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How to Improve Yourself 1% Every Day in 2026 | Denzel Washington — Transcript

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0:05Let me ask you a question
0:08that might hurt a little.
0:10Perhaps it's a question you have been
0:11avoiding for a very long time.
0:13When you look in the mirror, truly look
0:16in the mirror,
0:17not to fix your hair,
0:19not to check your outfit,
0:20but to stare into your own eyes, do you
0:23respect the person staring back at you?
0:25It is a brutal question, isn't it?
0:28Because the mirror does not lie.
0:30It does not listen to your excuses about
0:32why you didn't start the business, why
0:34you didn't go to the gym, or why you
0:36snapped at your family. It only shows
0:38you what is.
0:40And for too many of us, what stares back
0:43is a ghost of our potential, a version
0:45of ourselves that settled, that
0:48compromised, that decided comfort was
0:51more important than calling. We are
0:53standing on the edge of 2026,
0:56and you have a choice to make right now.
0:58[music]
0:59You can let the next year be exactly
1:01like the last one, filled with good
1:02intentions that never turned into
1:04action,
1:05promises you made to yourself that you
1:07broke by noon, and that heavy sinking
1:10feeling in your gut that you were meant
1:12for more, but you just can't seem to
1:14reach it.
1:15Or you can decide that today is the day
1:17the old you dies.
1:19You can decide to become unrecognizable,
1:22but I need to tell you the truth first.
1:25And this truth is going to offend you.
1:28It might make you want to turn this off.
1:30But if you stay,
1:31it might just save your life.
1:33Here it is.
1:34Nobody is coming to save you.
1:37>> [music]
1:37>> Nobody is coming. No one is going to
1:39wake you up early. No one is going to
1:42slap the junk food out of your hand.
1:43[music]
1:44No one is going to force you to read
1:45that book or write that business plan.
1:47Your boss doesn't care if you fulfill
1:49your potential, the economy doesn't care
1:51if you succeed, and the world [music] is
1:53too busy with its own chaos to worry
1:54about your dreams. Most people spend
1:57their entire lives waiting, waiting for
2:00the right time, waiting for support,
2:03waiting for a feeling of motivation that
2:05they think will magically carry them to
2:07the [music] finish line. But motivation
2:09is a lie.
2:10It is a fairy tale for amateurs.
2:12Motivation is unreliable.
2:15It disappears when you are tired,
2:17when it's cold outside, or when your
2:19heart is broken. If you are waiting for
2:21someone to give you permission to be
2:22great, you will be waiting until they
2:24put you in the ground. You have to save
2:27yourself.
2:28You have to be the one who looks at the
2:29mess of your life and says, "Enough."
2:32So, how do we do it?
2:34How do we take a life
2:35>> [music]
2:36>> that feels stuck,
2:37or maybe just okay, and turn it into a
2:39masterpiece by 2026?
2:42We do not do it by trying to change
2:44everything overnight. That is the trap.
2:47>> [music]
2:47>> That is why you failed in January and
2:49February and every Monday you swore
2:51would be different. You try to climb the
2:53whole mountain in one leap, you get
2:55exhausted, you crash, and you quit. The
2:57secret, the absolute secret to
3:00transforming your life is not speed. It
3:03is not [music] intensity.
3:04It is consistency.
3:06It is the philosophy of the 1%. In that
3:09first [music] hour, you must feed your
3:11mind.
3:12You cannot live on mental candy and
3:14expect to build a strong life.
3:17You need to nourish your brain with
3:19ideas, with wisdom, with strength.
3:22Read 10 pages of something that
3:24challenges you.
3:25Journal your thoughts to get the chaos
3:27out of your head.
3:28Sit in silence
3:30and actually think. Most people don't
3:32think, they just react. They run on
3:34autopilot. But you you were going to
3:36pause. You were going to visualize who
3:39you want to be.
3:41You were going to ask yourself, "What
3:43good shall I do this day?" This morning
3:45routine,
3:47it isn't just a checklist, it is a
3:49ritual of self-respect.
3:51It is you looking in the mirror and
3:53saying, "I value my future more than my
3:55sleep." When you win the morning, you
3:58walk into the world with armor. The
4:00traffic doesn't bother you as much, the
4:02rude co-worker doesn't derail you. You
4:05are centered, you are grounded, you are
4:08in control, and that is the first 1%,
4:11but it goes deeper
4:13than just when you wake up.
4:15We have to talk about the voice in your
4:16head,
4:18>> [music]
4:18>> the internal dialogue, because you talk
4:20to yourself more than you talk to anyone
4:22else in the world.
4:24And frankly, some of you are saying
4:25things to yourselves [music] that you
4:26would never say to your worst enemy.
4:28"I'm so lazy. I always mess this up.
4:31I'll never have enough money."
4:33You have to kill that negative thinking.
4:35You have to understand that your mind is
4:37a garden.
4:38If you stand [music] guard at the door
4:40of your mind, you can choose what
4:42enters.
4:43But if you leave the gate open,
4:45the weeds will take over. The weeds of
4:48doubt,
4:49the weeds of fear,
4:51the weeds of I can't. You don't have to
4:53try to grow weeds,
4:55they grow automatically
4:56if you don't plant flowers. Negativity
4:59is automatic. Positivity is a
5:01discipline. Every morning,
5:04you need to declare war on your old
5:06identity.
5:07You need to look at yourself and state
5:0810 powerful things [music] to rewrite
5:10your software.
5:11Tell yourself, "I am responsible for my
5:14own life and happiness.
5:16Stop blaming the economy.
5:18Stop blaming your parents. Stop blaming
5:20the weather.
5:22Responsibility is not a burden.
5:24It is a privilege. It means you are the
5:27architect, not the victim.
