As I approach the 5th year anniversary of my initiation to transformation I felt it was pivotal to release this post. Many times I have reflected on and even wrote about my experience though I never mustered the courage to share it. It’s just one of those experiences that’s super personal to my journey. I decided to release this blog after constantly reminding myself the very purpose of this experience is to share it. I dislike to make a "Story" out of everything, but I feel if I don't tell the entire story what relevance does it have? I always seem to encounter these strange occurrences that end up blossoming into something amazing in my life. From my many experiences, I can equate that to doing the things that I absolutely love aside from being extremely blessed.
Back in June 2013, my brother, best friend, and myself were out shooting a video along the Downtown, Jersey City, waterfront. We were interrupted quite a few times by people passing by, it really did not bother us much. I could not help but to notice two joggers who passed by us twice, the second time they passed by they took a seat fairly close to where we were shooting to observe. They seemed to be interested in what we were doing. It was pretty obvious they were trying to get a feel of the vibe. During a break, we greeted and struck up a casual conversation. As we engaged we discussed our purpose for being there shooting. They told us a little about themselves, and ultimately revealed they worked for Tony Robbins. At the time I was thinking to myself "If these guys work for Tony Robbins what the hell are they doing exploring in DownTown Jersey City?" My mind was probably wondering just as much as theirs were. I discovered they were temporarily stationed in Jersey City in preparation for Tony Robbins UPW "Unleash The Power Within" event in November. We exchanged contacts and surprisingly keep in contact. We hung out on numerous occasions, this is a case where complete strangers became friends.
Some time had passed, and by this time my brother and best friend were out of the equation, it was almost as if I was the "target" they grew really fond of me. I noticed each time we hung out they would always ask about my goals and aspirations. They were already aware I was an artist and photographer they admired my work. They would often offer words of wisdom as they encouraged me to become greater. Over the summer our friendship grew stronger, I remember one of the days we hung out they gave me a Tony Robbins Disk and told me to listen to it. I was so upset at myself because I misplaced the disk, and could not find it anywhere. I do not want to reveal their names for privacy reasons so I will just use the names Joe, and Steve. Time was winding down and Fall was approaching fast, they started to talk more about the event sharing their transnational experiences, showing videos, and commentary on how life changing it was. I was extremely excited and stoked just listening to the many stories they would share about the event. On this particular day, we were out chatting Joe says to me "How would you like to attend the upcoming UPW event in November?" I replied by saying, "Joe I would love to go man!!" He informed me he would email me the registration form later that night, I was completely flabbergasted, I could not believe it. He said to me "I want to see you grow so this is something I want to do for you," and with a very confident grin he looked me dead in my face and said, "You have no idea for what you are in store for, this is going to change your life." In hindsight it did, it did dramatically.
As the event slowly approached I did not see them too much, however, Joe and Steve would periodically check up on me. I am sure they were becoming pretty busy in preparation. In comes the mail my UPW Executive Pass had arrived, a $1500 value free of charge. Fast forward to the week of, all of the excitement was getting to me because I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into. It had finally arrived, the big day was here, I had found myself in the company amongst thousands of participants. There he was Author, Philanthropist, and Life Coach Tony Robbins walks out on stage and he had the crowd roaring. I thought to myself, was actually attending my first WPI event, I was just as curious and inquisitive as a foreign exchange student arriving to their new place of residence. The first day at the seminar was nothing short of phenomenal Tony was up on stage talking for nearly 10 hours, I had never witnessed anything like it in my life he did not take one bathroom break. The seminar was just loaded with an abundance of information, he covered topics such as health and wellness, reprogramming the mind through habits, and Financial freedom. I was just dazzled by it all, there were people jumping, clapping, hugging, crying, laughing, and shouting, there is not a single word that can describe the level of energy.
Most of us had no idea what Tony had prepared for us, but we knew it was something big and I was so ready. All of the anticipation and juices were slowly brewing. One of the very last exercises he had us partake in was laying on the ground face up with our eyes closed taking in deep breaths, inhale 5 seconds, hold for 20 seconds, exhale for 10 seconds, my entire body began to tingle. Through deep meditative breathing, and chanting the word “Kool Mas” I had induced myself into a trance like state. All I can remember was taking off my socks and exiting the event hall. We walked barefoot along the cold dark trail. Step by step the anxiety had reached its zenith and as frightened as I was I just had to do it. Many people opted out of the “Fire Walk” but for me that was not an option. I reminded myself, this was the very reason why I came here to walk through the fire literally, without this experience this entire process would be in vain. It was pitch black, you can smell and feel the heat blistering from the coal, but it was too late for me I was all in. I waited in what seem like hours as each participant yield “Kool Mas” as they walked across the bed of coal. When it was my turn to walk I stared at that trail and watched as they laid a fresh bed of hot smoking coal down. I then worked up the courage said my chant “Kool Mas” I took my first step and walked over a 12-foot long bed of burning hot coal and I did not feel a thing. When I reached the other side of the coal bed it was a sigh of relief, a triumphant moment so to speak. Not only did I overcome fear but the experience was symbolic in so many respects. I had to go through a physical experience to have a spiritual one. It granted the ability to overcome my fears and I had many. I took many notes during my 3-day experience, but to sum it all up this is what I walked away with “The Power Of Moving Forward With Positive Change”! I want to thank Joe and Steve for inviting me to this incredible life changing experience. Tony Robbins has helped me to heal, God is good!! If you are seeking a transformation that will change your life I encourage you to take the leap. https://www.tonyrobbins.com/
