our life, the opportunities we didn't chase, the dreams we didn't pursue, the challenges we didn't face up to, the curiosities and the learning and the growth we could have had that we just didn't pursue because most other people don't. Most other people don't. And so you're not going to have people relate to you. Now, listen, on this road, you have to be willing to course correct. You got to check in with yourself once in a while, is this still my current dream?
15:47Where am I heading? Where am I going? What does this mean? And I also think you have to just decide, I'm going to stop trying to get support of all the people around me. If everybody around you is supporting you, you're probably not trying to do something very big. You really aren't. Because most people don't want you to see you get too successful or too happy because it'll expose them. So don't let people with small lives and small thoughts project their limitations onto you because they're trying to get you to yield to get on their road. I miss you. You ever hear that? I miss you. I miss the way it used to be.
16:21I miss this. They're basically saying, come on, get in the back seat, take your hands off the damn steering wheel, quit hitting the accelerator, and let's just cruise around for a while. And you inside you knows that you weren't born to cruise. You were born to experience life. and to have great memories. No great memories come from something that everybody does every single day, the monotony of life. Now, what would I recommend you do to pursue this dream a little bit better? I think you need to find a mastermind or a group of people that you can be around that support your thinking. Listen to podcasts like mine, especially mine, on a weekly basis.
17:01And the other thing is, when you're on this road, one thing that will light this road up for you is service. When you're feeling most helpless on this road, get the most helpful. Do everything you can to help other people. When you begin to just serve other people, contribute to other people, encourage other people. See, maybe it's just an act of encouraging words that you give to somebody today. That act of service to another human being increases your vibrational frequency. And when you increase your vibrational frequency, you face less resistance because things begin to become attracted to you as opposed to having to pursue everything all the time.
17:42Acts of service, acts of contribution in your life at every single level along the way. From the person listening to this who's making negative$10 ,000 a year in their bank account right now and they're piling through money and losing money to someone making$100 million a year. Your pathway to more illumination, to more light on where to go next, is through the acts of service to other people. What that does is it lightens your life. It enlightens your life and other people. But the other thing it does is it increases your vibrational frequency and things begin to become more attracted to you rather than you having to chase everything in your life.
18:18I want to remind you, as your friend, the reason I do this show is that I believe there are millions of people on the wrong road. millions of people on the wrong road. And I also believe there are millions of people on the right road who don't know it, who don't know it because it doesn't look like that on social media. It doesn't feel like it with the people around us. Remember this, when you're in the midst of doing something great with your life, it typically doesn't feel like it when you're doing it. It typically does not feel like it when you're doing it. It's only in hindsight that you look back and say, wow, that was amazing.
18:55I can't believe I overcame that. And sometimes the most chaotic parts of our lives, the busiest parts of our lives, the times where we feel like we have the least amount of freedom are the happiest. If I asked you to think back to some of the most, you know, chaotic times of your life where you had the least amount of freedom and some of the most difficult times and you were the busiest, maybe you were the most happy. See, if there's a mother listening to this and I said, what about that pregnancy that you had? That discomfort of carrying that baby and maybe you got sick and you had different issues with being pregnant and the discomfort of it and the birth process.
19:35No man can possibly relate to it. I'm not even going to try. But that was one of the most difficult times of your life, yet it's the time that you're the most grateful for and you feel the most blessed. Those of you that were in college at one time and you were crazy studying and cramming for tests and had a job to support yourself and two jobs or three jobs and you're out of control. And you look back at that time and you go, man, I love that time in my life. Isn't that interesting? Those of you that have had, you know, had to have one or two or three jobs at any given time and it was very, very difficult and you're busy and scattered and everyone thought you were crazy.
20:08Some of the happiest times of your life. So sometimes chaos and difficulty and doing something great, all we feel is the chaos and difficult. We don't know we're doing something great. It's only in hindsight that we look back and go, that was when I was the most happy. And so the truth is this, what you really want is freedom. What you really want is freedom. You want a freedom in your relationship, freedom financially, freedom in your career, freedom in your emotions. And I'm going to tell you the pathway to freedom, ironically, is total commitment. Most people think, wow, if I commit to this relationship, I lose all my freedom.