5:29Tell yourself, "My past does not define
5:31my future." I don't care how many times
5:33you have failed before. I don't care if
5:35you have started a hundred diets and
5:37quit every one. I don't care if you're
5:39broke right now. Your biography is not
5:42your destiny unless you choose to live
5:44in the rearview mirror, unless you
5:45decide to stay chained to a version of
5:47you that doesn't exist anymore. Today is
5:49a fresh canvas.
5:51Paint something new. This requires a
5:54level of honesty
5:55that most people are terrified of.
5:58You have to stop negotiating
6:00with your weakness.
6:02You know that voice, the one that
6:04whispers, "You've worked [music] hard.
6:06You deserve a break."
6:07when you haven't actually finished the
6:09job. The voice that says, "One donut
6:12won't hurt.
6:13One missed [music] workout doesn't
6:15matter."
6:16That voice is a liar. It is trying to
6:18keep you safe, small, and comfortable.
6:21But comfort is the enemy of greatness.
6:24Every time you listen to that voice, you
6:26vote for the old you. Every time you
6:29negotiate with your weakness and say,
6:31"I'll do it tomorrow."
6:32You are training yourself to [music] be
6:34a procrastinator. You are building the
6:36habit of quitting.
6:39And habits are like cables. We weave a
6:41thread of it every day,
6:43and at last, it becomes so strong we
6:45cannot break it. Or it becomes a
6:47lifeline that pulls us up. So, how do we
6:49fix this?
6:51We track our [music] actions, not our
6:53intentions.
6:54The world is full of people with good
6:57intentions.
6:58The graveyards are full of books that
7:00were never written
7:02and businesses that were never started
7:03by people who intended to do it. Stop
7:06judging yourself by what [music] you
7:07plan to do, and start judging yourself
7:10by what you actually did. Did you do the
7:12work today? Yes or no?
7:15Did you eat the healthy meal? Yes or no?
7:18Did you make the sales calls? Yes or no?
7:20There is no gray area. You either did it
7:23or you didn't. And if you didn't, don't
7:26wallow in guilt. Guilt is just another
7:28way to waste energy. Just admit it. Look
7:31in the mirror and say, "I didn't show up
7:33today, but I will not let that become a
7:36pattern." This is about building a new
7:38identity.
7:39You are not trying to run more, you are
7:42becoming a runner.
7:43>> [music]
7:43>> You are not trying to save money, you
7:46are becoming an investor. The goal isn't
7:48just to achieve a result, [music]
7:50the goal is to become the type of person
7:53who can achieve that result. And you do
7:55that by stacking small wins.
7:58When you choose the salad over the
8:00fries, that is a vote for the new you.
8:03When you keep your mouth shut instead of
8:05arguing,
8:06that is a vote for the new you. When you
8:08do the push-ups, when you are dead
8:11tired, that is a vote for the new you.
8:13These small wins create a ripple effect.
8:16They build confidence, not the fake
8:19confidence that comes from shouting
8:21affirmations in a mirror, but real
8:23confidence that comes from knowing you
8:25keep the promises you make to yourself.
8:27But be warned.
8:29As you start this journey of 1% [music]
8:31improvement,
8:33you will face resistance, not just from
8:35inside,
8:36but from outside. [music]
8:38You are going to have to make some hard
8:40decisions about the people around you.
8:42You cannot change the people around you,
8:45but you can change the people you are
8:47around. If you are serious [music] about
8:492026 being your year,
8:51you have to audit your circle.
8:53>> [music]
8:53>> Are the people around you fueling your
8:55fire,
8:56or are they pissing on it? There are
8:58people who drain your energy, who bring
9:00nothing but gossip, complaints,
9:03>> [music]
9:03>> and small thinking. They are comfortable
9:05in their mediocrity, and when they see
9:07you rising, when they see you waking up
9:09early and reading books and working on
9:11your goals, it makes them uncomfortable.
9:14It holds a mirror up to their own lack
9:16of discipline. So, they will try [music]
9:18to pull you back down.
9:20They will say, "You've changed."
9:22They will say, "Why are you working so
9:24hard? Come have a drink.
9:26Relax."
9:27And you have to be strong [music] enough
9:28to say, "Yes, I have changed,
9:32and I am not done changing."
9:34You have to be willing to walk alone for
9:36a while
9:37if [music] that's what it takes.
9:39Because it is better to walk alone in
9:40the right direction than to follow the
9:42herd walking off a cliff. Nobody cares
9:45about [music] your dreams as much as you
9:46do. Stop waiting for their approval.
9:49Stop waiting for them to clap. Work hard
9:52in silence, and let your success make
9:55the noise.
9:56You don't [music] need to announce your
9:57big plans on social media. You don't
9:59need to tell everyone what you're going
10:01to do. Just do it.
10:03The results will speak for themselves.
10:05And while you are doing this work, while
10:08you are grinding in the silence, you
10:11must master your focus. We live in an
10:13age of mass distraction. [music]
10:16Your phone is a weapon of mass
10:18distraction. It is designed to steal
10:20your attention,
10:22to monetize your eyeballs, to keep you
10:24addicted to the dopamine of the scroll.
10:27Stop scrolling and do one useful thing.
10:30Every time you pick up that phone to
10:32check a notification that doesn't
10:33matter,
10:34you are stepping off the path of the 1%.
10:37You are trading your unique limited time
10:39on this earth for a video of a cat or a
10:42picture of someone else's vacation. Is
10:44that what your life is worth?
10:46You need to learn to be bored. You need
10:49to learn to sit with a problem until you
10:51solve it. You need to learn deep work.
10:54Focus is the new IQ. The person who can
10:57sit in a room for an hour and do one
10:59thing without getting distracted is
11:00dangerous. They are the ones who will
11:02own the future. But let's get back to
11:05the body.
