Compounding Daily

EP149- You Don’t Need A Guru, You Need Initiative

• Miguel Sanchez

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Stop waiting for the calendar to save you. We explore how lasting change comes from choosing ownership over alibis and putting in the unpretty work of reflection, decisions, and consistent action. No gurus, no secret formulas—just a straight path that anyone with a phone, a library card, or a pair of headphones can walk.

I share the arc that took me from drifting to disciplined over eight years and why I refuse to sell it as a hack. We break down the power of studying people who left their lessons behind—biographies, long-form interviews, and classic books that compress decades of trial and error into hours you can apply today. If you’ve ever said “no time,” we challenge that story with practical options: audiobooks, YouTube recordings, and focused reading sprints that fit into real life.

Then we get tactical with a year-end self audit that replaces vague resolutions with clear commitments. What made this year rough? Where did I quit too soon? What would “better” look like in 90 days, and what behaviors prove it? We talk about designing frictions that make good choices easier, tracking small wins that build identity, and expecting reality to test your resolve the moment you commit. Progress is achievable, not easy—so shorten the plan when life hits, not the goal.

By the end, you’ll have a simple, repeatable approach: fewer excuses, better inputs, and daily consistency that quietly compounds. Let the ripple effect do its work as people notice the change and get curious. If the thought of wasting this one life makes you restless, that’s your compass. Start the audit, pick the next right action, and keep the promise. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs the nudge, and leave a review telling us the one habit you’re committing to next.

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SPEAKER_00:

Hello and welcome back everybody to Compounding Daily. I'm your host, Miguel Sanchez. Welcome to episode 149, a short solo episode today. I was planning on having a guest on today, but weather didn't allow it and uh lack of proper planning on my end didn't allow it either. So I'll take full responsibility for that. But with that being said, the goal remains the same. If you are new to the page, if you are new to the podcast, know that I'm not here to sell you anything. I'm not here to tell you to buy my ebook. I'm not here to tell you my secrets that changed my life. And if you want to know more, follow the link. There's none of that. Understand, I sit here with one goal and one goal only. To gain enough value from these conversations that allow me to reflect on my life and think about the consequences that I'm experiencing. I, at one point in my life, if you are not new to the page, then you know I always speak about this. But at one point in my life, I was the exact opposite of everything that I talk about. I was lazy, I didn't have ambitions, I didn't have goals, I was surrounded by the wrong crowd, having the wrong conversations, thinking the wrong thoughts, and year after year, I found myself dissatisfied with the person that I was becoming. And I had to change. And uh fast forward to going out on eight years, um change has happened and a lot of it positive. And for the people who haven't seen the journey, all they see is the healthy lifestyle, the discipline, the consistency, and they're like, Wow, look at what Miguel's become, or look at how this guy is. And I love to emphasize on the fact that I did nothing special. I did nothing crazy. I did nothing so far-fetched that anyone who has two capable feet and a decent mind can go and do themselves. And to some people, they may all I I've had friends even tell me, like, hey, well, don't devalue your your your story so much, Miguel. Like, I'm sure you had to do something amazing in order to become who you are. Well, to my individual self, yeah, I I I feel pretty amazed at what I've accomplished within my own life in the last seven or eight years in comparison to who I was at the beginning of the journey. But I also accept the fact that none of what I did is worth selling to anybody, none of what I did is worth, in my opinion, of course, and it's my experience, so of course, it's my opinion. It's not worth me selling a book about it. Instead, I can now say something that I feel very few people can say, and it is very simple. I am proud of the person that I am. When I look at my life, I am proud of the life that I am creating. When I think about my future, I am excited about the future in which I am creating. To me, that's worth more than so many other things. Because I know I don't have to look very far to find people who cannot say those things to me. And it bothers me, and it makes me a little sad if I'm being honest. Because uh, there's a quote I I heard many years ago, and it said, I'm butchering it, I'm sure, but it goes something like this uh the more self-aware you become, the sadder the world becomes to you. And now I stand here slightly a little bit more self-aware, and it saddens me to see people's potentials going a waste. It saddens me to see people that I care about stuck in a rut, not because life is against them, but because mentally they've created an anchor. It saddens me to see people speak about things like their dreams and a life, and as they're speaking about it, they speak about it as if it's never going to happen, as if they've already given up. And that's why I'm here today. That is why I share the things that I share, and I love the idea that one day, right? Because whether this podcast blows up or not, even though I'm certain it will, um whether it blows up or not matters little to me because what I'm leaving behind is an archive, what I'm leaving behind is a library, a library of conversations, and whether you find value in it or the next person find values in it, I know that there's value in it, period. And I hold that perspective because of how I got here. And ironically, this is exactly how we're gonna tie into today's topic. Um, the people, and you know this again, I'm not saying anything far-fetched, but the people who were here before us, some of them wrote down their journey, wrote down their story, and all you have to do as an individual is pick up one of these books, go down the rabbit hole of the internet and just study these people, read the value that they left behind, read the lessons, the things that basically this is how I interpret it, the things that say, hey, upon my journey, I made stupid decisions and I wrote about them, so you don't have to repeat them throughout your journey. And when I started reading these books, when I started looking down the rabbit hole and and and you know, allowing my curiosity to lead me down a path, I realized that I was that person who, because of my lack of effort and my lack of initiative, was repeating dumb decisions over time. Do yourself the service, understand that you, as an individual, have the responsibility to lead yourself to success, and you can go your whole life blaming the world and circumstances as to why you're not moving forward. But in today's world, that is so hard to do. If you are listening to this, chances are you have internet, you have a phone, you probably know me because the podcast hasn't blown up that much, but you understand what I'm saying. As you're listening to this, anything that you say to justify a lack of effort is an excuse in today's world. Oh, but I can't do that because of this. Okay, well, did you try another approach? There's always another route, there's always the option to quit, and there's always the option to keep moving forward. In the beginning of my journey, I caught myself quitting so much that eventually I'm just like, damn, is quitting all I know how to do? And something had to change. And then I just started going down a path that, in my own personal words, I was just very curious. I was in a place in my life where I was doubtful about the future, where I was discontent with the present, where I was angered with the past, and I just knew something needed to change, and I didn't know where to find answers. I didn't know where to go. So instead I started going where most people don't go in today's world. A library, pick up a book, you know, and I hate to sound so demonizing. Like I don't mean I don't mean to to make it sound so easy, but it is that easy. Oh, I don't have time to read. Oh, well, guess what? They we live in a world where they created an app called Audible. You don't have to use that app specifically because you could always go on YouTube. YouTube has books. Did you know that? Did you know you can go on YouTube and listen to a full-length Audible version of a book? In today's world, we don't have any reason as to why we can't become better. And here we sit as I record this, two weeks away from the beginning of a new year, and I know I'm going to see it. Man, that year was rough. I hope this one's better. Well, why was it rough? Why not look for the answers to that question? You just accept that it was difficult and then go into the new one, hoping that it doesn't repeat itself instead of doing the investigative work of why was it a rough year? What could have been done differently? What could I have done better? How can I show up different for this new upcoming year? It baffles me. And I don't know why it baffles me, because for 24 years of my life, that's exactly how I lived. Exactly how I lived. I just show up, bitch about the last year, and hope the new one is better and repeat over and over again. And it was difficult, right? Everything that I speak about, I always want to emphasize on the fact that all of it is achievable, none of it is easy. I'll say that again. All of it achievable, none of it easy. You can have all of it. Just accept the fact that it's going to be difficult and also accept the reality that we live in a world where chances are does statistically speaking, chances are you're more likely to be full of shit than actually have a good reason as