The video explores the tough beginnings and mindset shifts behind achieving immense wealth, particularly focusing on millennials. The speaker attributes success not to financial background but to self-esteem, resilience, and the ability to avoid playing the victim. He highlights how today's youth often lack self-belief and give up too soon, showing that transformation comes from within rather than external circumstances.

Drawing on his personal journey, the speaker recounts his upbringing in East LA as the son of immigrants, enduring hardships, and navigating trouble as a youth before joining the military. He explains how becoming an officer in the army provided him with structure, high-performance habits, and the realization of his own capabilities, which later translated into significant entrepreneurial success. He shares actionable examples—from winning federal contracts to building multimillion-dollar companies and ultimately being ousted with substantial wealth—showing that unconventional routes, adaptability, and resourcefulness are more important than conventional educational paths or privilege.

Main takeaways from the video:

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. victim syndrome [ˈvɪktɪm ˈsɪnˌdroʊm] - (noun phrase) - A psychological state where individuals tend to see themselves as victims of the negative actions of others and behave accordingly. - Synonyms: (victim mentality, self-pity, martyr complex)

They have the victim syndro, and that's unfortunate.

2. perceive [pərˈsiːv] - (verb) - To become aware of, know, or identify by means of the senses or the mind. - Synonyms: (recognize, discern, notice, realize)

Because they don't have what they perceive as what they deserve.

3. justify [ˈdʒʌstɪˌfaɪ] - (verb) - To show or prove to be right or reasonable. - Synonyms: (warrant, validate, legitimize, rationalize)

Very few the millennials that I know can justify that they hang with.

4. infamous [ˈɪnfəməs] - (adjective) - Well known for some bad quality or deed. - Synonyms: (notorious, disreputable, scandalous)

We moved to the Valley, which is called the San Fernando Valley, which has become infamous now.

5. benchmark [ˈbentʃˌmɑːrk] - (noun) - A standard or point of reference against which things may be compared or assessed. - Synonyms: (standard, criterion, reference point, touchstone)

Other than that he was my benchmark.

6. anomalies [əˈnɑːməliz] - noun (plural) - Something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected. - Synonyms: (irregularity, peculiarity, abnormality, oddity)

The first thing I did is I looked for anomalies in the federal bidding process for federal products.

7. sought [sɔːt] - verb (past tense of seek) - Attempted or desired to obtain or achieve something. - Synonyms: (searched for, pursued, looked for, aimed for)

And then when I had that money, I went out and I saw sought oil and gas partners drilling for oil and gas.

8. opt [ɒpt] - (verb) - To make a choice from a range of possibilities. - Synonyms: (choose, select, decide, pick)

Well, I bought an opt on oil and gas properties for $60,000 and I turned it into $160 million in 99 days.

9. ostensibly [əˈstensəbli] - (adverb) - Apparently or purportedly, but perhaps not actually. - Synonyms: (seemingly, apparently, supposedly, outwardly)

Because I already was ostensibly pretty rich.

10. unfulfilling [ˌʌnfʊlˈfɪlɪŋ] - (adjective) - Not satisfying or not making someone feel happy and satisfied. - Synonyms: (dissatisfying, unrewarding, empty, unsatisfying)

I tried to teach university for a year. I found that very unfulfilling.

If You’re Not Winning, It’s Your Fault - Dan Pena Brutally Honest Advice

You ask how millennials become multi millionaires rich, right? Well, first of all, you got a man up now. This sounds awful. You got to act like you had a pair. It's that simple. Is that. I mean, the millennials like the mma, you know why? Because they're all wusses. Why are guys like Joe Rogan, why are they so admired by you kids? Because they're men. Because they got a pair.

I want kids to know and your audience. I came from nothing, but I had self esteem. You don't have to have money to make money. What you have to have is belief in yourself. Okay, you don't have to come from something, but you have to have belief in yourself. And unfortunately, most of the millennials don't believe in themselves. They act like victims. They have the victim syndro, and that's unfortunate. Did you realize Gallup did a poll two years ago? 87% of the human race is unhappy. 87. Why are they unhappy? Because they don't have what they perceive as what they deserve. But it's not what you deserve in life, it's what you earn in life.

I came from a shitty background. My dad beat me. I got in a lot of trouble. I found a way to turn it around. The kids, the millennials give up too easily. I mean, you have to want it more than you the air and that you breathe. I've always criticized you can do whatever you want to do if you believe in it enough. When parents tell their kids, you can be anything you want to be, you can be the President of the United States, that's you can be anything you want to be if you've been groomed properly. Okay, and that means your parents had to know something about building self esteem. I mean, we don't do what our parents tell us to do. We what our we see our parents do. So when I tell you you can be anything you want to be, I've created billionaires with these two hands.