11:06Because you cannot have a million-dollar
11:08dream with a minimum wage energy.
11:11You have to move. Even if your energy
11:13feels low, you move. Motion
11:16>> [music]
11:16>> creates emotion.
11:18You don't wait until you feel like
11:20working out. You work out and then you
11:21feel like it. You don't wait for the
11:23energy to come, you generate it. When
11:26you are tired, when you want to quit,
11:29that is when the real training begins.
11:31Doing it when it's easy is nothing.
11:34Everyone does it when it's easy. But
11:36doing it when your body aches, when your
11:38mind is foggy,
11:40when the weather is bad, that is when
11:42you are building the callus on your mind
11:45that David Goggins talks about. That is
11:47when you are separating yourself from
11:49the 99%
11:51treat your body
11:53like the only vehicle you will ever have
11:56because it is. You wouldn't pour sand
11:58into the gas [music] tank of a Ferrari.
12:01So why do you pour junk into your system
12:03and expect high performance? Eat right
12:05when your body wants to quit.
12:07Fuel yourself for the war you are
12:09fighting. And remember, this journey,
12:13it is not a straight line. You are going
12:15to have bad days. You are going to
12:17stumble. You are going to have days
12:20where you feel like you are going
12:21backwards. But the only way to fail is
12:23to quit. Most people quit right before
12:26the breakthrough. They embrace the
12:27struggle for a week, maybe a month, but
12:30when they don't see the bamboo growing
12:32above the ground, they stop watering it.
12:34They don't realize that for [music] 5
12:36years
12:37that bamboo is growing roots.
12:39>> [snorts]
12:40>> It is building a foundation strong
12:42enough to hold the height that is
12:44coming. You are in the root building
12:46phase. You are building the character
12:48that can sustain the success you are
12:50asking [music] for. If you got the
12:52million dollars today without the
12:54discipline to keep it, it would destroy
12:57you. If you got the success today
12:59without the character to handle the
13:01pressure, it would crush you. So turn
13:03your obstacles into opportunities.
13:06When something goes wrong, don't say why
13:09me.
13:10Say what is this trying to teach me?
13:12Use the pain.
13:13Use the rejection.
13:15Use the doubt.
13:17Let it be the fuel that burns in your
13:18engine. You have to decide [music] right
13:21now
13:22that you are building something
13:23meaningful, that you are not just a leaf
13:25blowing in the wind,
13:27but a force of nature.
13:29You are building a legacy. And legacy is
13:31not built in a day, it is built brick by
13:34brick. Think of a bricklayer.
13:37He doesn't worry about the whole wall.
13:39He worries about laying this one brick
13:41as perfectly as a brick can be laid.
13:43That is your job today.
13:46Lay one brick. Read the pages. Do the
13:49workout. Make the call.
13:52Be kind to your spouse. Lay the brick.
13:55And then do it again tomorrow. But here
13:57is where it gets truly difficult. Here
13:59is the trap that catches almost
14:01everyone. It is the negotiation. It is
14:04the moment when things get hard and you
14:06start to make deals with yourself. You
14:08start to rationalize. I've been good all
14:11week. I can skip today. Nobody is
14:13watching. It doesn't matter. You have to
14:16stop negotiating with your weakness. You
14:18have to kill the part of you that wants
14:20to settle. There is a version of you
14:22inside that is elite. A version of you
14:25that is capable of things you haven't
14:26even let yourself dream of yet. But that
14:29version is locked behind a door that
14:31only discipline can open. Discipline is
14:34the bridge between goals and
14:35accomplishments.
14:36It is the master key.
14:38And discipline is not a punishment. It
14:40is a gift you give to your future self.
14:43It is loving yourself enough to say no
14:44to the immediate pleasure so you can say
14:47yes to the ultimate reward. Imagine
14:49yourself in December 2026.
14:52Truly imagine it. You are standing
14:55looking in that same mirror, but the
14:57reflection is different.
14:59The eyes are sharper, the posture is
15:01stronger, the bank account is healthier,
15:04the relationships are deeper.
15:06You look at that person and you feel a
15:08surge of pride, not regret. You feel the
15:10satisfaction of a promise kept.
15:13That person is waiting for you, but they
15:15are not going to wait forever.
15:17You have to start now, not Monday, not
15:21January 1st, now. The clock is ticking
15:25and it never ticks backward. Every
15:27second you spend hesitating is a second
15:29of your life you are never getting back.
15:321 hour a day can change your life.
15:351 hour of studying,
15:371 hour of working on your side hustle,
15:401 hour of exercise.
15:42If you just dedicated 1 hour a day to
15:44your own growth, that is 365 hours a
15:47year.
15:48That is nine 40-hour work weeks invested
15:50in you.
15:51Do you think that wouldn't change your
15:53life? Of course it would.
15:55But you have to be willing to be bored.
15:57You have to be willing to do the unsexy
15:59work.
16:01The work that nobody claps for. You have
16:03to fall in love with the process,
16:06not just the prize.
16:08Because life is not a destination.
16:10It is a journey. And if you are always
16:13waiting for the destination to be happy,
16:15you will spend your whole life
16:17miserable. You have to find the joy in
16:19the 1%. The joy in the struggle, the joy
16:23in the sweat, the joy in the silence of
16:25the early morning when you are the only
16:27one awake grinding for a dream that only
16:29you can see. You need to develop the no
16:32excuses [music] mentality.
16:34I'm too tired.
16:36No excuse. I don't have time. No excuse.
16:40I'm not smart enough. No excuse. Excuses
16:43are the nails used to build a house of
16:45failure. You are not too tired. You are
16:48uninspired. You are not out of time. You
16:51are distracted. You are not
16:53unintelligent. You are lazy with your
16:55learning. Change your language. Stop
16:57saying I can't and start saying [music]
17:00how can I?
