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Cómo descubrir quién eres y dejar de desperdiciar tu talento | Roberto Luna — Transcript

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0:00What if the greatest failure in your
0:02life wasn't failing, but succeeding in a
0:05life you never chose.
0:07There are people who did everything
0:09right, studied, worked hard, and reached
0:11goals, but when they finally get what
0:13they're chasing, a devastating question
0:15appears.
0:16Was this really what I wanted? Maybe you
0:19don't lack talent. Maybe you never had
0:22the space to be able to discover it. And
0:24maybe you didn't arrive late. Maybe
0:27you've spent years trying, proving your
0:30worth in the wrong place. Today I'm
0:32talking with Roberto Lunas.
0:35He is a professor and expert in human
0:38talent to understand how to discover who
0:40you are, recognize what you're wasting,
0:43and build your own life without getting
0:46lost in success.
0:48Because your talent should help you live
0:50, never stop you from doing so.
0:53Welcome to MVT Podcast.
0:58Roberto, welcome to MVT podcast. I'm
1:01very excited to have this chat with you
1:04and I want to start by asking you, why
1:07do we tend to live in the future and not
1:11enjoy our present?
1:13>> Wow, good question.
1:15Well, first of all, thank you for
1:16allowing me to share with you and all
1:18your audience, which seems like a real
1:19luxury to me.
1:22Well, even though everyone is saying
1:24that, that we have to live in the
1:26present, that we have to be more aware,
1:28right?,of the moment and the things that
1:30happen to us, uh, look, I would go
1:32further than what you're even asking me
1:34. It's not just that we're living in the
1:36future, it's that we even anchor
1:38ourselves in the past.
1:41There are people who are anchored and in
1:43the end there is a moment where you
1:45really wonder why everyone is, uh,
1:47continually ruminating between what
1:49happened in their lives and what could
1:52happen in their lives with the resulting
1:54alarms that all this generates for us.
1:58Uh, a first explanation is obviously
2:00because there is a culture of fear, okay
2:03?
2:04There is a culture of fear, there is a
2:06culture of negative information and, and
2:08then our brain system reacts obviously
2:09as, as a protection against everything
2:11that could happen, right?
2:14We are an excellent machine for
2:15forecasting possible problems that may
2:17happen in our life, right?
2:20That is why positive psychology and
2:22optimism have become so popular, trying
2:24in some way to fight against all that.
2:29Look, because when we live in the past
2:32and live in the future, we are not in
2:34the present.
2:36And when we are not in the present, we
2:38are not in reality.
2:40It's as if I wouldn't really be 100%
2:41with you right now.
2:44Uh, but besides that, uh, our organism
2:47often, uh, manages that past and that
2:50future as if they were almost real.
2:54I mean, you've had a problem in the past
2:57and it keeps popping into your head
2:59repeatedly.
3:00Uh, obviously we don't realize it, but
3:02we end up visualizing it and we end up
3:04responding to that situation as if it
3:06were happening all over again.
3:10The brain is easily deceived, and that's
3:13the part we haven't quite managed to
3:15control regarding what we do with our
3:17thoughts and our emotions.
3:21Take the typical scene where I've
3:23actually had a conflict with someone; I
3:26relive it, and not only do I relive what
3:29happened, but I anticipate what could
3:31happen in the future, so I have two
3:34fronts—past and future—attacking me and
3:37keeping me on full alert. Of course, we
3:40are trying to control the uncontrollable
3:43, and that is the message we must send
3:45to everyone.
3:47I mean, sure, you have to have medium
3:50and long-term goals for the future, but
3:52in reality, when we open a door tomorrow
3:54, we don't know what it will lead us to
3:57.
3:58I mean, trying to predict that is
4:00completely absurd.
4:02It is another thing entirely to be
4:04prepared enough in the present that you
4:07feel strong enough to face any situation
4:09.
4:11In fact, one of the most frequent
4:13emotional problems is precisely this.
4:16You know what is called emotional
4:18hijacking, right? How, when faced with a
4:21past situation, I enter an emotional
4:23hijacking of great fear.
4:25That leaves me, well, my body really
4:27quite anesthetized to growth, to
4:29development, to improvement, and to
4:31everything positive.
4:34And that emotional hijacking is
4:35something human beings are currently
4:37experiencing not just in specific
4:39moments, but almost 24 hours a day.
4:42What might happen to me in the future?
4:44What happened to me in the past?
4:46There is a wonderful book that talks
4:48precisely about why zebras don't get
4:49ulcers—just imagine what a beautiful
4:51title that is, right?
4:53I mean, why don't zebras get ulcers?
4:56Because they obviously know how to live
4:58in the moment; it is true that they
4:59suffer such acute stress at certain
5:01times that they have to run away, but
5:03only because the life-or-death situation
5:04is right in front of them.
5:06But we don't.
5:08We have left those situations far behind
5:11, yet we remain a society that lives as
5:13if we were in a life-or-death situation
5:15.
5:16So, we must try. The word I use is, "
5:19Please, start hacking your talent."
5:22Please, start hacking your brain. Your
5:24brain is very limited. People say, "No,
5:26we have a brain, it's a marvel." I say,
5:28"Yeah, yeah."
5:29"The marvel is all the unconscious we
5:31have inside, but the conscious is very
5:33limited, and we must start learning what
5:35things we are putting into our brain,
5:37into that 100%."
5:40Therefore, the conclusion to this first
5:42question would be for people to be more
5:45conscious, 100%conscious of the things
5:47surrounding them, because otherwise, in
5:49the end, we have such selective
5:50attention and we go around in routine
5:52mode, in machine mode, in repetition
5:54mode, that we don't even notice the
5:56things that are happening.
6:00That is why the whole topic of
6:01mindfulness, of full attention, has
6:03grown so much in popularity, but all of
6:05us coming from a psychology background
6:07were already doing it with biofeedback
6:08tools, we were doing it with our own
6:10meditation, with progressive relaxation
6:12systems; we were already doing it with
6:13all these techniques.
6:15So, we must live in the moment, which is
6:18the only thing we can manage and control
6:20. For the rest, we should be as prepared
6:22as possible. But yes, you are absolutely
6:24right, we want to anticipate and control
6:26everything. The problem of control, ugh
6:28, it's tremendous. And when you tell
6:30people, they say, "But don't you realize
6:31that you are trying to control the
6:33uncontrollable?" They say, "Yes, I
6:34realize it, but I can't help it." Well,
6:36I do want to send a positive message. We
6:38can control it, we can avoid it.
6:41Yes.
6:41>> If our present is the consequence of our
6:44past actions, whether this present is
6:47good or bad, they are all consequences
6:50of those actions we have taken.
6:54How do we break with that past to be
6:57able to truly live the present and
7:00project a better future?
7:03Correct. It's a very good question,
7:05Ricardo, because in the end, people
7:07believe that since this is my past, it's
7:09my inheritance, nothing can be changed
7:12anymore, right? And that is, well,
7:14absurd nowadays. Neuroscience tells us
7:18about neuroplasticity.
7:20Neuroscience has dealt so many positive
7:22blows to these types of approaches,
7:24because in the end, when you make a
7:26decision today, it is true that you may
7:28have that automatic tendency to follow
7:31the steps you have followed in the past
7:33, but you also have the possibility of
7:35stopping it.
7:37Do you know the problem? That the
7:39unconscious is so powerful, meaning that
7:42machinery is indeed really powerful. The
7:44machinery of the unconscious, which we
7:46don't even know half of everything that
7:48is in there.
7:50That really is powerful, but if we leave
7:52it alone, the unconscious is actually
7:55capable of making us execute things that
7:57—perhaps a decision that was brave, bold
7:59, and good at that time, which we made
8:02maybe 15 or 20 years ago—we are
8:04repeating today.
8:06I always say that you have to update
8:08your software continuously. The problem
8:11is that to update it, we only have our
8:13conscious part, and the conscious part
8:15is so very limited. It is...I want you,
8:17Ricardo, to have the idea that, in
8:19reality, this conscious brain is not
8:21such a powerful machine compared to the
8:24other one. It is a very limited machine
8:26, very sequential, that when you put it
8:29to work a little, it gets tired because
8:31it consumes energy, and the brain,
8:33therefore, always has a tendency to try
8:36to minimize the conscious part because
8:38it is a continuous saving of energy. But
8:41that is something we can actually do. I
8:43mean, imagine something as normal as a
8:45breakup, for example, of a couple.
8:48I remember many friends I tell, "But
8:51after so many partners, don't you
8:53realize there might be a pattern in your
8:56unconscious, a relationship pattern that
8:59is actually making you attracted to
9:01certain people?"
9:03And they say, "And how do I change that
9:04?" It is the same question, Ricardo. How
9:06do I change that? If, in reality, I say
9:08, the first thing is you have to be
9:10conscious of that pattern.