If I looked at your five friends, each one of you, the best of you, have one maybe person that's worth having as a friend. If you measure, am I growing with this person? I mean, is she detrimental to my future? And you go through the list. I mean, very few the millennials that I know can justify that they hang with.

So let's dive into your story a bit more. Tell us about east la. When I was there as an adolescent, it was almost all Mexican. And my father was a policeman. My mom was a housewife. My mother came to the United States. She crossed the Rio Grande river in 1924 as an illegal alien with her mother. And we lived almost right where downtown Los Angeles is. And my dad was a cop and so it was easy for him to get to work. And so I got in a lot of trouble, you know, done some awful things while I was a little kid especially. And finally they threw me out of the school district. So we had to move to another school district. And my mother thought that I would be better there because she thought it was the environment, she didn't understand it was me.

So then when we moved to the Valley, which is called the San Fernando Valley, which has become infamous now. And so I went there and I got in a lot of trouble. I was arrested five times. Finally I volunteered for the draft in 1966, more or less at the height of the Vietnam War. And the army made a man out of me. I became an officer and the rest is really history. And it was the first high performance thing I ever did. I didn't understand other than I had a father who looked like a superhero alpha male role model. Other than that he was my benchmark. He was very athletic. He was an all American athlete in high school. And I could barely chew gum and walk at the same time. I was very uncoordinated. So my aggression I took out on other people. I fought, I was, I could get in fights real well. I was over. I've always been a big kid.

But I went off into the army. The first high performance thing I did was become an officer. And I got out of the military quite by accident. I was going to stay in the military because it was perfect for me. It was almost impossible for me to get in trouble. And they gave you crazy things to do, which I enjoyed. And then one day I got a special award. One day I'm sitting in the Officers club and a two star general said, Danny, why don't you buy the drinks for all of us? And I said, I bought the drinks. You don't ask the two star general why. And then he said the magic words that changed my life. Danny, a young man like you could get rich in the civilian world. And I swear to you, a light bulb went off over my head. I never thought of rich Danny Pena in the same sentence.

And I applied to get out of the army. So I went from a regular army officer to out. And I went back to school. A four year education in two and a half years. And I almost got straight A's because it was easy, it was easy. I didn't realize how Bright. I really was until I got in the military. Because in grammar school in east la, they used to stand me in a corner with a dunce cap. And if I was bad, they put me in a corner. Then they put me in a closet. And they keep me in the closet until my mother or my grandmother came to pick me up. But my father told me, sticks and stones can break your bones, Dan, but words can never hurt you. The first thing I did is I looked for anomalies in the federal bidding process for federal products. I saw there was the refineries across the United states were only 60% being used. And yet there was a jet fuel shortage with the U.S. air Force. So I put two and two together. I connected the dots and I bid on federal contracts. And the first year in business, I did $50,540,000 in business with one employee. Me. And then when I had that money, I went out and I saw sought oil and gas partners drilling for oil and gas. So I continued to build.

Well, I bought an opt on oil and gas properties for $60,000 and I turned it into $160 million in 99 days. From there I was overnight success. And so I took it public and I grew the company. I mean up to about 500 million. Excuse me. Then the shareholders threw me out and they threw me out with a lot of money. So I didn't cry. Don't feel sorry for I've been. I decided I wanted to do something else because I already was ostensibly pretty rich. And I tried to teach university for a year. I found that very unfulfilling. The system that was devised 70 years ago, after World War II, you go to work with a company, you work 30, 40, 45 years, you get a pension and you can live in a picket house with 2.4 dogs, 6.4 grandchildren, and hopefully your original wife. Well, that model is dead. That is impossible anymore. And on top of it, you have 150 to $250,000 in debt for going to school. And some kids will be 45 years old and still be paying off student debt. Boy, that's a load of crap.

Down deep into your soul, you know there is no get rich quick scheme. That's legal. So for a millennial, it sounds trite. Something they believe in. If you change a billion lives, you'll get wealthy. What do you believe in? Enough to quit your job to try to change a billion lives. Most of the kids just want to know if they get paid twice a month. Sa Ra.

INSPIRATION, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, LEADERSHIP, SELF-ESTEEM, SUCCESS STORIES, MILLENNIALS, BUSINESS MOTIVERSITY