17:01Stop focusing on the problem and start
17:04obsessing over the solution. Your mind
17:06will find what it looks for.
17:08If you look for reasons to quit, you
17:10will find a million of them. If you look
17:12for a way to win, you will find it. This
17:15is a daily battle. You don't win it once
17:18and stay a winner forever.
17:20You have to win it today. And then you
17:22have to wake up and win it again
17:24tomorrow. And as you improve, as [music]
17:26you start to stack these 1% wins,
17:28something magical happens. The
17:31compounding effect kicks in.
17:33At first you don't see anything. It's
17:35like the ice cube sitting in a room at
17:3825°.
17:40You heat it up to 26,
17:42nothing.
17:4327, nothing.
17:4528, nothing.
17:48You might feel like you are working for
17:50nothing.
17:51But then you hit 32°.
17:54And the ice begins [music] to melt. The
17:56work you were doing when you don't see
17:57results is not wasted.
18:00It is being stored.
18:02It is building the thermal energy
18:04for the breakthrough. So don't you dare
18:07quit.
18:08Don't you dare look at the lack of
18:09immediate results and tell yourself it
18:11isn't working. It is working. You are
18:14building the roots. You are sharpening
18:16the axe. You are becoming. But you have
18:19to be vigilant.
18:21>> [music]
18:21>> You have to watch your attitude.
18:23Your attitude is the sail of your ship.
18:26The same wind blows on us all.
18:28The wind of disaster, the wind of
18:30opportunity, the wind of change, the
18:33economic wind,
18:34the political wind. It blows on the rich
18:37and the poor alike. The difference is
18:39not the blowing of the wind,
18:41but the setting of the sail. You cannot
18:43control the wind,
18:45but you can control your sail. You can
18:47control your response.
18:50When life knocks you down, and it will
18:51knock you down, you have to control your
18:53response.
18:55Do you stay down and play the victim? Or
18:57do you get up, dust yourself off, and
18:58say, is that all you got? And that
19:00question,
19:02is that all you got?
19:04It changes the dynamic of the fight
19:06immediately. It shifts you from a victim
19:09into a warrior.
19:11Because here is the fundamental truth
19:12that you need to burn into your brain if
19:14you want to survive the storm that is
19:16coming. Between every stimulus and every
19:18response,
19:20there is a space. And in that space
19:23lies your freedom.
19:25In that space lies your power to choose.
19:29How Most people live their lives on
19:31autopilot.
19:33Something bad [music] happens. The car
19:35breaks down. The client cancels. The
19:37criticism comes. [music] And boom, they
19:40react. They explode. They crumble. Or
19:43they complain. They are slaves to their
19:45emotions.
19:47But if you want to be in the top [music]
19:481% by 2026, you must learn to pause in
19:51that space.
19:52You must learn to look at the chaos and
19:54ask yourself, "How do I want to respond
19:56to this? What response will serve my
19:58future self, not just my present
20:00feelings?" You cannot control the
20:02weather.
20:04You cannot control the economy.
20:06And you certainly cannot control other
20:07people, but you can control the sail.
20:11You can control your attitude. [music]
20:12And let's be honest about the people
20:14around you, because this is where many
20:17of you are losing the war. You were
20:19trying to build a skyscraper on a
20:21foundation of quicksand because you were
20:23surrounded by people who are comfortable
20:25in the basement. There comes a time in
20:27your life when you have to make a
20:28decision
20:30not just about what you want to do,
20:32but about who you allow to be around
20:34you. Your energy is your most valuable
20:36currency.
20:37And you have people in your life right
20:39now who are draining it. People who
20:41bring nothing but gossip, complaints,
20:44and small thinking. They are energy
20:46vampires.
20:48And if you let them stay, you will never
20:50reach your full potential. You might
20:52think you are being loyal,
20:54but loyalty to a toxic past is treason
20:57to your future. You have to be ruthless
20:59about your circle.
21:01Ask yourself, "Are these people pushing
21:03me forward, or are they holding me back?
21:06Are they fueling my fire, or are they
21:09pissing on it? If they are draining you,
21:12if they are making you doubt your own
21:13ambition,
21:14you have to love them from a distance.
21:17You have to protect your peace like your
21:19life depends on it, because it does. You
21:22cannot change the people around you, but
21:24you can change the people you are
21:25around.
21:27And while you are auditing your circle,
21:29you need to audit your mouth.
21:32We talk so much [music] about the grind
21:33and the hustle,
21:35but we rarely talk about the art of
21:36connection,
21:37>> [music]
21:37>> the art of communication. You can be the
21:40smartest person in the room.
21:41You can have the best ideas. You can
21:44work the hardest, but if you cannot
21:46express your value,
21:47you will be ignored. Communication is
21:50the bridge between who you are and what
21:51the world sees.
21:53And most of us, we are terrible [music]
21:55at it.
21:56We talk, but we don't connect. We hear,
21:59but we don't listen. If you want to
22:01improve yourself 1% every day,
22:04you must become a master of the spoken
22:06word
22:07and the silent [music] connection. It
22:09starts with active listening.
22:11Most people do not listen to understand.
22:13[music]
22:14They listen to reply. They are just
22:16waiting for their turn to speak,
22:18planning their next sentence while you
22:20are pouring your heart out.
22:22Stop it.
22:24Be present.
22:26When someone is talking to you, give
22:28them the gift of your full attention.
22:30Put the phone away. Look them in the
22:32eye.
22:33Eye contact is not just about being
22:35polite, it is about courage. It is about
22:38saying, "I see you, and I am here with
22:41you."
22:42When [music] you avoid eye contact, you
22:44create a barrier.
22:46You signal insecurity or disinterest.
22:48But when you hold that gaze, you build
22:50trust instantly. You become memorable,
22:54not because of what you said, but
22:56because of how you made them feel.