to why you're not making progress. I have a smirk in my face because I love that sentence. That's just the facts. I know because even where I'm at here, eight years into my personal development journey, here in the oh, I've done a bodybuilding show and I'm doing jujitsu and I have the podcast and I'm a plumber and I just opened up my own business, etc. etc. etc. Here I am still getting rid of shit that I'm full of. All the excuses, all the negative thoughts, all the negative domestications that were instilled in me when I was a child. I'm a human being just like you are. I'm just a little bit more adamant about the fact that I'm not satisfied with where I am. And chances are, if you're listening to this, you're in the same position as I am. Because here's the thing about overachievers, here's the thing about people who who uh are always aiming, like I say, to earn that 1%. I I'd say this to my close friends when they're like, dude, you're you're doing that again or you're doing this again. I always say, yeah, I have a problem, man. And I always laugh, you know, because of how I say it. But I really do have a problem. And my problem is that I've done so much progress in my life that I can no longer sit still because in my mind, the idea of getting to the end of my life and knowing that I had all the time, all the resources, all the energy to make the best life that I could, and I didn't, doesn't allow me to sleep at night. That thought bothers me. The thought of reaching the end and thinking, like, man, I didn't do anything that I wanted, I just existed. And I don't care what religion you believe in, I don't care what God you believe in, nobody knows what's coming next, and it would suck if nothing comes next and you wasted this. Because that means you were born, which means you won the lottery, and in winning the lottery you said, Oh, let's not do anything with this. And now you're going back to where we came from. We must be better than that. I was kind of all over the place in this episode. But that's what happens when I'm alone. I just allow my mind to run. I don't have a notebook in front of me. I don't I don't pre-plan. I just sit and I think and in thinking, I allow the conversation to happen. Sometimes you guys don't know this, but sometimes I pause what I'm recording. Not to edit, I don't edit, but to gather my thoughts, to re-listen to what I just said, to make sure I'm not going too offbeat. But regardless of that, there's key points in this episode. And one is being the understanding that uh the people who were here before us have done us a service by leaving their lessons behind. And it is our individual responsibility to look for those lessons, to learn from those lessons. And just like it is our responsibility to look for them, you are responsible for the bad in your life if you don't take initiative to look for them. Make sure you remain a student, make sure you are always looking for information. Never say I know, I know, sure you do, but what if you don't? A reminder that two weeks from now we are entering a new year, and how you enter that new year is totally up to you. A reminder that a conversation with the self, asking yourself the right questions, can lead to enough reflection that will lead you to take different action, and in taking different action, you will get different results. And understanding that everything that I speak about is achievable to anyone, but it is difficult to accomplish. I'll say that. Why is it difficult? Because it's not pretty, because it's not like the movies where there's a montage of highlights and you're in the gym, and no, no. What they're cutting, what they're cutting in the movie short for obvious reasons is the time. You know, nobody got in shape overnight, nobody got wealthy overnight, nobody changed their mindset overnight. It was the consistency over and over again. And as I've said in other episodes, life has a funny way of testing you. Life has a funny way of right when you say, I've had it, I'm going to create change. Life says, Oh yeah, well, deal with this difficulty on top of the change you're trying to implement. And guess what? Most people give up, and then they blame life, and then wonder why they're getting older and not getting better. Don't fall for that. We must be better than that. So, I don't have a title for this, I don't even have a topic for this. I I was kind of really all over the place, but I know I can leave with that in mind. I know I can leave you with that in your mind. Think about that. It doesn't matter where you are, it doesn't matter what you have, it doesn't matter where in your life you think you are, if you are not satisfied, you are in control of whether you approach a new year as a best you, as a better you. If this year was rough, okay, sure. It was rough on everybody, I'm certain. Because we all go through life different difficulties, I'm certain of that as well, but at the end of the day, difficulties nevertheless. So, what will you do? I always ask myself questions like this. Miguel, the end of the year is here. How are you going to end it? What will be different? What could have been done differently? Are you gonna change anything drastically starting in the new year? Are there things that could have been done better? Could I have done more? Could I have reacted better in certain situations? These are all questions worth pondering on. Questions most people don't ask themselves, let alone sit with them to think and wait for an answer to come your way. I don't do this podcast because I get anything out of it. I I do this podcast because in my mind I envision a beautiful world where I speak about the ripple effect, and I understand that I may not be influencing the world, I may not be influencing the state or the city that I live in, but there are people listening, and you listen and you implement and you learn and you grow. And then people that don't listen to the show but know you start observing you and start getting curious about you, and now they're like, Hey, what are you doing? Why are you becoming so much better? And guess what? You don't need to mention compounding daily, you just say, Well, I'm doing very simple things, and they're gonna be like, Like what? And then you're gonna sound like me when you say, Well, I've been reading books, I've been studying the people I admired, I've been spending less time with those who drawn my energy, I've been more intentional with my decisions, and they're gonna look at you like you're like you're a psychopath, like like you're crazy. And then three years after that, you're still doing it, and now they're coming to you with more curiosity than ever. How is it possible? How have you maintained for three years now? And then allow more time to pass, and all of a sudden you're an anomaly. People don't understand you. It's difficult to find people who understand the way in which you approach life, and you didn't get there overnight, you got there through consistency over a long period of time. Think about that, and in that ripple effect, eventually people become so curious they join you, and in joining you, now people that you don't know are being influenced by them. And hopefully, before you know it, what we have is a beautiful community of overachievers, of people aiming not to better themselves only, but to better themselves and those that surround them. Those who wake up with purpose, those who don't just waste life but intend to make the best out of it. That is what I'm aiming for here, and that is what I've been achieving here. So if you've made it this far, I appreciate you. Thank you for being here. Uh, this was what I call a rare episode for me. Typically, I sit and I uh think and I uh allow a specific topic to come into mind today. I didn't even open notes today, I didn't open my my morning messages today. I just sat down and just started thinking, and this was the result. So thank you for being here. I hope this provided you with value. And until next time, my friends, let's get better.

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Miguel Sanchez

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