20:43Nothing could be further. Once you've committed to something, you're completely free now to act on that decision. Lack of commitment is a jail, is bondage because you've got nothing to decide to do with your life, to do something great. Total commitment to a business you're starting or pursuing or a new hobby or a new, this creates total, once you've made the commitment, all these other options are gone and now you've got complete freedom to pursue that decision, to pursue that road. And so what you're really on, on the road less traveled, is the pathway to freedom and whatever that means to you.
21:20And nobody needs to understand it. And you don't need anybody's permission. You don't need anyone's permission. The cool thing about our road, there's no speed limit. There's no speed limit. You can go as fast or as slow as you want to. And I like that part of it. I'm just going to tell you right now, you were born to be on the road less traveled. And I want to challenge you today to know that when these things come up, these are indicators you're on the right road, not the wrong road. I want you to remember that today. And the last thing I'll tell you is this, don't yield. Hey guys, it's Ed. I rarely do this.
21:59As you know, 99.9 % of my content is free, but once a year I do something where I gather a very small group of people in my house. I've done it for two years in a row now, and I'm going to do it again this year. If you go to maxout2026.com, I'm going to do an experience in my home where I'm going to take you through how to make 2026 the best year of your life, all of the tactics and strategies that I use to plan and organize my own life in detail. Same time, all of the mental rehearsal and visualization techniques that people pay me hundreds and millions of dollars a year to teach them. I will be teaching that day as well.
22:30And the other years I've done it, I've had groups of about 25 or 30. I've decided this year I want to shrink the size of the group so that I can get more one on one time with each of you. I want to keep the groups to 12 or 15. It's a chance to spend a day with me in my home, lunch, one-on-one time and group time. And it's not cheap. So if it's something you can't afford, please don't get yourself in any financial trouble or debt doing so. But if it's something you can afford to do, go to maxout2026.com. And I'm looking forward to having you in my home with me very soon for an amazing day, a life-changing day.
22:58God bless you. See, there's three stages that you have to go through in order to master something in life. And oftentimes we quit in the first stage because we don't realize it's just a natural progression to getting good at something. And so in any pursuit you have, if you want to start a new business, a new career, you want to learn to swim. Like right now I'm picked up the hobby of riding horses. And that's a unique thing to do at 50 years old. And so I'm addicted to it. But so it's kind of a new pursuit of mine. So whether you started a new business or you're in the middle of a business you've got or you've got people in your business who are newer or you're trying something new.
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23:33It's very easy to beat ourselves up or really not understand that there are three stages of mastery And it's just mandatory you're going to go through them You can't cheat the system And so in the three stages of mastery let me tell you what they are And then I'll break them down for you There's the awkward stage at anything you begin to do The awkward stage And if you do enough repetitions you can move to what I call the mechanical stage And then from the mechanical stage eventually you move to what I call the natural stage Everybody looks at you and goes ah, man, you're incredible. You're a natural.
24:03Like whatever you do for a living right now, if you've been doing it for a long time, the first day on your job, I guarantee you, you were awkward. I guarantee you everything about it was awkward. Where to go with the people's names, what to call things, where to, all of it was completely awkward. Wasn't you probably even a lot of people, their first night at their job, they'll have a nightmare that night. I remember my first job was, I was a bus boy at the whole enchilada restaurant. And I didn't know my bang job at the whole enchilada was really simple. I cleaned up your table and I brought you your chips and salsa.
24:29That's really the whole job. And for some reason at 17 years old, it freaked me out because I had to walk up to people's tables and say hello. And I'm a super introvert. And I remember going home that first night, I go, I can't do this. It's just too, it's too much for me. Chips and salsa, cleaning up their table. It just overwhelmed me, which is pretty hilarious. And I had a nightmare that night, like a nightmare of the job. Like everyone wanted new chips. We need more salsa. We need more chips. And he really, I got to, you got to clean up our table. You live. And I have this horrible nightmare of this very pretty simple job that I had.
25:05And so what I was, I was in the awkward stage of that job. And if you'd have come back about six weeks later, I'd bust a bunch of tables. Now I know where the salsa is. I know where to go in the back and get the chips. I know where they warmed them. I kind of got my little, how are you guys this evening? I'm Eddie. You know, I got my little wrap down. It was mechanical. I knew the mechanics of it, but still I was slower than most. I couldn't carry the drinks and the chips on the plate the right way. But you know what I mean? It was mechanical. I knew the mechanics. I knew where to clock in. But he came back a year later, man.