9:12The first thing is you have to be
9:14conscious of what it is that attracts
9:16you to those potential partners, because
9:18in reality, that attraction can come
9:20from a lack of affection in childhood,
9:22it can come from a need, right, to get
9:24attention or to have a higher ego or
9:26things of that style.
9:29But if you don't realize it, if you let
9:31it be, "Oh, this is just intuitive for
9:33me," no, don't get into those traps
9:36because, in reality, it isn't that it's
9:38intuitive; it's your unconscious that is
9:40driving.
9:42If you are capable of finding the
9:44patterns, of consciously analyzing them
9:47, seeing what behaviors, what responses
9:49, what emotions you have had, that is
9:51the moment when you begin to make a part
9:53of that unconscious conscious.
9:56That is why, for me, it is fundamental
9:58to ask, what do you really want to
9:59change? What do you think in your life
10:01at this moment needs a change? Because
10:03you can't work on everything, right? "I
10:05want to be a different person." No, no,
10:08forget about it.
10:09Tell me specifically what your goal
10:11would be, what you specifically want to
10:12work on, so that we can actually analyze
10:14what pattern you have, what responses
10:16you have, and work on that in your
10:17conscious mind.
10:20The example that is often given is,
10:21imagine you are going through a jungle,
10:23right?
10:24And suddenly you are following the path
10:26that has been in that jungle your whole
10:28life, right? And it's the one you've
10:29trodden your whole life, the one that is
10:31actually your usual path. And yet, you
10:33say, "I want to bring it to the
10:34conscious mind and make a new path." And
10:36I say, "Of course you can."
10:38I say, "But get ready, because you're
10:40going to have to carry a good axe, a
10:42good knife; you have to blaze a new
10:44trail."
10:46The effort is very intense and little by
10:47little you will be able to make a new
10:49path, and you will have to keep clearing
10:51that path continuously because weeds
10:52grow.
10:54That is to say, it will be a continuous
10:56effort, but as you make that new path
10:58start to take shape, it's not like you
11:00can suddenly say: 'No, I'm going to
11:03forget about the past'.
11:04"No, no.
11:06The past, that path you used your whole
11:08life, is still there; only over time
11:10weeds will start to grow, little by
11:12little it will get covered up, but your
11:14inertia, if you relax a little, your
11:15inertia is to go to the usual path, the
11:18one from your whole life.
11:21That is why conscious effort is for me
11:23the best strategy to provoke changes,
11:26even if it is an effort, but as I say,
11:28it has to be an effort, but it is worth
11:31it because at this moment we can change
11:33anything in our lives.
11:36It is true that there is no 20 or 25-
11:39day rule, because it will depend on the
11:41complexity, it will depend on the
11:43emotionality, on the resources you have
11:45, on the support you have, so it could
11:48be 5 days or it could perfectly well be
11:5090 or 120 days.
11:52There is no exact rule, because as I
11:54tell you or as I say, each of the
11:55circumstances changes in this case.
11:58But I send a very positive message, that
12:00it is true that we can change anything
12:03as long as we are willing to analyze
12:06what happens inside our backstage;
12:08inside that part that many people,
12:10Ricardo, don't even want to see: they
12:13are afraid of that part.
12:17And Roberto, you who sit with so many
12:18people and who help so many people, what
12:20is the common denominator pattern?
12:23If we could choose three themes for why
12:26people get stuck in their lives, whether
12:28it's because of a relationship, a bad
12:30experience with money, or a work
12:32experience where they’re suddenly in a
12:35job they didn't even choose, but it was
12:37forced upon them.
12:39I would like you to illustrate that a
12:41bit more, based on that aspect.
12:43>> Well, what you usually find many times
12:46is that people are in what we all call
12:48the comfort zone, okay?
12:51That famous comfort zone, that Homer
12:53Simpson armchair, right?
12:55Watching television with a beer, where
12:58it's their ideal state of zero
13:00neuroscience, where they don't really
13:02think, where they barely feel, or feel
13:04very abruptly, but where there is no
13:06personal work.
13:09Uh, I would like to say that personal
13:12growth and personal development is not—
13:14it is not a therapeutic tool in itself,
13:17but rather it is actually a journey that
13:20we all should be on.
13:23That 95%of us who are not in therapy
13:25should be on this personal journey.
13:28So, I would tell you that, on one hand,
13:30people label it as if—and, furthermore,
13:33in a very clear way—they label it that
13:35when you are working on something
13:37personal, it's because you are a sick
13:39person.
13:41These types of labels do a lot of damage
13:43because, in reality, what we must say is
13:45that everyone in life has a purpose, and
13:48you have to look for it, pursue it,
13:50develop it, talk to other people, and
13:52keep growing.
13:54That is to say, that is the real one;
13:56personal growth and development is more
13:57than necessary to get people out of that
13:59comfort zone I mentioned, which is where
14:01everyone is stuck, okay?
14:03First, comfort zone, okay?
14:06And, also, let me tell you one thing: it
14:08is true that I say the brain is very
14:10limited in the area of consciousness,
14:11but there are people who don't use it,
14:13they barely even use it; that is, they
14:15go on autopilot every day doing the same
14:17thing and forget who they are as a
14:18person.
14:20As a person, eh, we’ll talk about that,
14:21not as a character, but as a person. So
14:23, that part seems extremely important to
14:25me. Second, the emotional world, Ricardo
14:28. The emotional world is the great—uh—
14:31the great, how should I put it? The
14:33great Cinderella of our lives.
14:36It isn't taught in schools, your parents
14:38don't teach it to you, you try to avoid
14:40it because it's associated with negative
14:42elements of conflict or even problems.
14:46On the contrary, we must help people
14:48become more empowered in the emotional
14:50realm because they come with enormous
14:52gaps experienced at home, and later on,
14:55each person finds themselves alone in
14:57life having to face emotions and
14:59personal situations they don't even know
15:01how to handle.
15:03They simply lack the way and the
15:04vocabulary to be able to face it.
15:07So, it seems to me that we are a very
15:09evolved society in the 21st century
15:10regarding technology, but very little
15:12else.
15:13We are completely ignorant when it comes
15:15to emotional intelligence and the
15:16emotional world.
15:18Therefore, that second aspect seems
15:20super basic to me, okay?
15:22How to say, please, start understanding
15:25that we all need to exist from a place
15:27of emotional balance; we need to work on
15:30it because it has been proven that we
15:32make the best decisions in our lives
15:35when we are in emotional balance, and
15:37that emotional balance is what guides
15:39the most important decisions in our
15:42lives.
15:43However, we fall back into the rational
15:45world, into the world of thought.
15:48The world of thought, once again, has
15:50been proven—and Nobel Prizes have been
15:52given to economists for this—simply to
15:53show that our rationality is limited,
15:55and that if we leave thought alone, it
15:57makes the worst decisions.
15:59All these kinds of things are already
16:01known in science, and we need to
16:02disseminate them more so they reach
16:04society. Therefore, that would be the
16:05second one. And the third is my mission
16:08, Ricardo. My mission is talent
16:09management. My mission is, please, you
16:12were born for a reason. You have areas
16:14in your life that you can develop
16:16further, that come very easily to you,
16:18which are your skills. Why don't you act
16:20and turn your life into the development
16:23of what we call a life project?
16:26A project in your life that truly hooks
16:28you, where your skills are actually
16:30challenged, where there are real goals
16:32that make you happy in your life;
16:34because when you are in that flow, when
16:36you are in that fluidity of managing
16:38your talent and are in the right
16:40environments, you grow as a person to
16:42tremendous levels.
16:44And second, this is of interest to many
16:46business owners. When you have a person
16:49well-positioned in their talent,
16:51productivity multiplies by two or three
16:53.
16:54So, of course, for me it is a mutual
16:56benefit to say, manage your talent
16:58because you are a high-performance and
16:59high-well-being person, which is what we
17:01need most.
17:03And we have a lot of people who are very
17:04misplaced.
17:05Well, I would tell you that in Spain,
17:07nearly 60%of people are thinking about
17:10changing jobs because they aren't
17:11comfortable, nor are they developing the
17:14skills they really should have.
17:17And then we have another percentage that
17:19says," Look, there are things I like, as
17:21you say, Robert, where I feel that flow
17:22, but those are my hobbies.
17:25"I say," Wow, I hope that one day you
17:27make your hobbies your work, because
17:30you'll find out what it's like to go in
17:32with excitement, joy, engagement, and
17:34passion, and you'll see how your life
17:36projects just flow and light up your
17:38life.
17:40"I would tell you that there are three
17:42major areas that repeat constantly, and
17:44across all types of ages.