22:58And when [music] you do speak,
23:00think before you open your mouth.
23:02We live in a world of noise,
23:05where everyone is rushing to have an
23:06opinion. Be the person who pauses.
23:10Be the person [music] who chooses their
23:11words carefully. Use simple words to
23:14express complex ideas.
23:16You don't need to [music] sound smart,
23:18you need to be clear. Clarity
23:21is power. If you confuse people, you
23:24lose people. The most powerful
23:26communicators are those who can take a
23:28difficult concept and make it
23:30understandable to anyone. This is a
23:32skill you can practice every single day.
23:35Record yourself speaking.
23:37Listen to your voice.
23:39It's uncomfortable, yes. Hearing your
23:41own voice is always a shock,
23:44but it is the only way to hear what the
23:45world hears. Fix the ums. Fix the ahs.
23:49Fix the speed. Polish your communication
23:52until your words land with the weight of
23:54a hammer. But all this external work,
23:57the communication, the relationships, it
24:00means nothing if you are broken on
24:02[music] the inside.
24:03We have to talk about the messy middle.
24:06You see, starting is easy. Everyone is
24:09excited on day one.
24:11Everyone posts on social media when they
24:13start the diet or launch the business.
24:15But what happens on day 17? What happens
24:18on day 45? When the excitement has
24:20faded, when the results aren't showing,
24:22and you are tired, that is when most
24:24people quit. They quit right before the
24:27breakthrough. You have to understand the
24:29philosophy of the Chinese bamboo tree.
24:31You plant the seed. You water it.
24:34You fertilize it. And for 1 year, you
24:38see nothing.
24:39No growth.
24:41Zero.
24:42You water it for a second year.
24:44Nothing.
24:46Third year, nothing.
24:48Fourth year, nothing.
24:51People will walk by and laugh at you.
24:53They will say, "You are wasting your
24:55time. Nothing is happening." But you
24:58[music] keep watering. You keep
25:00believing. And then in the fifth year,
25:03within a period of 6 weeks, that tree
25:05grows 80 ft tall. Now, the question is,
25:08did it grow 80 ft in 6 weeks, or did it
25:11grow 80 ft in 5 years? It grew in 5
25:13years, because if you had stopped
25:15watering it at any point during those
25:18quiet years, it would have died in the
25:19ground. You are in your watering phase
25:22right now. You are building the root
25:24system. You cannot see the results yet,
25:26but they are happening underground. Do
25:29not let the lack of visible progress
25:31fool you into thinking you are failing.
25:32Guy didn't do that. This is why you must
25:34measure your progress, not your
25:36perfection. If you measure yourself
25:39against perfection,
25:40you will [music] always lose. You will
25:42always feel inadequate.
25:45But if you measure yourself against who
25:46you were yesterday, you will see the
25:48growth. Did you show up today?
25:51Did you lay one brick? Then you are
25:54winning. Small wins create a ripple
25:56effect.
25:57They build a fire of belief in your
25:59belly. Celebrate the journey, not just
26:02the destination.
26:04If you only celebrate the finish line,
26:06you will be miserable for 99% of your
26:08life. Find joy in the sweat. Find joy in
26:12the struggle.
26:13Find joy in the fact that you are
26:15becoming someone who does not quit.
26:17[music] And while you are in this
26:18struggle,
26:19you must stop waiting
26:21for support.
26:23This is a cold, hard truth. Nobody is
26:26coming to save you. Nobody cares about
26:29your dreams as much as you do. Stop
26:31waiting for your friends to clap. Stop
26:34waiting for your family to understand.
26:36They might never understand, [music] and
26:38that is okay. Your vision was given to
26:41you, not to them.
26:43You have to be your own biggest fan. You
26:46have to believe in yourself when the
26:47room is empty and the lights are off.
26:50Work hard in silence.
26:52We live in a look-at-me culture.
26:54Everyone wants to announce their moves.
26:57"I'm going to do this. I'm planning
26:59that." Stop talking. Talking drains the
27:03energy that should be used for doing.
27:05Let your success speak for itself.
27:08>> [music]
27:08>> The most dangerous person in the room is
27:10the one who listens, observes, and works
27:12in the shadows. When they finally step
27:14[music] into the light, their results
27:16are so undeniable that no one can
27:18question them. Be that person. Build a
27:21fortress of competence so strong that
27:23you don't need to brag. But to sustain
27:25this, to keep going when nobody is
27:28watching, you need to fuel the engine.
27:31We talked about the mind,
27:34but we must talk about the body.
27:36You cannot have a million-dollar
27:37ambition
27:39with a 10-cent body. Your physical
27:41health is the foundation of everything.
27:43If your energy is low, your decisions
27:45will be weak. If your body is sluggish,
27:48your mind will be foggy. You need to
27:50look in the mirror and tell the truth.
27:54Not the version of the truth that makes
27:55you feel good,
27:57the raw, naked truth.
28:00I have been lazy. I have been making
28:03excuses.
28:05I have been playing small. Admit it. Own
28:08it.
28:09There is power in confession,
28:11because once you admit where you are,
28:13you can chart a course to where you want
28:15to go.
28:16The Stop pretending you are doing your
28:18best [music] if you are not. Stop
28:20pretending you are busy when you are
28:22just distracted. The mirror doesn't lie,
28:25and neither should you. You must
28:27reconstruct your identity.
28:29You have to stop saying, "I am trying to
28:31quit smoking," and start saying, "I am
28:34not a smoker." You have to stop saying,
28:36"I am trying to run," and start saying,
28:37"I am a runner."
28:39Identity drives behavior. You act
28:42according to who you believe you are.