25:39I was natural. I'm flipping chips. I'm spinning them on my head. The difference, you know what I mean? The salsa. Hey, good morning. Good to see you. Good evening. Hey, Mr. Jones, welcome back. I'd seen all the, I was natural. So you walked in there. It's like, this guy's a natural bus boy. Well, the truth is that's true in everything. Right now I started to learn to ride horses, right? First day out there. You don't think about these things. I'm like, what type of horse is it? I didn't even know the breed. I didn't even know there were, what do you call a female horse? What's a bridle? What's a halter?
26:08How do you put a saddle on them? What side do you get on the horse? The left or the right? How do you get off the reins? Are you riding Western or English? I'm like, I have no idea. I guess Western. I was totally awkward. And people that are horse people, they're just like, it's all natural to them, right? They get on the horse, they ride, they saddle it up. How do you back it up? How do you stop it? Like, it's crazy, right? But now I've been doing it for like, I don't know, six months. I've ridden quite a bit. And now I'm kind of mechanical. I know how to put the bridle on. I know how to walk it with the halter.
26:37I know how to put the bridle on the horse. I know how to put the saddle on. I know where to get on. I know how to ride. And I'm pretty good. But if you watch me and you were really experienced in riding horses, you go, he kind of gets it. He's mechanical. The mechanical stage is like this. You ever go to like a wedding or you're at a club or something and the person's got the dance moves down, but they kind of dance to the lyrics and not the beat. You know what I mean? Like, you're like, the guy's got the moves, but it's just, there's something. He's got the mechanics, but I think he's dancing to the words and not the beat.
27:09You know what I mean? That's the mechanical stage. But eventually you see somebody they're like, oh, they got the rhythm and the beat That's the natural stage. So the question is how do you move from awkward to mechanical? You ready? Repetitions and awareness Repetitions and awareness. So no matter what you do, you got to do more and more reps At it more and more experience and as you're getting that experience Being aware of the things that worked and didn't getting coaching getting feedback course correcting and improving. Success is not complicated. So no matter what it is you're doing, if you're an athlete and you're listening and you've had to switch positions, you were on the offensive side, now you're on the defensive side, it's not that playing defense isn't for you.
27:53It's that you better do a lot of reps. You better have a lot of awareness. You better watch a lot of film. You better do a course correction. So you do it through repetitions, awkward, enough reps and awareness and course corrections, you'll move to mechanical. And then from the mechanical phase, it's the same process, more and more and more repetitions, more and more course correction and awareness until you become natural. And in business, all the money's made at the natural phase. Oftentimes in business, the money is predicated upon your ability to get natural and your ability to train other people at their jobs or crafts to become natural as well.
28:29What's most incredible to me, if I can be candid with you, is there's an art and a science to being successful at anything. And most people love the art, the mindset, the thinking, the thought processes. They love the art form of it. What do I need to think? What do I need to vision? What do I need to dream? Subconscious mind, meditation, blah, blah, blah. Most people don't have a tolerance for the science part. The science part's real simple. It's math. You got to do more reps. If you're in business, You've got to do more calls, more emails, more appointments, more meetings, more setbacks. You've got to do the reps to move out of that awkward stage.
29:07The awareness, the course correction, now you're mechanical. You want to get from mechanical if you're in business. You want to get great at business. You want to become the best ever. More reps. More course correction. More awareness. You become natural. You pick up golf. You want to play a great golf game? You better get out on the driving range and hit a bunch of balls, and you better have someone videoing you and you better get course correction and have awareness and if you do enough reps hit enough balls with enough correction with enough awareness you'll become mechanical when you start playing golf it's real simple how do you hold the club your baseball grip overlap grip what's the grip right how long should your clubs be where's your backswing what's a swing plane how do you come through the ball what's your right hand do your left hand your look there's a lot to it you watch someone start to play golf it's crazy to watch isn't it but if they do enough reps they do enough learning, they learn, they get enough coaching and correction, they can become mechanical.