17:47Meaning, well, it's true, I am in the
17:50university context a lot, so I encounter
17:53many young people for whom any of those
17:55three can be useful, but excuse me,
17:58people of 60, 70, 50, 40, they are the
18:00same; it's the same base, the same
18:03problems we all have.
18:06>> Robert, how do we find purpose in our
18:08lives? Look, I'm going to tell you about
18:10an experience I had almost a decade ago
18:12. At that time, I owned a restaurant.
18:16I was extremely passionate about the
18:18restaurant; it was growing, and I put a
18:20lot of passion into it.
18:22And I remember I ran into a friend who
18:25was very socially successful, in a very
18:27high position, earning very good money,
18:30and living in the best area.
18:33She placed a delivery order, and I
18:35personally took it to her because she
18:36was my friend, and I remember a phrase
18:38she told me that Thursday night—it was
18:40almost 10:00 p.m.—she said," Ricardo,
18:41you don't know how much I envy you.
18:44"And I said," Why? "" Because you've
18:46found your purpose and you do something
18:48you like. "
18:49"
18:49>> I'm in a shitty job that only gives me
18:52money. "
18:53>> I will never forget that sentence, never
18:56.
18:57And it impacted me so much because, of
18:59course, you always saw her with the best
19:02car, the best clothes, the best house,
19:04the perfect family, the perfect husband
19:07, but inside, she couldn't find meaning
19:09in her life.
19:11>> And I know there are many people who are
19:13like that, Roberto, right now.
19:16>> What is the recommendation we can give a
19:18person to find that passion, that
19:20purpose, so they can do something that
19:22truly fulfills us?
19:25Look, the truth is that it's a complex
19:27question, but at the same time, a very
19:28simple one. I don't think it's that
19:30complicated.
19:31The thing is, when you tell people to
19:33start feeling things more, and I always
19:36say from a place of balance, please,
19:38because it's true that people are afraid
19:40of feeling due to all that stress,
19:42conflicts, and complicated situations,
19:44right?
19:45No, from a place of balance, let
19:47yourself feel more.
19:49Uh, look, and I can even use my own
19:51personal case, I have failed at a ton of
19:54things in my life.
19:57In fact, it was hard for me to find my
19:59own passion too, and all my life,
20:01imagine when I was young, my mother
20:02would tell me," Become an engineer,
20:04become an engineer, because engineers
20:06make money, have job stability, and so
20:08on.
20:10"And in fact, yes, I was a year ahead my
20:12whole life, always a year ahead, and
20:14with people older than me, but I was
20:16never held back.
20:19I mean, I went to university a year
20:20before my peers and I got into an
20:22engineering degree that, well, I liked
20:24more or less, I developed projects, but
20:26I noticed that something was off, you
20:28know?
20:29And those feelings, to me, are what we
20:31have to start paying attention to,
20:33because the first thing you do is ask
20:34yourself if you want to dedicate 5 or 10
20:36years to this, right? Do you see
20:38yourself in this in 5 or 10 years?
20:40And of course, I asked myself the
20:42question intuitively, because at that
20:43time they didn't work in these areas and
20:44I didn't see myself there.
20:46I said," No, this does interest me
20:48because I'm curious, but I don't see
20:49myself working in these areas.
20:52"And at that time I had a, well, I read
20:54many things, I worked on the most varied
20:56things, Ricardo; you can't even imagine
20:59all the things I've worked on, which I
21:01also think has given me a background, a
21:03humility, and an understanding of life,
21:05right?
21:07That everyone is in a different phase,
21:09right?
21:10And one fine day, it was clear, many of
21:13my books had to do with psychology.
21:16But I wasn't aware of that, I didn't
21:18identify that common factor, I liked the
21:20mind, I liked analyzing complex
21:22characters, and so on.
21:24And while talking with a very good
21:26friend of mine, who was a nurse, I said
21:27:" Hey, do you know that I am a very
21:29empathetic person?
21:31"I like putting myself in extra roles; I
21:33like taking care of people. I think I
21:35might join you in nursing too, you know
21:38?" And my aunt just stared at me and
21:41says, 'Nursing, Robert?'
21:44She says, 'I see you talking to people,
21:46I see you—you help me, you help our
21:48friends, you help everyone.'
21:51"" She says, 'Don't you know there's a
21:52degree called psychology?' "" And I said
21:54, 'Seriously?' "'Is there a degree
21:56called that, psychology?'"
21:58I say, 'Yes, it was very new because
22:00psychology came from a branch of
22:02philosophy in Spain.'
22:04"I didn't even know it existed." Of
22:05course, suddenly I said, well, I'll give
22:07it a try because it sounds good to me. "
22:09It sounds good to me. So, I didn't know
22:11what I was getting into. Seriously,
22:12Ricardo, I didn't know what I was
22:13getting into.
22:14And it's like moving from a hiking trail
22:17to suddenly getting on a highway.
22:22I started my first year and did 5 years
22:24of college, eh, 5 years that absorbed me
22:26, eh, 5 years where I lived at the
22:28faculty itself, I read everything, I
22:30lived everything.
22:33Eh, I think they were the 5 most intense
22:35years of my life and the 5 years that
22:37changed my life. And I found my passion
22:39. And I found my passion because later
22:42you say, 'Did you ever plan to be a
22:44professor or a university chair?' And I
22:46say no, I never planned it at any point
22:48. I simply enjoyed the path so much and
22:51the path kept offering me alternatives,
22:53but I always asked myself the question:
22:56is where you are where you feel you need
22:58to be?
22:59Because that question, ugh, Ricardo,
23:01there are people who—I know that when
23:03someone hears this, they will say," I
23:05don't even want to ask myself that
23:07question. "I don't even want to ask
23:09myself. Because if I ask myself this
23:11question, what happens when you say
23:13where you are? that it's all just a
23:15setup, that the case you've built, that
23:17you've told me about, suddenly I
23:19discover it's not where I want to be. I
23:21say, but of course, what are you going
23:23to do?
23:2440, 50 years of being in a space where
23:26you don't enjoy it, where in reality yes
23:29, you earn money, it gives you a role,
23:31your character grows, you have a symbol
23:33of success or whatever, but deep down
23:35you know.
23:37That is what we have to attend to: the
23:39person inside, that inner self that
23:41knows your reality, that inner self that
23:44really knows that success is not social
23:46success, but the personal success of
23:48having found your path, having found
23:50your steps, having discovered these
23:52talents, having failed, having gotten
23:55back up, having tried hundreds of things
23:57, which is the only way to really know
23:59where that talent lies. That is why I
24:01tell you, ask yourself the question if
24:03you feel that you have doubts between
24:05two paths. Which one do you feel more?
24:07Which one do your values pull you toward
24:08? Which one does your most internal
24:10element pull you toward?
24:12Because that will always be the correct
24:14answer, even if it goes against your
24:17context, even if it goes against your
24:19past, or even if it goes against what
24:22you are actually planning for a future.
24:26You have to be brave if the answer is,"
24:28I don't feel this path and I would like
24:30to feel other paths.
24:32"And in that feeling of other paths is
24:33when you open yourself up to exploring
24:35more things. We need people to explore.
24:39That is to say, in the education of
24:40children, we shouldn't give them so much
24:42content. We need them to explore. We
24:44need them to explore life, to have
24:46curiosity, and only by exploring will
24:48they actually discover where their true
24:50passions lie.
24:52I have a very simple model, and with
24:53this I close this question, that I work
24:55on in one of my books called" The Talent
24:57of the Elves, "which is a story.
24:59And it's a story, you see, I even got
25:01into telling stories.
25:03Imagine, me, who at the time used to say
25:05," No, this writing thing is too
25:07complicated for me, "but in the end,
25:08look, I have gradually developed myself
25:10.
25:11In this story there is a kind of hidden
25:14model of how to find your own talent and
25:17it tells you four great variables that
25:19you really have to be able to focus on,
25:22okay? The first is the dream.
25:26Have you ever dreamed of working on that
25:28or developing your life project on this
25:30? Because you have to dream it. Have you
25:32ever dreamed that this could be your
25:34path?
25:35And then people tell me," No, Robert,
25:37dreams are for children, for teenagers.
25:39"I say," No, no, wait for the other
25:41variables. "I say," Because the next
25:43variable is no longer dreams.
25:45"" Of course, the next variable is to
25:47try to have what we call mental maps for
25:49those dreams.
25:51"Imagine you tell me," I dream of being
25:54someone who loves, maybe, kiteboarding,
25:57or being at the beach, or being a
25:59mountain guide, or whatever.
26:01"I say," Okay, okay, that's your dream.
26:04"" But do you have the mental map, the
26:06cognitive map of what the market is like
26:09, or even how it works to be that guide
26:11, how it works to be a person who
26:13teaches others how to dive, or whatever
26:16you want?
