How Decisions Shape Our Destiny

5 years ago today was the first Thursday in November, 2010. Although I didn’t know it at the time, my life would never be the same again.

When I woke up that morning, the name “Tony Robbins” rang familiar to me, but I didn’t really know much about him. That was about to change.

My life was about to change.

Let Me Back Up for a Moment

About 6 weeks earlier, I attended a presentation at the Real Estate Board of New York about how to uplevel my life. The speaker ended with an offer to attend Tony’s Unleash the Power Within seminar.

He didn’t tell us much about it. What he did say is that the event included a firewalk.

I’m a trapeze artist. I’ve jumped out of planes. I love adventure. Firewalk?

Say no more. It was all I needed to know. I was in.

The Best Accountability

Back to that Thursday in November.

I had just returned from a vacation, and I had a lot of work to do in my business. I was stressed by the thought of being tied up for the next four days.

And it was raining. I couldn’t imagine how they would do a firewalk in the rain. I thought about skipping it.

I didn’t know anyone else who was going, so I had nobody to hold me accountable. But I had invested a thousand dollars; more than I had ever spent to attend any conference or event. I wasn’t going to throw it away.

Sometimes the investment we make is the best accountability.

Navigating the rain, I hopped on the subway to Penn station and took the bus to The Meadowlands.

I had no idea what was in store for me.

I had no idea that this bus ride was leading me to a new path.

It didn’t look like a fork in the road. It didn’t feel like one of those moments from which there is no turning back.

They almost never do.

After that initial weekend, I went on to Tony’s Date With Destiny seminar, then Business Mastery. From 2011 through mid-2012, I served on the volunteer event crew at every US UPW and Date With Destiny. After some time away, I now try to crew at least once a year.

Where Would I Be Without It?

I cannot imagine what my life would be like today if I hadn’t pushed myself to follow through and get on that  bus.

To New Jersey, of all places. (I’m a New Yorker, through and through.)

Sometimes you don’t know when you’re on a path to a life-changing moment. It could be anything. Or anywhere.

Even New Jersey.

When I try to picture what my life would be like today if I hadn’t gotten on that bus five years ago … it’s like “A Wonderful Life.”

Where would I be without the hundreds of people who have shaped my life since then? Without the supportive community, the amazing friends and mentors I have cultivated in the Robbins environment?

The people I met that weekend were just the first link in a chain. I met hundreds more at subsequent events, and dozens more through those people.

Decisions Shape Our Destiny

[quote]It’s in the moments of decision that our destiny is shaped. — Tony Robbins [/quote]

Each decision opens a door that we didn’t see before.

Small moments and big moments.

Where would I be without the experiences I’ve had since that weekend?

Who would I be without those experiences, relationships and the blessings that have entered my life since then?

Where would I be if I didn’t follow through on that decision to register?

Where would I be if I hadn’t seized the opportunity to give back by serving on the crew at subsequent events?

Expanding My Skills and Myself

Serving on the event crew has given me the opportunity to create deep connections and pay it forward to others. I feel blessed to know how many lives I’ve touched while being in service at Tony’s events.

And as much as I’ve served and given, I’ve received even more in return. At each event, I have expanded the realm of my comfort zone. I’ve had the opportunity to step up into leadership roles, hone my sales and coaching skills, and receive mentorship from Tony’s elite team of trainers.

Many of these mentors don’t have books or online courses. Rich Cohen, who runs the Products and Coaching Sales division at Robbins Research International, is the best sales trainer I’ve ever had. I work the products booth for the chance to learn from him.

Whether I’m coaching participants at the Products Booth or helping guide them across the coals, I’ve learned more about myself through these experiences and others that have evolved from them.

Change vs Evolution

I can’t imagine where I would be without these people and experiences.

Even more, I can’t imagine who I would be. Five years is a good chunk of time. It’s not just that I’ve “changed;” we all change. I’ve grown. I’ve evolved. I’ve become more.

Change is inevitable. Progress is optional.

I can see now the fork in the road that I couldn’t see then. I see how I veered slightly to a new path. At the time it was just a slight degree of change — 2 millimeters, as Tony would say. Over the span of 5 years, that’s grown into a significant difference.

Attending the talk in September 2010. Registering for UPW. Making an investment that stretched me beyond my comfort zone. Getting on the bus on a rainy Thursday. Opening myself to new experiences. Staying in the environment. Coming back to serve.

No decision, on its own, created who I am now.

Each one, stacked on the previous, took me to a new place, a new level, a new possibility for life, that I hadn’t seen before.

It turns out that he was right:

 

Life will never be the same again.