29:56Then you watch people play mechanical golf. They got a good golf swing, but then eventually they become natural and they play their game. If you're going to play the game, you have to have a tolerance for the repetitions. So one of the reasons that we don't do the reps as we stop is because we don't give ourselves credit for what I call invisible progress. Invisible progress means this. There's such a thing as what I call compound pounding. Compound pounding means basically this, that as you're hitting an object over and over again and you compound the hitting of that object, over time you break it down.
30:26But most of that progress is invisible. We don't see it. So as we're in the awkward stage and we're doing the reps, we're making progress but it's usually not visible to us. Or if we're in the mechanical stage, we're doing the reps, the compound pounding of doing it over and over again is happening but we can't see the progress. So what most people do is they quit before they get natural at anything because they're doesn't appear to be physical, visible progress. Most of us want to see progress to believe it's happening. But the truth is in life, in most things, even in a loving relationship, a lot of the progress is happening invisibly.
31:02Certainly true in business. So let me give you the best example of it. I wrote about this in my first book, but a long time ago, I was at a, I got invited to a birthday party for a young person. And I didn't really want to go to it because they were so young and my kids were grown. But I went to the birthday party because it was a friend of mine and they had a pinata for the birthday boy. And so if you all know what a pinata is, it's very interesting, but like basically kids hitting the pinata with a bat, right? And it reminded me of business so much because you get there, what do they do? They blindfold this poor little kid and then spin them around and hand them a bat, like a weapon, right?
31:34So the kid spun around, he has no idea where he's going. He's just kind of flailing away. Can't even find the pinata. That's how most people that start out in business feel, by the way, they're just flailing away. They don't even where the target is they're just swinging right just like this little guy and I'm watching him going there's an analogy here for sure so finally there's a course correction and an awareness and the dad points the little guy at the pinata even though the blindfold's still on so he still can't see it but now he's at least pointed in the right direction that's what that awkward phase is like and now he's wailing on the pinata hitting it and hitting it and hitting it he's getting more and more tired this pinata is not breaking right so finally he goes I quit why there was no visible progress.
32:16So then what they do, they take the blindfold off him. He goes and plays on the swing set. They grab the next little kid. It was a little girl. Same thing. They blindfold her. She's like a new person in business. She's flailing away, not even hitting the pinatas. She doesn't even know where the target is, right? Finally, she gets course correction, makes an adjustment, some awareness, and she's wailing on this pinata. No candy comes out. There's no progress. So she quits. You can picture it. You've seen this before. Next little guy gets up, he hits it five, six, ten times, he quits. Next person gets up, she quits.
32:47After about seven kids have hit in this pinata, the only person left is the little, young, little four-year-old little boy. And everyone's quit because there was no progress. But what was happening was all the reps were happening, even though there was no visible progress. So all the reps were happening. So this little four-year-old gets up, they put the blindfold on him, spin him around, and he takes one swing. Bam! Hits the pinata. All the candy comes out and all the kids come running from the swing setback and everyone's celebrating and getting all the candy. Let me ask you a question. Who broke the pinata?
33:27Was it the final blow by the four-year-old, the one shot? Or was it the cumulative blows that everybody took hitting the pinata along the way that ended up eventually breaking it down? We all know the answer. It was the cumulative blows to that piñata, the cumulative repetitions that were breaking it down over and over, even though you couldn't visibly see the progress. And see, in life, most people will quit in their pursuit of their dream before the candy comes out because they don't see visible progress. Even though the whole time compound pounding is happening as you're moving from the awkward stage, you're doing the reps, You're course correcting.
34:06You're aware. Now you're in the mechanical stage, and you're course correcting, and you're aware, and you keep hitting the pinata and doing the reps of your life, of your dream. And then the natural stage. Most people will quit on their dream before the candy comes out, even though progress is being made. Most people quit one blow away from getting all the candy in life. My recommendation to you is life is a lot like that pinata. You're making more progress than you think you are. Keep hitting the pinata of your life and know that as you do this, you're moving from stage to stage to stage. And if you do it long enough, the metaphorical candy of whatever that candy is for you, the money, the success, the award, the recognition, the acknowledgement, the emotion, the relationship, the candy eventually comes out.