26:18"You have the cognitive map of learning
26:20in place, because those are neural
26:22connections built over many hours of
26:24reading magazines, watching many videos
26:26, and actually enjoying seeing things.
26:30Therefore, your dream must come
26:32accompanied by a map, by a map, by a
26:34scheme, by a neural pathway that we
26:36train because we are passionate about it
26:39and we do it, okay?
26:41And then come the two quintessential
26:42questions of entrepreneurship. Are you
26:45able to ground that map into concrete
26:47objectives?
26:50Into objectives, into something concrete
26:52, because maybe your map is to create a
26:54diving training school so ideal that it
26:56doesn't exist and has no room in...I say
26:58, no, no, but ground it, apply the SMART
27:00rule to it, apply it and you'll see if
27:03you're going to ground it, and then
27:05concrete objectives will emerge.
27:08And the last variable, which for me is
27:10the most important of all, is: do you
27:12have the courage to make the decision to
27:13move forward with all of that if you
27:15have all three variables, but you must
27:17have all three.
27:19And courage, for me, is the emotional
27:21part, the part that is the passion we
27:22mentioned, right?
27:25Meaning that when you see an
27:26entrepreneur passionate about something
27:29, who believes in their project, gosh,
27:31they can get hit by 300 blows from
27:33bureaucracy or 300 blows from the market
27:35, because they adapt, they start
27:37thinking of alternatives because their
27:39passion actually drives them to continue
27:41with the project.
27:43But in your case, it’s not like that. I
27:45think that over there, geez, in the
27:47United States you have a brutal
27:48entrepreneurial culture, and in America
27:50in general as well, right?
27:53But in Spain, we still follow the
27:54terrible tendency that if you fail at
27:55setting something up, it means you're no
27:57good for anything.
27:59Imagine that, just imagine.
28:03>> It really strikes me, and that is a very
28:06cultural issue in Spain, because in
28:08Spain, having money or having good
28:11property is associated with being bad.
28:15I feel that sometimes people are even
28:17ashamed to say it because there is a
28:19perception about money as if it were bad
28:22here in the United States.
28:24Look, arriving in this country changed
28:26my life.
28:27This country accelerated me because
28:29there is a culture of entrepreneurship
28:31here, but above all, of execution.
28:34And here, it is applauded. It is
28:36applauded.
28:38If you make $ 70,000 a year and start
28:40making $ 140,000, here, it is applauded
28:42.
28:43And if you buy a house, it is applauded
28:46. I mean, that is highly encouraged here
28:48.
28:49But I find it very hard to understand—I
28:51have family in Spain, I understand
28:52Spanish culture very well, I listen to a
28:54lot of Spanish radio, I listen to many
28:55podcasts from Spain.
28:57It’s a country I love dearly, I carry it
28:59in my heart.
29:00Ah, but I find it hard to understand
29:03what is happening in Spanish culture to
29:05have that mental framework for
29:07perceiving things that way.
29:11>> Well, it’s sad, but it’s real.
29:14Here, an entrepreneur hasn't just had to
29:17embark on their project or their passion
29:19, but has had to fight against a number
29:21of bureaucratic hurdles that you cannot
29:24even imagine, Ricardo, you cannot even
29:26imagine.
29:28Then there are the social obstacles of
29:31being a business owner, as if it were
29:33something frowned upon, and frowned upon
29:35because it’s associated with being rich
29:38, with being obsessed with money, but it
29:40is not associated with people who find
29:43life projects, people who develop
29:45projects, and so on.
29:48To me, entrepreneurship can be social,
29:50it can be monetary, it makes no
29:52difference, but any person capable of
29:55starting something and fighting with
29:57everything they fight, I assure you they
30:00deserve all my praise and accolades
30:02because they are fighting three times as
30:04hard.
30:06It’s a false competition in the sense
30:07that they are fighting three times as
30:09hard as in any other country.
30:11We come from a heritage, don't we, of
30:13thinking that people must have a beaten
30:15path.
30:16But this even happens to us at the
30:17university. You have to pursue a degree
30:20, and that degree already determines
30:21what jobs you can have.
30:23I often ask my business management
30:26students, I ask them, how many are going
30:28to start a business and how many are
30:30actually going to join a company, or how
30:33many even want to be civil servants,
30:35right? Or how many even want to be—get
30:37this question, Ricardo—salespeople, to
30:39sell.
30:40Of course, that question in Spain is
30:42almost forbidden. You want to sell?
30:45Out of the 60, 70, or 80 I sometimes
30:47have in class, only two or three turn
30:49out to be salespeople, and suddenly I
30:51say," Let’s see, you’re not
30:52understanding something about this world
30:54.
30:55"Nowadays, anyone with a job is
30:57essentially in sales.
30:59You have to sell yourself, it doesn’t
31:01matter what company you’re at, because
31:02you have to sell your product or your
31:04service compared to your colleagues.
31:06There is a general misconception about
31:08entrepreneurs and the business world
31:11that causes many people to eh burn out
31:13in those early stages. That is why we
31:16need examples.
31:18We need entrepreneurs to fill our
31:20schools and our universities to share
31:22their stories, so that they really see
31:24that any idea a person has just needs to
31:27be put into practice and likely fail
31:29four times, or however many it takes;
31:32but they have to chase those dreams and
31:34those projects we were talking about and
31:37.
31:38People are not pursuing their dreams and
31:40that is the real tragedy for me.
31:44People finish their degree and suddenly
31:45say," Now I have to get a mortgage, get
31:47married, follow the beaten path.
31:49"I say," What are you talking about? "
31:51In a society, in a liquid world, where
31:53everything is different, everything has
31:55changed so much. Please, we need it.
31:58>> Do you know a fact I saw that surprised
32:00me a lot?
32:02>> Spain is the size of Texas.
32:04>> Yes.
32:05>> Texas is one of the 50 states in the
32:07United States. Imagine how big the
32:09United States is.
32:10>> Yes, yes, yes.
32:12Taking that reference into account,
32:14Spain has more civil servants
32:17concentrated in Spain than the entire
32:19United States. Imagine the state of the
32:22system.
32:23>> How crazy.
32:25Totally.
32:26I believe we need to reach a regulation
32:28where a better balance can perfectly be
32:30achieved and, of course, as a country,
32:32better pursue the fact of understanding
32:34that, in the end, entrepreneurship is
32:36necessary in a society, because it is
32:38precisely what will bring you innovation
32:40, it will bring you new ideas and; if
32:42not, we are guilty of, of, of sticking
32:44to old ideas.
32:46I lived for a year, Ricardo, in
32:48Tennessee. Uh, I spent a year living
32:50there and the truth is it was a very
32:51beautiful experience because I traveled
32:53all over the United States and it was a
32:55truly wonderful experience.
32:57Another thing is that it is true that
32:58everything is a balance of many things,
33:00that is, I am very happy in my, in my
33:02country, with the culture we have, the
33:04collectivism there is, the social
33:05support of the families here, which is
33:07tremendous. Of course, the difference
33:09between individualism and collectivism
33:11is in that. Actually, in the United
33:13States you are an individualist, you go
33:15all in, you start the company and well,
33:17you make a fortune, if everything goes
33:19well.
33:20But in Spain, when everything goes wrong
33:22, it never goes that badly because you
33:24always have people to help you, whether
33:26it's family or friends.
33:28The social component is so powerful in
33:30us that it makes us, mind you, without
33:32so much entrepreneurship, one of the
33:34happiest societies, precisely because of
33:37that cohesion, that social element.
33:39But well, we have a pending lesson there
33:41. I really noticed it during the
33:43pandemic, you know? The way the pandemic
33:45was experienced in Spain compared to the
33:47United States.
33:49People in Spain would applaud those who
33:52worked in medical fields.
33:55>> In the United States, there was a
33:56political debate over whether you wore a
33:58mask or not.
33:59There were people who refused to wear,
34:01no, to wear a mask, and a whole issue
34:03was created by the very individualism of
34:05the country.
34:06It’s impressive. It is a very
34:07individualistic city.
34:08>> Behind that, Ricardo, is the issue of
34:10loneliness. Mind you,
34:12>> that is to say, I am writing a new book
34:14that I hope to finish soon. I think it
34:16is the most human book I have ever
34:17written in my life. Of the nine I have
34:19written, I assure you that I keep
34:20learning at the expense of my readers,
34:22who have to forgive me because, in the
34:24end, I always try to improve in every
34:25book. I think this is the most human of
34:28all, and there is a section dedicated
34:30solely to loneliness and solitude.
34:32The great drama in this society right
34:34now. It is true that we have sinned
34:36excessively by promoting individual
34:38development at the cost of having a
34:40social network that doesn’t necessarily
34:42have to be family.
34:44It could be family, friends, but that
34:46context is what actually gives not only
34:48a sense of belonging, but a sense of
34:50self-esteem, because it’s good to belong
34:53to a group where you feel loved, but you
34:55also like to help the group, stand out,
34:57and do things.
