In 2011, I made a decision to stop drinking. Why? My life wasn’t working or going in the direction fitting for an adult. With nowhere to go but up, I looked around and saw a light on at the last house on the left, which happened to be an AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) meeting. I came to get sober, but little did I know that I would embark on a mental, spiritual, and physical journey of transformation. One year into this journey of spiritual growth, I realized it was time to address my physical challenges. I looked at myself in the mirror and said, “Thomas, it’s time.” So, I rekindled my passion for fitness and, through NASM, learned the steps to change. The information I learned to create my physical transformation became the blueprint for helping others create change too. What an amazing foundation of service, self-love, and joy I found in Atlanta.
Watch out, world, here I go… I moved to Singapore and then Bali, Indonesia. While training outdoors in Bali, I got the idea to teach resistance training on the beach. But I needed weights! Weights were too heavy, expensive, and there were 100 other reasons why not. So, I began by using cut tree stumps. After 20 or so iterations, I created a portable canvas bag that could be filled with sand and used anywhere, anytime.
I named it the E.i.O.G. (Earth is Our Gym) 1 Bag. We developed a beach fitness community around this bag, incorporating food and social outreach activities. I felt so much love and, more importantly, a sense of belonging that I had never felt before.
Years have passed since that “immortalized, golden time in my life.” I tried to reproduce that camaraderie in California but had yet to figure out what was the “special sauce” that previously brought us all together. Yes, I had a Facebook and Instagram page that I taught myself how to use, but I wasn’t connecting with my audience. There were some missing steps to build a thriving worldwide community.
Where do I start?
I thought it was obvious that I begin with education. I learned a bit from Santa Monica College (SMC), but I didn’t know digital marketing, and, nine years later, I still don’t. A friend suggested Udacity for Digital Marketing and other degrees. The pandemic prices made it a bargain to try. I was unsuccessful in my initial attempt to learn what I didn’t know. For a few months, I paid $99 a month for a program I never fully tried, then quit. Too expensive. I continued not knowing how to build my community.
Then one day, while planning a trip to SMC to talk with my counselor, Udacity contacted me promoting the ONE TEN Free Scholarship Award. I thought about my negative experiences with my first attempt at Udacity. However, my desire to improve overruled those negative thoughts, and I applied anyway.
I had never won anything in life, well, except the life lottery, but imagine my surprise when I was awarded a scholarship at Udacity through ONETen. I WON! I wasn’t awarded a start date until April, and it was only February. I was excited and ready to improve right away. I even began suggesting the ONE TEN/Udacity partnership to my family and friends. Having a newborn on the way, being 60 years of age, and reinventing myself comes with a lot of hard work, sacrifice, and humility.
So, what’s up with that special sauce?
Well, that “special sauce” I mentioned earlier that I was looking for—I had it all along. It was a spiritual energy. It was in abundance when I lived in Bali because I practiced it. As a good friend, A.J., told me, I just needed to connect with that Bali spirit in L.A. I needed to find that inspiration again. I learned that when one lives an inspiring life, sharing inspiration and inspiring others just comes with the territory. Thank you, AA program, its members, and this journey for helping me to constantly look inside. Everything I need is already inside of me.
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