34:53The question is, will you keep hitting the pinata of your life, doing the reps until the candy's there? And will you be there to collect the candy and celebrate? From now on, whatever you're doing, go, this is okay. hey, it's where I'm supposed to be. I've only done 10 of these. Of course I'm still awkward. Or I've only done 45 of these. Hey, Ed, how many does it take? It's different for different people. The question is, do you have the determination, the relentlessness, the resiliency to stay long enough to move through all three stages until you get paid? So the question just becomes this. Are you determined enough to do the reps?
35:25Are you determined enough to do the course correction and have the awareness to move through the different stages? And my wish for you is that you become natural as soon as possible. The sooner you do the reps, the sooner you do the course corrections, the sooner you have the self-awareness, the sooner you become natural. And we're off to the races and having blissful success in our life. You know, it's almost like sometimes the future is like becoming a drug addict who keeps chasing that same drug. And here's what happens when you're an achiever. Listen to me, you achievers out there like, ah, Ed's talking about not being achieved.
35:55I'm talking about achieving like crazy. But I'm also talking about enjoying it as you get there. Here's why those of you that think eyes said getting soft over here. No, listen to me If you don't enjoy it a little bit You become like a drug addict who keeps chasing the same drug except at some point it doesn't get you high anymore If you talk to most people that are meth heads or are addicted to meth or heroin or other drugs They'll tell you at some point they don't even get high off the drug anymore It's just the habit of keep taking it. They can't stop They don't even get high anymore and that's what happens with achievers who don't enjoy it You keep chasing it.
36:34You don't even get high anymore You just keep chasing more money more stuff more accolades more recognition more notoriety and it doesn't get you high anymore Because you didn't enjoy it then you're in real trouble Because then what do you do if you just sit around and do nothing? You're going to be miserable. Nobody wants to do that yet You've just od'd on achievement and you don't know how to enjoy the moment Right when you get there, you're running off the field worrying for the next one That's not a formula for living long. It's also not a formula for sustainability for endurance for longevity Hey, i've been in business now for 35 years I think one of the reasons i've lasted this long is about 10 years ago I started figuring this stuff out, but I was going down a road Where i'd be burned out by now I'd be fried.
37:19Yeah, i've made another hundred million or yeah I'd had more accolades or man, my podcast got a, yeah, I got a TV show, but I wasn't enjoying anybody. Then I'd be fried. Then I'd be like a drug addict who I've just keep getting a hit and nothing happens. And then you're really lost. Cause then you, what do you do? So you have to do this. So dreams and imagination should be a great respite and a treat you give yourself to look at what it could look like. And then remind yourself to get back to the present moment, because it's all you have. When you begin to future travel, stop. When you find yourself traveling in the future, stop.
37:53Do a pattern interrupt. Go, I'm doing it again. Let me get back to the, start to force your attention back to the now. And the way that I do it is I'll try to find something small in my awareness that I can focus on. In the future, I go, nope, stop. That's not enough. Then I find something in the room I'm in, something on the cushion, a button, a nuance, a wrinkle, a something in the space I'm in. And if I'm outdoors, a particular tree with a particular leaf, and I'll take in something small with specificity, so I change my frame of reference. Anything you can do to stop always being on this future traveling destination to nowhere.
38:29No amount of fame, money, or notoriety is worth missing every single moment now for this phantom destination in the future. Having said all of that, life is about growing and expanding. And the way you do that is by lifting the weights in front of you. You do not build biceps by dreaming about lifting future weights. You build them by lifting the weight in front of you right now. You got to lift the weights in front of you right now. You don't do anything by thinking about or dreaming about or envisioning the achievement or the failure in the future. That doesn't build the bicep. It's lifting the weight in front of you right now.
39:02Give yourself the gift of reducing this stress to this place that you don't belong anyway and begin to give your gift the gift of now. Now, all you have is this right now. Life is really a collection of moments. At the end of your life, it's a handful of moments that most people cherish in their life. And what's sad about that is it doesn't need to be a handful. It can be thousands, hundreds of thousands. But for most people, when they get to the end of their life, they can count three or four or five. And what I'm telling you about my life is that although I've had all these moments, I can only name a handful.