34:59We have a tragedy, that of loneliness
35:01right now, even more so thinking about
35:03the longevity we are increasingly
35:05experiencing, which means we are finding
35:07older people very alone, with serious
35:09cases of depression, and in very
35:11advanced stages at that.
35:13And to me, that is a kind of great
35:15silent disease that it seems people are
35:17not realizing, and that we are parking
35:19our elders aside when we should be
35:22applauding them for everything they have
35:24fought for us and for all the sacrifice
35:26they have made.
35:29And I wish, I wish more individualistic
35:31cultures like yours, for example—I say
35:33this even thinking that in mine, which
35:35is more collectivist, that loneliness is
35:37already being felt.
35:39Notice how the typical grandfather is
35:41still kept at home by the family, they
35:44protect him, but we are isolating him
35:46more and more, leaving him alone more
35:48and more.
35:50I'm not even thinking about the more
35:52individualistic Anglo-Saxon societies,
35:54where in a way the loneliness
35:55experienced at those ages is truly
35:57dramatic.
35:58It is dramatic.
36:00>> Roberto, can you have success in a life
36:02you never chose?
36:05Well, the truth is that thinking we
36:07choose our life is, well, I'm talking
36:10about decision-making up to a certain
36:12point, right? Because in the end, you
36:14know that we all have some cards and we
36:16play with them, right?
36:18And those cards, how you tactically play
36:20them is what really tells you if you are
36:22more or less having relative success
36:24regarding your person and your talent.
36:28But I would tell you yes, because for me
36:31there is a book, look, there is a book
36:33titled" Targets of Yourself, "one I
36:36wrote for Grupo Planeta, where my first
36:38title, which we actually changed later,
36:41was something related to your personal
36:43success.
36:46In other words, your true success isn't
36:47really having the success of changing
36:49people's lives, transforming a society,
36:51right?
36:53Your true success is discovering
36:54yourself.
36:56That is, that is the most powerful tool
36:58for me, which philosophy already told us
37:01thousands of years ago and which in a
37:03way we are forgetting and overlooking.
37:07Your true success is knowing yourself,
37:09because knowing yourself is knowing what
37:10cards you are playing with.
37:12Knowing yourself is, look, there is a
37:14quote from my dear Ortega y Gasset.
37:17Ortega is one of the great philosophers
37:20of Spain.
37:22He left us a brutal, brutal legacy of
37:24quotes, and many of them I usually
37:26repeat.
37:28Let me repeat it to you because it is
37:30such a powerful phrase that it even
37:32shakes those who feel secure with their
37:34firmest ideas and convictions, because
37:36that character, the strong one, we often
37:38have not only in business, but also in
37:40the social world, right?
37:43Ortega said," Our most deeply rooted
37:46convictions, those most entrenched in us
37:48, the most indubitable, that is to say,
37:51those we can doubt the least, are the
37:53most suspicious.
37:56They constitute our limit, our
38:00boundaries, and our prison.
38:04"Notice what Ortega is telling me, what
38:06you base yourself on, you say," Robert,
38:08but then, what do I do?
38:10"The continuous doubt of myself. I say,
38:12" But doubt is not bad. "Doubt, the kind
38:14that paralyzes you, yes, but the doubt
38:16that makes you grow, that makes you seek
38:18information, that makes you seek new
38:20challenges, that is the doubt of
38:21learning.
38:23And Ortega tells you, when there is
38:24someone who has everything so clear, who
38:26is so sure of everything, who does not
38:28doubt, that person is dead.
38:30That is their prison.
38:32They cannot leave that world, that shop
38:34window, that, that border they have set
38:37for themselves, that armor they have put
38:39on which, in reality, is going to limit
38:41something that is so important these
38:43days, which is flexibility, the capacity
38:45for adaptation, a learning orientation,
38:47learning agility, and so on and so forth
38:49.
38:50So, real success is knowing where those
38:53prisons of yours are.
38:56Do you remember that little story about
38:58the elephant and the stake?
39:00Uh, it's a beautiful little story, isn't
39:02it? That talks precisely about that,
39:03right? About how
39:05>> we have prisons from when we were little
39:07, of things we actually believe are that
39:08way, but question them now.
39:11Dare to question them, dare to question
39:13yourself about things and face things.
39:16And that is why, that is why I always
39:18told you at the beginning of this talk,
39:20wow, the comfort zone, we have to get
39:22out, we have to learn to challenge
39:23ourselves.
39:24Set challenges for yourself every day,
39:27please, on a larger or smaller scale,
39:29but don't settle for being" that's just
39:31how I am. "Don't say that, please. I
39:34don't care how old you are, 50, 40, 30,
39:3770, 80.
39:38I don't care how old you are.
39:41At this moment, you can face new
39:43challenges, new things proportional to
39:46your past experience, but you have to
39:48face them.
39:50That is your true success with your
39:52cards that you have to learn, but learn
39:55to manage them because that is where,
39:57wherever you go, you will be happy, you
40:00will have well-being, and for me that is
40:03the true indicator of your true success
40:06. Ask yourself, right? Ask yourself in
40:09reality how happy I am currently in my
40:11life. How happy was I in my life 10 or
40:1515 years ago? In that evolution, have
40:17you improved in any way?
40:20Maybe you've lost money, you've changed
40:22companies, you've taken a worse position
40:24, but you are much happier.
40:26And for me that is the base of
40:28everything, because your happiness is
40:30actually what you take with you. There
40:32is no other way, there is nothing else
40:34but that well-being and that happiness.
40:36Roberto, I want to ask you a very
40:38specific question because we are living
40:39in an era
40:42>> that humanity has never experienced
40:43before. We are living in an era of
40:46technology, of social media, social
40:48networks with a highly powerful
40:50algorithm that only reinforces our
40:53biases,
40:54>> our biases.
40:56If I support or approve of this, the
40:59algorithm will ensure it only shows me
41:02this to make me believe that what I
41:05think is what the world thinks; or with
41:08an artificial intelligence that, if you
41:11don't set out to challenge it, it will
41:15give you what you want and validate you
41:18.
41:19And that is a danger because many people
41:21don't know how to use it. And since I
41:24work in technology and artificial
41:25intelligence, this is a topic that
41:27interests me a lot.
41:28Hm.
41:30How, how do we deal with that and with
41:32the future generations coming up who are
41:34already going to be born with this chip
41:36built in?
41:38How do we really manage to isolate
41:40ourselves and have a much more complete
41:42view of the world and not get stuck in
41:44the same thing?
41:47How can we challenge our brain to really
41:50generate that neuroplasticity and force
41:54it to learn new things?
41:57>> Sure, I think there are two big issues
42:00right now that people are shying away
42:02from answering a bit because government
42:05systems are being caught off guard by
42:07everything.
42:09They are always behind all the
42:10advancements.
42:12The AI leaders themselves are already
42:14issuing warnings, directly saying watch
42:17out for this because it is getting out
42:19of hand.
42:21Um, but for me, the two, the two
42:23elements that worry me the most right
42:25now are: one, critical thinking which is
42:27being lost, the ability of a person to
42:29seek out different sources, for him or
42:31her to search for their reliable sources
42:33, those ones, not just the first thing
42:35that appears, because you already know
42:37what the first thing that will appear in
42:40AI is, and, therefore, to search for
42:42your own sources, but to read them.
42:45The thing is, we have lost the ability
42:47to read.
42:48Just recently, the PISA study in Spain
42:50came out showing that we were losing
42:52literacy skills at tremendous levels.
42:55That is to say, we are losing the
42:56ability to read, to understand the
42:58things we are reading. Because we are
43:00reading less and less and reading more
43:02little paragraphs or short sentences,
43:04right? And with a lot of visual
43:05stimulation and very dopamine-driven and
43:07very much in that style. So, one, how
43:09can we foster more critical thinking?
43:12For me, that is fundamental. How can we
43:14get people to use different sources,
43:16different readings, and please, in-depth
43:19reading, where you are spending time
43:21reading something, not just saying" give
43:23me the solution, "because your solution
43:26already contains an interpretation that
43:28I am just swallowing, and I want to have
43:31the ability to judge and interpret for
43:33myself?
43:34We are no longer interpreters, we no
43:37longer judge; we are becoming mere
43:39passive beings in the face of that
43:41constant bias you mentioned, which in
43:43reality is shaping a society that is
43:45increasingly linear, flatter, and where
43:48diversity will be even worse.
43:50So, therefore, first, critical thinking
43:52—which I assure you I fight for in my
43:54classrooms continuously, and I fight for
43:56in my processes when I work with people
43:59in the business world. And the second
44:01thing, which is fundamental to me, is
44:03that we are losing the ability to
44:04concentrate.