28:44If you believe you are a procrastinator,
28:46you will find a way to delay. If you
28:48believe you are a champion, you will
28:51find a way to win. You must talk to
28:53yourself like [music] a winner. "I am
28:55the best. I can do anything. My future
28:58is bright." These aren't just
29:00affirmations, they are commands to your
29:02nervous system. You are programming your
29:04biocomputer. If you put garbage in, you
29:07get garbage out. But if you put in
29:09power, conviction, and belief, you will
29:11produce results that shock the world.
29:13And let's talk about the no excuses
29:15mentality. [music]
29:17Because excuses are the nails used to
29:19build a house of failure. "I'm too old.
29:22I'm too young.
29:24I don't have the money. I don't have the
29:26time." Lies. All of them.
29:30You have the same amount of time as the
29:32greatest people in history. It's not
29:34about time.
29:36It's about priority.
29:38It's not about resources, it's about
29:40resourcefulness.
29:41When you argue for your limitations,
29:44you get to keep them. Do you want to
29:46keep your limitations,
29:48>> [music]
29:48>> or do you want to break them? Turn your
29:50obstacles into opportunities.
29:53When a wall appears in your path, most
29:55people turn around, but you
29:58you are going to look at that wall and
30:00say
30:01good this wall is here to test how bad I
30:04want it.
30:05The obstacle is the way, the struggle is
30:07the gym where your character is built.
30:10Don't wish for fewer problems, wish for
30:12more skills. Don't wish it was easier.
30:15Wish you were better.
30:17You have to decide
30:19right now
30:21that you are [music] going to win.
30:22Not hope to win.
30:24Not try to win.
30:26Decide.
30:27The word decision comes from the Latin
30:29root decidere, which means to cut off.
30:32When you make a real decision, you cut
30:34off every other option. You cut off the
30:37option to quit.
30:39You cut off the option to fail. You burn
30:41the boats.
30:43You are going to take the island or you
30:45are going to die trying. And when you
30:47have that level of resolve
30:49the universe gets out of your way.
30:52You So, here is the plan
30:54for the next 7 days.
30:56We are going to build a streak, a streak
30:58of discipline.
31:00For 7 days, you are going to show up for
31:02yourself without fail. You are going to
31:05do the things you said you would do. You
31:07are going to wake up when the alarm
31:09rings. No snooze. You are going to move
31:12your body. You are going to eat for
31:14fuel. You are going to block out 1 hour
31:17for deep work. You are going to speak
31:19kindly to yourself.
31:21Just 7 days. Why 7 days? Because you
31:24need to prove to yourself that you can
31:26do it. You need to taste the victory.
31:29Once you get a taste of what it feels
31:31[music] like to be in control, to be
31:32disciplined, to be on fire, you will
31:35never want to go back to the old you.
31:37You will become addicted to progress and
31:40that is a healthy addiction.
31:42But be warned, the old you will fight
31:44back. Your old habits [music]
31:46will try to sneak in the back door. Your
31:49old friends might try to pull you down.
31:52The voice of mediocrity will whisper
31:54just take a break, you've done enough.
31:56Do not listen. That voice is a liar.
31:59That voice wants to keep you safe, small
32:01and insignificant. You are not built for
32:03safe. You are built for great.
32:06You need to develop a non-negotiable
32:08night routine. [music]
32:10How you end the day determines how you
32:11start the next one. Don't just crash
32:14into sleep with your phone in your hand.
32:16>> [music]
32:16>> Power down.
32:18Reflect on the day. Ask yourself what
32:21did I learn? What did I accomplish? What
32:24can I do better [music] tomorrow?
32:26Plan your next day before you sleep. Lay
32:29out your clothes.
32:30Write down your top three priorities.
32:33When you wake up, you don't want to be
32:34thinking, you want to be executing. This
32:37is about living intentionally. It is
32:39about taking the pen out of the hand of
32:40circumstance and writing your own story.
32:44It is about realizing that life is
32:45precious and fragile. We think we have
32:48time
32:49but we don't. We are running out of time
32:51every single second. Don't waste another
32:54moment being unhappy being unfulfilled
32:58being less than you were created to be.
33:00You were born to do great things.
33:02Do you feel that pull in your gut? That
33:05restlessness?
33:07That is your potential
33:08demanding to be released. Do not let it
33:11die inside you.
33:14The graveyard is the richest place on
33:16earth filled with books never written
33:19businesses never started, inventions
33:21never created. Don't add to that wealth.
33:24Die empty.
33:25Give everything you have while you are
33:27here. Imagine yourself at the end of
33:292026.
33:31You are standing on the mountain top of
33:33your year. You look back at the valley
33:35you climbed.
33:36You see the early mornings. You see the
33:38sacrifices.
33:40You see the moment you wanted to quit
33:42but didn't. And you smile because you
33:44know you didn't leave anything on the
33:46table. You gave it your all. You
33:48improved 1% every day and now you are
33:52unrecognizable.
33:53But that future, it doesn't exist yet.
33:56It is just a dream. To make it real, you
34:00have to act. You have to start. Not
34:02Monday, not tomorrow, now. So, I ask you
34:06again
34:08when you look in the mirror
34:10are you ready to tell the truth?
34:12Are you ready to kill the excuses?
34:14Are you ready to do the hard things in
34:16the dark so you can shine in the light?
34:18The clock is ticking, the world is
34:19moving.
34:21The 1% are working. Are you with them?
34:24It's time to get to work.
34:26But the work doesn't stop with your
34:27attitude.
34:29And [music] it doesn't stop with your
34:30body. We have to talk about your
34:32environment. Look around you right now.
34:34Look at your room, your desk, your car.
34:38What do you see? Is it order or is it
34:40chaos?
34:41You cannot expect to have a clear,
34:43focused, million-dollar mind while
34:45living in a cluttered, chaotic, $10
34:46environment. Your external world is a
34:48direct reflection of your internal
34:50state. If your room is messy your mind
34:53is messy.