39:41I can only name a handful. I do not believe that's a rich man's life. I believe a rich man's life, a rich woman's life is rich in experience, rich in memories, rich in relationships. And yes, rich financially, if you choose rich in contribution. But the richness, richness is the richness of moments. And at any given moment, we can be a rich person. And I don't believe that's hyperbole. I don't believe that's hype. I don't believe that's philosophy or theory. I believe all of us there are people right now with less than you that are living a richer life There are people that have a whole lot less than you that right now that are having a rich experience as we speak Something as simple as their daughter just walked in the room and their apartment They wish they weren't living in but it's their precious daughter that just walked in and they just took it all in Someone that you Make more money than right now just walked outside and saw the most beautiful sunset They've ever seen and they gave themselves the gift of seeing it.
40:40And maybe you missed it this week. This rich life is not all about money and stuff. And I can tell you that it doesn't exist in the future. It only exists right now. The best moments of your life that you remember happened then in that moment, not in the future. You have never enjoyed a moment that doesn't exist yet. It's impossible. Quit trying to trick yourself into enjoying a moment that doesn't exist. By the way, you also can't fix a moment that doesn't exist yet or a problem that doesn't exist yet. Stop wasting your time and be more fully present. I hope today helped you. We're on this journey together.
41:19I love you and believe in you. And at the end of this life, I'd love you to be wealthier. That would be great. I want you to live as long as you can. That's why we do the show on wellness and health as well. I want you to most importantly have a connection with your version of God. Mine is Jesus Christ as a Christian. I also want you to have a bunch of money if you'd like to have that that would be great I want you to have the body of your dreams the relationships of your dreams but man I wish you a rich life of moments just a bunch of moments you're grateful for for being here and you're put here for another day for a reason God's always by your side always by your side always has your back always wants you happy always wants you prospering even through the darkest times in your life if you can find a way to be grateful you're going to find a way to enjoy every moment of your life or at least more of them at least more of them my friend god bless you this is the Ed Marlin Show
From the publisher
Redefining Success: The Road Less Traveled
Have you ever wondered why chasing success can sometimes feel so lonely, uncertain, and even painful? In this week’s MAXOUT Your Mind Masterclass, I’m breaking down the truth about what it really takes to achieve greatness—and why the path that leads to the life you were born for is the one most people will never choose. This episode isn’t about the highlight reels or luxury posts on social media—it’s about the real journey. The one that’s dark, windy, and full of breakdowns. But it’s also the road that leads to freedom, fulfillment, and purpose.
I share why the feelings of doubt, rejection, fear, anxiety, and isolation you may be experiencing are not signs that you’re failing—they’re proof that you’re on the right road. I’ve walked this path myself for decades, and I’ll show you how to keep going when it feels like you’ve lost direction or support. Because here’s the truth: the resistance you’re facing is not a stop sign—it’s a green light.
We’ll also talk about the three stages of mastery every person must go through to achieve greatness: the awkward stage, the mechanical stage, and the natural stage. Whether you’re starting a new business, building a skill, or reinventing your life, most people quit before they break through—not because they lack potential, but because they can’t see their invisible progress. I’ll teach you how to stay consistent through the reps, the setbacks, and the course corrections until your “pinata” finally breaks open and the rewards come pouring out.
Most of all, this episode is about redefining success itself. True success isn’t about arriving at some future destination—it’s about living fully now. It’s about mastering presence, savoring the moments you’re in, and realizing that a rich life isn’t measured by money or status, but by the number of moments you’re truly alive. My prayer for you is that you stop future-traveling to a place that doesn’t exist yet—and instead, give yourself the gift of right now. Because this moment is the only one you’ll ever actually get to live.
Key Takeaways:
Why rejection, doubt, and fear are actually signs you’re on the right path
The three stages of mastery: awkward, mechanical, and natural
How to keep going when progress feels invisible
The danger of chasing achievement without enjoying the journey
The true meaning of success—and how to live a rich life right now
Your dream doesn’t come to life on the well-lit road everyone else is walking. It’s found on the road less traveled—the one meant for you. Don’t yield. Don’t give in. Keep doing the reps, and Max Out Your Mind.
Also don’t miss out on MAXOUT2026: Once a year, I open my home for an intimate one-day experience unlike anything else I do. This year, I’m making it even smaller—just 12 to 15 people. Together, we’ll dive deep into the exact strategies I use to plan, visualize, and design the best year of my life—and yours. If you’re ready to Max Out your future, join me at Maxout2026.com (https://maxout2026.com/) for a life-changing day you’ll never forget.
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