44:06This, which is a tremendous tool, the
44:09ability to have...just imagine, to give
44:12you an example, for my own profile as a
44:14teacher, researcher, and implementer in
44:17the business world, because I dive into
44:20hundreds of business cases.
44:24In the scientific field, for example, we
44:26need a level of concentration that you
44:28can't even imagine.
44:30Ricardo, when I'm working on a new
44:32scientific article, I can spend 8 or 10
44:35hours straight without hardly eating,
44:37focused on my own work.
44:40Focused on my own work simply because I
44:43know there are certain types of complex
44:45tasks—complex ones—that require such
44:48high states of concentration.
44:52And even in these high levels of
44:54concentration, as I told you before, our
44:57brain is very limited, it's very limited
44:59.
45:00So it's easier to say," You do the work
45:03for me.
45:04"But when you have to do it yourself,
45:05you have to take breaks every 30 or 40
45:07minutes because the brain is constantly
45:09consuming energy; it wears out, it
45:10consumes itself, it gets exhausted.
45:13And then there's a point where you say,
45:15" My brain just can't take any more. "
45:16No, no. Learn to use it.
45:19Take a little walk, go for a stroll,
45:20rest, have something to drink, come
45:21right back, and get back to it.
45:24Because if you interrupt your periods of
45:26concentration continuously with little
45:29messages, WhatsApps, calls, and so on,
45:31it takes about 30 to 40 minutes to
45:34regain that concentration. Of course,
45:36that can't be right. In other words,
45:38learn to leave your phone outside.
45:41Just by having your phone in front of
45:42you, studies show that it completely
45:43changes your concentration just by
45:45having it right there.
45:46Imagine that.
45:49I mean, there are more and more studies
45:51sounding the alarm on why the current
45:53educational system is failing so much.
45:56But we are also seeing this in adults,
45:59at work, and in productivity.
46:01People cannot sustain those 30, 40-
46:03minute periods of concentration that
46:05high performance requires.
46:08The thing is, there are underlying
46:09questions: how are you going to
46:11concentrate on something that doesn't
46:13excite you if you're bored? If it's not
46:15even your job.
46:15>> The thing is, Roberto, the educational
46:18system, the educational system today—
46:20and you are part of this system because
46:22you're a teacher—is completely screwed.
46:24Yes, yes, yes. I mean, it can't be that
46:27we are teaching as if it were 1985.
46:31>> We are in the same model when we have
46:33evolved so much to this point. I have a
46:364-year-old boy and I am seriously
46:38thinking about what his future will be
46:41like,
46:42>> because everything is going to be
46:44automated. Look, I'm going to tell you
46:46something, and I'll tell the whole
46:48community. When we record this video, an
46:50AI agent will come along, take our video
46:53, and send it to my computer. The AI
46:56agent, without me lifting a finger, will
46:58edit the entire video.
47:00>> It will pull 10 stories from this video
47:02, it will pull seven reels, it will
47:04write the descriptions for Instagram,
47:06TikTok, Facebook.
47:08>> That was a task that used to take me 8
47:10hours. Sure.
47:12>> And last weekend I realized that by not
47:15doing it, I am losing certain skills
47:20>> and I am forcing myself to get into the
47:21process because I can't automate
47:23everything.
47:24>> Sure.
47:25>> And it's already trained and it's going
47:26to do it very well, believe me;
47:28sometimes it'll even do it better than I
47:29do.
47:31But it's the fact that my mind is no
47:33longer working on that to create new
47:35ideas to make this much better: it's
47:37handing it to me pre-chewed.
47:40That's it.
47:40>> So, I am doing myself a disservice,
47:42>> right?
47:43>> Because basically I'm not putting my
47:45brain to work. Now I can put it to work
47:47on things that are much more functional
47:49than editing a video. We agree on that
47:51too. But the educational system, Roberto
47:54, is screwed.
47:55>> But Ricardo, you can perfectly supervise
47:57what the AI does for you and consider
47:59why, what the biases are that the AI is
48:02having by choosing certain sequences and
48:04not others.
48:05It's true that you're missing something
48:07that is very interesting to me, which is
48:09how ideas are crafted, the ideas we are
48:11capturing here today, which you might
48:13not see until I present them to you.
48:16Otherwise, you would have to give more
48:18thought to what elements we've touched
48:20on, what topics we've covered and
48:22connected, because remember one thing:
48:24when Einstein's brain was analyzed,
48:26everyone said," My goodness, he must
48:28have a huge head, right?
48:30"His brain was smaller than normal, and
48:32people at the time were shocked, trying
48:34to say," Well, it doesn't seem like
48:36brain mass is what indicates a person's
48:37intelligence.
48:39"What they discovered at the time is
48:41that he had many more glial cells.
48:45That is to say, the great capacity that
48:47Einstein had as a great scientist and
48:49example for this planet is precisely the
48:51vast connections that existed throughout
48:54his entire neural system.
48:56And that neural system, those
48:58connections, are only made by going
48:59through those types of experiences.
49:01Maybe you don't have to swallow the
49:03whole video completely, but perhaps do a
49:06joint analysis with your own [mind] and
49:08fuel it at the beginning so you can
49:10guide it a little more; because if not,
49:12the one missing out on the connections
49:15is you. It is being made, but you are
49:17losing them. And that happens to me in
49:19education as well. This year I've
49:21stopped; look, I even walk into class,
49:23and you know what I say? Laptops down
49:25and phones away. And I joke and say, I
49:27only allow you to use your phone if
49:28you're talking to your boyfriend or your
49:30girlfriend, which is the only thing
49:31that's worth it, okay?
49:33Like trying to say it as a joke, but
49:35laptops down, and from there I present
49:37an idea, and we all share our ideas,
49:39debate them, work on them in teams, et
49:41cetera, et cetera.
49:43The problem is that our education system
49:45is a system designed in the industrial
49:46era.
49:48It's a system where everything is
49:49divided into tiny spaces, just like we
49:51do in industry, where in production
49:53processes we break things into pieces to
49:55work in chains; well, that's what we're
49:57doing in education, but that made sense
49:59in 1900, but it makes no sense in this
50:01current system.
50:03In this system, we need connections, we
50:05need complex ideas, projects where
50:07people get involved and see how
50:08different areas interact.
50:11And even though we have it very clear,
50:13in our country—I'm telling you seriously
50:15, in this case, Spain—it's dramatic
50:17what's happening with the legislative
50:19changes every few years.
50:22Well, poor teachers are suffering from a
50:24sort of government dictatorship where
50:25whoever comes in changes the rules.
50:28It's impossible to improve an education
50:30system that way, and that's how we're
50:32doing.
50:34We have good teachers who also need to
50:35improve and be given more dignity,
50:37because it feels like just another civil
50:38service job, right?"
50:40I want to be a teacher because I want to
50:42be a civil servant, "right?
50:44You have to be a teacher because you
50:46truly feel the calling, the vocation to
50:48stand in front of a classroom and do it
50:50.
50:52Because I would say that only about a
50:53third of the teachers we have in the
50:55education system are truly vocational.
50:58And those are the ones we need; they are
50:59the ones driving every project forward.
51:02Of course we have a major tragedy, but
51:04there is still hope as long as that
51:06third keeps working, as long as they
51:08push the education system forward, and
51:11as long as we have kids we can help—
51:13because we have wonderful generations,
51:15but we've left them completely lost in
51:17front of technology and AI, when we
51:19didn't even know how to use them
51:21ourselves.
51:23And that is the real tragedy these
51:25generations will have to face to begin
51:27channeling much, much of what's coming,
51:29because technology is wonderful, AI is
51:32wonderful, but only in its proper
51:34measure and provided it is a tool to
51:36help us. But please, my recommendations
51:39: more critical thinking. Ask yourself
51:41why, look for alternative sources for
51:43everything, and second, read more,
51:45please, concentrate more on things. We
51:47need people to read more. And they
51:49aren't reading; reading rates are
51:50dropping significantly.
51:52>> Yes. I think this little device
51:55>> yes
51:56>> is becoming
51:57>> Yes, yes it is
51:58>> it's very useful.
52:00It's very useful, but it's designed—I
52:03mean, this was designed by psychologists
52:06, by experts—precisely to keep our
52:08attention on it all the time
52:12>> and not just that, but to be waiting for
52:14notifications and everything else. On
52:17top of that, it's an alarm system that
52:18leaves us stressed out.
52:20I even say, no way, go to the
52:22countryside, go away for a weekend and
52:24say, if you want, tell your social media
52:26."
52:27Don't look for me this weekend because
52:28I'm leaving my phone behind, "and I've
52:30done it on purpose; please, leave it
52:31behind, leave it behind once in a while
52:33, leave it.
52:35>> Roberto, how do we build our identity
52:38through the conscious decisions we make
52:41?