34:54If your car is filled with trash
34:57your discipline is trash. It sounds
35:00harsh but it is the truth.
35:02You are tolerating disorder. And when
35:05you tolerate disorder in your physical
35:07space
35:08you are training your brain to tolerate
35:10disorder in your life.
35:12You are telling your subconscious that
35:13you are not worth the effort of
35:15organization. So, part of your 1%
35:18improvement today is simple.
35:21Clean your space.
35:22Before you try to fix your entire life,
35:24fix your bed.
35:26Organize your drawer.
35:28Throw away the receipts that have been
35:29sitting in your cup holder for 3 months.
35:32When you bring order to your
35:33environment, you bring peace to your
35:35mind. You create a vacuum for success to
35:37enter.
35:39You cannot build a skyscraper on a pile
35:41of rubble. Clear the debris. This act It
35:44is an act of dominion. It is you saying
35:46I am in control of my space. And that
35:49feeling of control will bleed into your
35:51work, your relationships and your
35:53habits.
35:54>> [music]
35:54>> And once you have cleared the physical
35:55clutter
35:57you must clear the mental clutter by
35:58becoming a student a relentless,
36:01obsessive student
36:03of life.
36:04Most people stop learning the day they
36:06leave school. They think education is a
36:08period of life. But successful people
36:11know that [music] education is a way of
36:12life. Formal education will make you a
36:14living. Self-education will make you you
36:17a fortune. You need to build a library.
36:19And I don't just mean a stack of books
36:21[music] that look good on a shelf or a
36:22Zoom background. I mean a library of
36:25wisdom that you actually consume. You
36:28need to feed your mind.
36:30We talked about feeding the body, but
36:32what are you feeding your brain? Are you
36:34living on mental candy?
36:36Are you feeding your mind gossip,
36:38clickbait and reality TV? If you feed
36:41your body junk, you get sick.
36:43If you feed your mind junk, your life
36:45gets sick. You need to read.
36:47And don't just read the things that
36:49agree with you. That is a trap
36:51that makes you weak.
36:53Read history. Read philosophy.
36:56Read the arguments for and against.
36:59Read about the lives of great men and
37:00women, both the good kings and the
37:02[music] bad kings.
37:04So, you can learn what to emulate and
37:05what to destroy in yourself. Don't be a
37:07follower. Be a student. Read the books
37:10[music] and make up your own mind. Make
37:12sure that what you finally do is the
37:14product of your own conclusion,
37:16>> [music]
37:16>> not just something you heard on a
37:17podcast and blindly accepted. 1 hour a
37:20day.
37:21That is the formula.
37:23If you invested just 1 hour a day in
37:26learning a high-value skill
37:28in reading about your industry
37:30in studying human psychology
37:32in 1 year, that is 365 hours. That is
37:36nine full-time work weeks of extra
37:39education.
37:40Do you think that wouldn't [music]
37:41separate you from the pack? While they
37:43are watching the game you are studying
37:45the game. While they are scrolling, you
37:48are growing. Knowledge is the one asset
37:51that can never be taken away from you.
37:53You can lose your job. You can lose your
37:54money. The economy can crash.
37:57But no one can take away what you know
37:59and who you have become. But all this
38:01input
38:03all this reading and learning it
38:05requires space to process. [music]
38:07And this brings us to a lost art in our
38:10modern world, solitude. You need to
38:12learn to be alone. [music]
38:14We are terrified of silence.
38:17We fill every second with noise.
38:19Podcasts, music, scrolling.
38:22Because we are afraid of what we might
38:24hear if the noise stops. We are afraid
38:26of our own thoughts.
38:28But you cannot grow in the noise.
38:30You grow in the [music] silence.
38:32Albert Einstein
38:34Leonardo da Vinci the greatest minds in
38:36history
38:37understood the power of solitude.
38:38[music]
38:39Da Vinci said that if you are alone, you
38:42belong entirely to yourself. But if you
38:44are accompanied by even one companion
38:47you belong only half to yourself.
38:48[music]
38:49In the early morning
38:51before the chaos starts
38:53or late at night when the world is
38:54asleep
38:56find that [music] pocket of silence.
38:58Sit with your thoughts.
38:59Ask yourself the hard questions. Am I
39:02happy?
39:03Is this the path I want?
39:05What am I avoiding?
39:07The answers are there
39:09but they speak in a whisper.
39:11You can't hear the whisper if the TV is
39:13on.
39:14You need to disconnect [music] to
39:15reconnect. Solitude is where you find
39:18your vision.
39:19It is where you find your why. And
39:22without a why, you will not survive the
39:24how. And in that silence, you need a
39:27tool
39:28a tool to [music] capture the chaos
39:31and turn it into order.
39:33You need to write.
39:35You need to journal.
39:36I don't mean writing dear diary, today
39:38was nice.
39:39I I writing to solve problems.
39:42I mean getting the poison out of your
39:43head
39:45and onto the paper. When you keep your
39:47worries in your head, they loop. They
39:50grow. They become monsters in the dark.
39:53But when you write them down, you trap
39:55them. You make them small. You can look
39:58at them objectively and say, "Is this
40:00really a problem or am I just afraid?"
40:02Journaling is not just for writers, it
40:05is for warriors. It is how you track
40:07your life. A life worth living is a life
40:10worth recording. If you don't record
40:12your life, the lessons vanish. You make
40:14the same mistakes [music] in 2026 that
40:16you made in 2024 because you forgot the
40:18lesson. Write down your wins so you can
40:21remember you are capable. Write down
40:23your losses so you don't repeat them.
40:25Write down your goals so they become
40:27real. Clarity on paper becomes focus in
40:31action.
40:32Now, let's talk about a 1% improvement
40:34that most people ignore until it's too
40:37late.