52:41>> Okay. I, I
52:43>> I really loved it when you highlighted
52:44the part about being conscious.
52:46>> Yes, yes, yes.
52:47I, I...in the end, the million-dollar
52:49question people always ask me is:" I
52:51don't know how to make decisions in my
52:53life.
52:54"And I always, always say:" Well, look
52:56for your essence, "which is identity,
52:58really. I say:" Look for your essence. "
53:00And, look, that" essence "sounds to me
53:02like, I don't know, some supernatural
53:05element. I say, no, no, your essence is
53:07the deepest part of you, it's your
53:08deepest identity. Look for it, I mean,
53:10find it. That's why I always start from
53:12that same element.
53:14That is to say, you really need to
53:16connect with what you feel is truly
53:17yours and with those values that are the
53:19priorities in your life.
53:22If you are capable of connecting with
53:23that, I assure you that you are capable
53:24of making the biggest changes in your
53:26life. In fact, why do most habit changes
53:29fail—in diet, in whatever you want? They
53:32fail because they don't really have to
53:34do with the identity of the person
53:35making the changes, because it's
53:36something imposed from the outside. So,
53:38I always say, when you have doubts about
53:41something, think about what your values
53:43are, go inside yourself, because if you
53:45go to your values, the answers are much
53:48simpler. They say," But there are
53:49complex decisions.
53:51"I say, yeah, when your decisions are
53:53laid out as if they were options for
53:55buying a car—you can't choose a partner
53:57like you choose a car, please.
54:01I mean, you have to feel more deeply and
54:03you have to find people with whom you
54:04feel that connection, that similarity in
54:06values and fundamental elements.
54:08So, discover them. Discover what your
54:11essence is, where you vibrate. Because
54:12you can tell.
54:14I think I tell everyone, don't you
54:16notice when there's a setting, when you
54:17walk into a place and say," Oh, I feel
54:19like I'm at home here, and this is new
54:21to me.
54:22"I had never been here before. Or these
54:24people, I just met them and for me, it's
54:27home.
54:27Ask yourself that question: what is home
54:29to you and what is not home to you?
54:31Because you are in many contexts where
54:33you feel forced, right? How do I get out
54:35of here? What will they think of me? No
54:36, it's not home, it's okay. Say goodbye
54:39calmly.
54:40Look for those spaces where you are
54:42actually going to be in full form, where
54:43you will flow, because they are the ones
54:45that will bring out the best in you,
54:46they are where you will grow.
54:48That is how identity is formed, by
54:50making decisions that, however small
54:52they may be, keep guiding you, keep
54:55guiding you, keep guiding you. It’s not
54:57like you wake up one day and say," I
54:58want to be like this. "That’s not it.
55:00Make decisions that are truly aligned
55:02with that essence, with your feelings,
55:04and with those values. And from there,
55:06see where your journey takes you.
55:09It’s not about a goal; it’s about
55:10enjoying that journey, those small
55:12decisions.
55:14Suddenly you say:" Hey, I want to move
55:17to a rural environment, or I want to
55:19make changes in my life, maybe regarding
55:21my partners, I want them to be a certain
55:23way, or I want, as is happening in the
55:26corporate world, to be in a type of
55:28company that respects me, a company
55:30where maybe they pay me less, but they
55:32value me more, respect me more, and I
55:34can feel.
55:36"And that is what we call emotional
55:37salary.
55:38And that is what is currently hitting so
55:40hard in all matters of well-being and
55:42compensation in most organizations.
55:45Because there are people saying no to
55:47big projects that pay a lot of money,
55:49simply because they choose to go to
55:51projects where they actually have more
55:53well-being.
55:54That’s why we have to value it. Yes, yes
55:56.
55:56>> Look, look at the power of small
55:58decisions. I’m going to tell you
55:59something very personal.
56:00Three years ago, I met my partner.
56:04We had met through a Facebook group.
56:07>> Yes.
56:08>> And we had agreed to have a call
56:12>> on a specific day at a specific time.
56:16Ten minutes before, I felt scared to
56:18make that call because my English at
56:20that moment wasn't, I mean, I had...I
56:22believed I wasn't capable of
56:24communicating the way I thought I would
56:27with this person because they didn't
56:29speak Spanish, and I was this close to
56:31not making that call, Roberto.
56:34A single call changed my life completely
56:38.
56:38>> Yes, yes.
56:39>> It transformed it completely. I mean, I
56:41wonder, what would have happened if I
56:42hadn't made that call that day? What
56:44would my life be like today?
56:45What would I be doing? How much has that
56:48person influenced me? If I make myself
56:50understood, a small decision, a simple
56:52call
56:53>> can change your life forever.
56:57>> That is why I love it when you talk
56:58about conscious decisions.
57:00>> Yes. Do you know what happens? I
57:01sometimes use the train track example.
57:04A train track, imagine any state you
57:07want, starts off and suddenly with a
57:10tiny variation, but that tiny, tiny
57:12variation over time ends up taking on a
57:15really stupendously large dimension.
57:19Of course, people think that to make
57:21changes in life you have to make
57:23profound, dramatic changes.
57:25Uh, yes, that is done, excuse me, when
57:27there is no other choice, when your
57:29whole being is saying," Get out of here
57:31, please, because I am sinking into
57:33depression or I am sinking into an
57:35aggressive relationship or a toxic
57:37relationship or wherever.
57:39"Yes, in those moments you have to make
57:41the serious decision, but before that,
57:43in that moment before, we go to this
57:45parable of the frog that is being boiled
57:46little by little and we don't even
57:48notice, right?
57:49And since you boil little by little, you
57:51don't notice, but then you have reached
57:53a temperature where you are actually
57:54dead.
57:55Well, in those small decisions
57:57maintained over time, which can be one
57:59small one today, another small one
58:00tomorrow, but always in coherence.
58:03The important thing is not the size of
58:05the decision, but feeling that there is
58:07coherence with yourself, because however
58:10small it may be, you feel that there is
58:12agreement with your values and you
58:14wouldn't believe how that stimulates
58:16things at a neuronal level.
58:18That's like a kind of injecting myelin,
58:20automating, that's like driving on a
58:22highway quickly.
58:24That is really very powerful. That's why
58:27I firmly believe in that type of making
58:29small decisions in your life. And then
58:31there is another thing I wanted to tell
58:33you with your wonderful example and
58:34thank you for sharing something so
58:36personal, Ricardo. Uh, of course. In the
58:39end, I think that my life, for example,
58:41one of the...and I'll share something
58:43personal with you too, in the last 20
58:45years there is something that has
58:47changed dramatically in my life.
58:50And forgive me if this affects anyone,
58:52but, uh, I have decided to be in those
58:55environments, as I said before, where I
58:58feel comfortable, where I flow, where I
59:00see people who understand me, where our
59:03mental maps are similar or different,
59:05but there is respect and they fit
59:07perfectly.
59:10But before, I had a maxim that was," Be
59:12even in those contexts where you don't
59:13feel comfortable.
59:16"Uh, love all people, seek their warmth
59:18, let all people love you, Robert,
59:19because you are a universal being, you
59:21are like God.
59:23You thought you were God, right? I
59:24thought I was God in that era.
59:27And over time I decided I didn't want to
59:29play God anymore because I was letting
59:30people into my life I didn't like and
59:32from whom I learned nothing.
59:35I was letting in people who, well, they
59:37intoxicated me and brought out things in
59:39me that I didn't even like myself.
59:41And now I follow a system that I
59:43recommend to everyone, but of course, to
59:45each their own, right?
59:48But I always think, if I meet someone in
59:50my life, I don't care: man, woman, boy,
59:52girl, adult, grandparent; I don't care
59:54about age, gender, whatever.
59:57I meet someone who, to me, is someone I
59:59suddenly smile at, someone I see is...
1:00:02it doesn't have to be a soulmate, but
1:00:04someone of my same ilk, as we say,
1:00:06someone easy to talk to, easy to connect
1:00:09with, someone you have fun with easily,
1:00:11even if it's just a brief exchange of
1:00:14words.
1:00:16I've become a little more daring and I
1:00:18want to get to know that person.
1:00:20I don't care, like I said, if they're a
1:00:21man, woman, old, young, it doesn't
1:00:23matter to me.
1:00:24I want to know them because I think life
1:00:26has put that person there for a reason
1:00:28and you can learn or that person can
1:00:30learn something from you.
1:00:33In other words, I play with that theme
1:00:35of causality and coincidence, okay?
1:00:39I play with the idea of saying," This
1:00:41person has crossed my path for a reason
1:00:42, let's explore it.
1:00:45"It's a positive exploration because
1:00:46it's someone you align with and you know
1:00:48everything is going to be positive.
1:00:51And maybe it's just a message we
1:00:53exchanged and that's it.