40:38Your finances.
40:39You cannot be free if you are a slave to
40:42debt.
40:43You cannot be focused on your purpose if
40:45you are stressed about paying the rent.
40:48Financial discipline is a spiritual
40:50discipline.
40:51It is about self-control. The rule is
40:54simple, yet almost no one follows it.
40:57Spend less than you earn and invest the
40:59[music] rest. It sounds boring, doesn't
41:01it?
41:02It's not sexy,
41:04but it is the path to freedom. Every
41:06time you buy something you don't need
41:08with money you don't have to impress
41:10people you don't like, you are trading
41:12your future freedom for a moment of
41:14dopamine. Stop it. You have to look at
41:17your bank account
41:19with the same honesty you look in the
41:20mirror.
41:22Where is the leakage?
41:24Where are you being weak?
41:26Financial success [music]
41:28is not just about making more money.
41:30It is about keeping more of what you
41:32make. It requires the willingness to
41:34delay gratification, to say no to the
41:37shiny object today
41:39so you can say yes to choices tomorrow.
41:42Improve your finances 1% a day by
41:44tracking where your money goes, by
41:47saving that $1, by reading that one book
41:50on investing. [music]
41:51Money is a terrible master, but an
41:53excellent servant. You must master it or
41:56it will master you. And as you build
41:58these habits, the cleaning, the
41:59learning, the solitude, the saving, you
42:01must understand the most critical
42:02concept of all. You must work hard in
42:04silence. We live in a culture of noise.
42:08Everyone is broadcasting their moves.
42:11I'm grinding.
42:12I'm hustling.
42:14Watch me work.
42:15Stop announcing [music] your plans. Stop
42:17looking for applause for things you
42:19haven't even done yet. The most
42:21dangerous person in the room is the one
42:23who is quiet,
42:24the one who is observing, the one who is
42:26working while everyone else is talking.
42:28Work in the dark.
42:30Build in the shadows. Let your results
42:32make the noise. When you talk about your
42:35goals too much, your brain gets a
42:37premature hit of satisfaction. [music]
42:39It feels like you've already achieved
42:41it, so you lose the drive to actually do
42:43the work. Keep that energy contained.
42:46Let the pressure build. Use that
42:48pressure to propel you forward. Nobody
42:50cares about your story until you win. So
42:53win. Then you can tell the story. There
42:55will be days when you feel like nobody
42:57is watching
42:59and therefore it doesn't matter if you
43:00cut a corner. It doesn't matter if you
43:02skip [music] the last rep.
43:04It doesn't matter if you eat the junk
43:06food. Nobody will know,
43:08>> [music]
43:08>> but you will know.
43:10And that is the only opinion that
43:11matters. Character is what you do when
43:14the lights are off.
43:16Character is what you do when there is
43:17no Instagram story to document it. Every
43:20time you cheat yourself, you erode your
43:22own self-respect. You create a crack in
43:25your foundation.
43:27But every time you hold the line, every
43:28time you do the hard thing when nobody
43:30is looking,
43:31you build a fortress of self-belief. You
43:34walk [music] different
43:35when you know you aren't a fraud. You
43:37speak different
43:39when you know you have paid the price in
43:40the dark.
43:41>> [music]
43:41>> So here we are.
43:43The year 2026 is approaching.
43:46You have the tools. You understand the
43:48math of the 1%.
43:50You know that the morning is your
43:52battlefield, that your mind is a garden,
43:54that your circle is your destiny, but
43:57knowing is not enough.
43:59Knowing without doing is delusion. You
44:01can listen to this speech a thousand
44:03times. You can nod your head. You can
44:06feel inspired. [music]
44:07But if you turn this off and go back to
44:09your old habits,
44:11nothing changes. The magic is not in the
44:13information. The magic is in the
44:15execution. You have to make a decision.
44:19And I mean a real decision. The word
44:21decision comes from the Latin decidere,
44:24which means to cut off. It means you cut
44:27off any other possibility.
44:29You cut off the possibility of
44:31retreating. You cut off the possibility
44:33of staying the same.
44:35You burn the boats.
44:37You are taking the island or you are
44:39dying on the beach.
44:41There is no plan B.
44:43Plan B is just a distraction from plan
44:45A. Imagine your life as a canvas.
44:48Every morning,
44:50you wake up and you are handed a brush.
44:53The white space is today.
44:55What will you paint?
44:57Will you paint another day of excuses?
45:00Another day of I'll start tomorrow?
45:03Another day of mediocrity? Or will you
45:05paint a masterpiece of discipline, of
45:08love, of grit, of growth? The brush is
45:12in your hand.
45:13The paint is your choices.
45:15The canvas is your time.
45:18And time
45:19time is running out. We think we have
45:22forever,
45:23but we don't.
45:25We are dying from the moment we are
45:27born.
45:28The clock is ticking on your potential.
45:31Don't let your dreams die in the
45:32graveyard of someday. Stop negotiating
45:35with your weakness. Stop waiting for
45:37permission.
45:38Stop waiting for the perfect moment. It
45:41will never be perfect. Start messy.
45:44Start scared. Start broken. Just start.
45:48This is your life. It is not a dress
45:51rehearsal. You don't get a do-over.
45:53This is it. So as you step into 26,
45:56[music]
45:57I challenge you.
45:59Be the 1%. Be the person who does what
46:02others won't
46:03so you can live like others can't.
46:05Improve yourself. [music]
46:07Push yourself. Love yourself enough to
46:09demand the best from yourself. Look in
46:11the mirror one last time. That person
46:13staring back at you, that is your only
46:16competition. Beat him. Beat her. Outwork
46:19yesterday's version of you. Go make
46:21yourself unrecognizable. The world is
46:24waiting. Your future is waiting. Now,
46:27go.

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