1:00:55Or maybe they made me learn something or
1:00:57I taught them something, but suddenly
1:00:59I’ve seen that my context is a context
1:01:01of light, Ricardo, of light.
1:01:04Suddenly, normal days turn into days of
1:01:06light, and that is what we must seek
1:01:08more and more.
1:01:10We shouldn't just look for the light on
1:01:12the weekend.
1:01:13We must seek the light every day, in
1:01:14every moment, in every person we cross
1:01:16paths with, which is a true gift, please
1:01:18.
1:01:19But not just anyone, those who truly
1:01:22give you their humility, their
1:01:24solidarity, who give you their heart.
1:01:28Those who feel, and I tell you,
1:01:29everything is so easy that sometimes you
1:01:32don't even need words.
1:01:33That is the most powerful lesson I have
1:01:35learned in recent years.
1:01:38And people, I’m serious, some are
1:01:39surprised, saying," What could this man
1:01:40want from my life?
1:01:42"" No. And I say, "To get to know you,
1:01:44to know something, to exchange a few
1:01:45words, to laugh with you, that's all, I
1:01:47don't want anything else." I don't want
1:01:49anything else. "
1:01:51How beautiful, Roberto.
1:01:53Look, if a person has 5 minutes to grab
1:01:56a piece of paper, to grab a pencil, and
1:02:00wants to pursue
1:02:05their ideal life, really what they dream
1:02:08of, what motivates them, what keeps them
1:02:11alive, what excites them, what specific
1:02:14exercise would you propose to start
1:02:17wrapping up the conversation?
1:02:21Well, I told you earlier about a model I
1:02:23used in the one about the elves, which
1:02:26is recorded in the video.
1:02:29But I'm going to tell you about another
1:02:31one, because in my evolution, in my
1:02:33personal evolution, I always say that
1:02:35the books I write, I am the first to be
1:02:37sacrificed for them; meaning, I write
1:02:39them and I live them, and that generates
1:02:41changes in my life with all the
1:02:43consequences that brings.
1:02:45It’s just that I believe in them and
1:02:47they are the fruit of that maturation.
1:02:50that we all have on this journey in our
1:02:52lives and that we never quite reach
1:02:54because there isn't really a limit in
1:02:56that sense. The second personal
1:02:58development book I wrote is called"
1:02:59Objective: Being Yourself.
1:03:01"And there, I would tell you to do, or
1:03:03for people to ask themselves, four big
1:03:05questions, because with those four big
1:03:07questions, I think you can define a
1:03:09little bit better how to seek your
1:03:11personal success.
1:03:13Personal success, eh, not social, not
1:03:15...So, the first question is: to what
1:03:18extent are you an authentic person?
1:03:22Careful with that question, Ricardo. To
1:03:23what extent are you an authentic person
1:03:26? I mean, to what extent are you
1:03:27clearing away the character in your life
1:03:30that we all set up for ourselves?
1:03:33To what extent that character that some
1:03:35have built up for so many years of their
1:03:37lives, but in reality has feet of clay?
1:03:40That person who says," No, I am this
1:03:42person, a successful leader, et cetera,
1:03:43"but deep down, it has nothing to do
1:03:44with their true self, with the person
1:03:46inside."
1:03:47And that, you know what Karen Horney
1:03:48called that? She called it the principle
1:03:51of neurosis. Karen said, "To the extent
1:03:53that you have a character that moves far
1:03:55away from your true self, the further it
1:03:58moves, the more you enter into neurotic
1:04:00states, because your obsession is trying
1:04:02to be someone you are not.""Just imagine
1:04:05." Sure, it's just that this society is
1:04:07full of neuroticism. So, please, clear
1:04:09the neuroticism from your life, adapt,
1:04:12bring that persona down to your reality
1:04:14, and seek that relative authenticity,
1:04:17because this is a model of idealism,
1:04:19right? There is no such person, a truly
1:04:21authentic person doesn't exist, but
1:04:23there is a path. And ask yourself the
1:04:24question, what can you improve to be
1:04:26more authentic in your life and with
1:04:28others? You have no idea how powerful
1:04:30this is.
1:04:31Second, discover your passions. We have
1:04:33already talked about that, because
1:04:35passions are what trigger your emotional
1:04:37world and excellence in your life.
1:04:40The, the true way to work and build your
1:04:42real life is achieved through, through
1:04:44passion, completely through passion; but
1:04:46a passion from a place of balance, a
1:04:48passion that overflows because, suddenly
1:04:50, hundreds of possibilities open up for
1:04:53you and it is very noticeable when you
1:04:55connect with it.
1:04:57The third is to never forget to keep
1:04:59discovering in your life, that is to say
1:05:02, to have curiosity.
1:05:04I love curious people, people who are
1:05:06curious, because I am super curious, but
1:05:09when I see a person who surpasses me in
1:05:11curiosity, it fills me with the greatest
1:05:14pride and the greatest admiration in the
1:05:17world.
1:05:18Because a curious person is someone so
1:05:20flexible, someone who is committed to
1:05:22lifelong learning. What is our life if
1:05:25not to keep learning? What is our life?
1:05:28You're 70 years old, you can't learn a
1:05:30new language, a new skill, of course you
1:05:32can. But if I'm 40, I already have my
1:05:35life cycle closed. What do you mean your
1:05:37life cycle is closed, please? You have
1:05:40to keep learning every day in that
1:05:42journey of professional and personal
1:05:44development. Therefore, keep discovering
1:05:46things in your life that you are
1:05:47passionate about and that make you more
1:05:49authentic. We are already connecting all
1:05:51three. And the fourth thing joined in
1:05:54this model is, what gives meaning to
1:05:57your life?
1:05:59Because of course, you say, "Wow, I am
1:06:01authentic, I try to be authentic in my
1:06:03life, I'm passionate about things, I
1:06:04keep having a lot of curiosity, I say,
1:06:06yeah."
1:06:08But where is your life project? What is
1:06:10it that gives meaning to you getting up
1:06:12every day, to you thinking that you have
1:06:14something to offer society or the people
1:06:16you have beside you or your family or
1:06:17your friends? What is it that gives
1:06:19meaning to your life?
1:06:21Because if you have meaning in your life
1:06:23, you're a person that no matter what
1:06:25problems come your way, you are
1:06:27vaccinated with the best vaccine of
1:06:29resilience, because you can face the
1:06:31onslaught, yet you don't lose sight of
1:06:34the goal of saying, "Okay, this isn't
1:06:36working for me, I'll look for another
1:06:38path."
1:06:39But this is the true meaning, this is my
1:06:42true path. These four questions you have
1:06:44to ask yourself: how authentic are you?
1:06:46How passionate are you about your
1:06:48projects and the things you do? To what
1:06:50extent do you keep discovering, being
1:06:52curious, and surfing through life?
1:06:54And four, keep trying to find that life
1:06:56project that gives meaning to your life
1:06:58, and if you haven't found it, stick to
1:07:00someone who has one that is similar to
1:07:02yours. You don't have to be the
1:07:04entrepreneur yourself, you don't have to
1:07:05be.
1:07:06But well, stick to those projects that
1:07:08actually give you that message of "I
1:07:10think I'm contributing something to
1:07:12society," because it's proven that
1:07:14people who have that sense of purpose
1:07:16have greater longevity and higher levels
1:07:18of happiness and well-being.
1:07:21With those four questions, I think we're
1:07:23on the right track. There's work to be
1:07:24done there, eh, Ricardo, there's work to
1:07:25be done.
1:07:26>> Roberto, I want to make you an
1:07:28invitation. When you launch your new
1:07:30book,
1:07:31>> I want you to let me know right away.
1:07:33>> Of course, please.
1:07:35I would love to read it and I want to
1:07:37have another episode with you where we
1:07:39dive deep into that book because I have
1:07:41really enjoyed this conversation
1:07:42immensely.
1:07:44Thank you, Ricardo, don't doubt it
1:07:46because even with this whole book I'm
1:07:48finishing, I'm even, as I was telling
1:07:50you, learning how to write.
1:07:52I'm making it more storytelling-based,
1:07:54with more narratives, with more cases
1:07:56that people can access, with a more
1:07:58subliminal understanding; but at the
1:08:00same time, it's so full of ideas, it's
1:08:02so full of ideas, that for me, it's
1:08:04going to be a shame to finish it because
1:08:06I'm in a learning process with the book
1:08:09itself that is questioning even many
1:08:11things that, as we were saying with the
1:08:13Ortega topic, I thought I had clear.
1:08:16But, fortunately, I keep getting out of
1:08:18my confines and my prison to keep
1:08:19discovering myself every day.
1:08:22Thank you, Ricardo, and of course you
1:08:24will have that book, and I hope we have
1:08:26the time to be able to share these new
1:08:28ideas.

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