In the fall of 2022, I signed up a very special client. She started training with me for her upcoming wedding as she wanted to look her best in her wedding dress. And what made her very special for me as a client was that she's a space engineer who works for SpaceX in Inglewood, CA (as we all know Elon Musk is the head and CEO of the company). She is literally a part of the team who designs the spaceships that will get our first Martian astronauts to travel to Mars. So as we were training, there were numerous times I would ask questions about her work. Then one interesting question popped up about me. She asked me if I happen to qualify to be an astronaut who can fly to Mars, would I do it? My answer was a flat out "Heck no!!"
I told her, "Imagine the time it takes to get there. The travel itself is so dangerous but even the little things will get to me. What if one of the crew members get me mad? What if I miss home and want to go back?"
She replied, "But the spaceship is designed like a fun, giant cruise. There will also be medically trained people on staff who will care for unexpected needs. Plus imagine how famous you will be if you succeed your mission and come back to Earth. You will go down in history forever."
However, after carefully deliberating, my answer was still a big, fat "Heck no!!" As rewarding and infamous as the final prize of such a mission, for me, the amount of risk and energy and sacrifice will be too much. I prefer to stay here on Earth, at least until we create better and safer ways to travel to Mars and until there already exists a safe civilization there.
Moreover, as interesting was the topic of her question, I came to realize that my journey as a personal trainer is not so much different than the next astronaut who will make their journey to Mars. Though I don't intend to say my work will be as outstanding or infamous, the enormous amount of energy and risk and sacrifice that got me to where I am today can never be just shrugged off as being trivial. They say success takes blood, sweat, and tears. My work was purely that.
When I left the corporate world of fitness, I told myself I will make it no matter what. I left with perhaps $10 in the bank and with absolute no entrepreneurial skills. My initial plan was to find an apartment with a gym so that I can train people there. I was able to find one, then I came across The American Cement Building which I discussed in my prior post, and I ended up staying in that building for 8 years. My plan was to stay in this building for a maximum of 4 years, as it was a live/work situation and I always dreamed of opening my own commercial fitness studio, and of course, not live inside of it. However, such plans were never realized. I was stuck it seemed. In fact, having no marketing experience, living and working inside a building with no street visibility, etc. gave me many hard times. I lacked both clients and money. All the hardship will eventually take over me and I couldn't even pay rent on time, especially since they raised it every year.
So then one day my landlord sent me an email saying that he will refuse to renew my next lease agreement. They were all tired of me paying late every month for the past few years. They were being patient enough. I had no choice but to find a new place and even face the possibility of being homeless. Interestingly, desperately trying to find a commercial location that will miraculously fit my budget, I found one in Koreatown off of Western and 3rd. I walked inside and saw workers constructing a second floor. The size of this new studio was relatively the same size of my loft at the American Cement Building. Also, the rent price was very similar. This entire discovery seemed like a miracle. And to add to it, I knew I could live in this new space. Though it was not allowed, I again told myself that I can work things out if I worked hard enough. So I signed my new lease. After years of searching I finally found my commercial spot, all because of chance and almost impeccable timing.
Yet when I finally moved into my new commercial studio, like I mentioned, since they forced me out of my live/work situation, I became homeless. I literally moved my bed mattress from my loft to the upstairs area of my commercial studio. I had no shower facility here in the beginning so I joined the YMCA, just one block from my gym, so I can shower there. But deep down, I was really excited about this new opportunity. After nearly 10 years of patiently waiting, I finally opened my first commercial gym. And as time passed, I saved money to build my shower room in the restroom that I needed, then I slowly purchased more workout equipment, and ultimately, after one year of living inside my gym, I finally managed to get a separate apartment. By then I was at the age of 43. It was in the year 2020, when the Coronavirus Pandemic was at its peak.
Thinking back to those moments, I sometimes feel very surprised at how everything happened so quickly. The moment I received my eviction notice to now, as I write this blog. It almost feels as if I had no real control of anything. All I could do and kept doing was "focus." As events continually changed in my life, I just kept on focusing on my wants. I kept focusing on the work I was doing. And I kept focusing on my final goals. It took all the energy I had in me as well. No matter how afraid or stressed I felt, no matter how much I wanted to give up, I poured all my energy into my success. I channeled every energy I had in me into bringing out my desires. And that's how I got this far.
So if you think about it carefully. How different is it for a person to travel to Mars? The amount of focus it takes, and the energy required? It will require enormous amounts of energy and focus for that one person to reach Mars. In fact, this same principle applies to anyone who wishes to reach any extraordinary mass in life: the amount of work it will take, the insurmountable drive the person will need, etc. Once that person gives up on their way to their final destination, everything can get lost. Trying to reach Mars, and trying to reach a commercial business from a young person who is very poor will both require the same basic, fundamental principles to succeed:
THOUGHT & ENERGY
I already established the fact that mass cannot be created nor destroyed, and neither can energy be created nor destroyed. Energy is constantly changing shape and moving around from one space to another. It is an endless process. You and I are mere living forms of energy moving alongside all the energy that exists around us. So, by understanding this concept, I am personally slowly growing the energy needed to shape the masses I want for my future. In the past, I left my corporate gym with almost nothing to show for. But I built a reputation for people to constantly come to me so that I can help change their health and figure. By doing so, I gained enough power to form the fitness studio I have today. And like I mentioned in my prior post, why should I stop here? I still have goals in life. I still have lofty dreams. By focusing on those thoughts and by directing my energy to those goals, I will eventually succeed. It may not be as lofty as reaching Mars, but I guarantee you I plan to make countless jaws drop.
Moving forward, I will only blog about the significant events in my life that will show the growth (or failures) of my business and the lessons that will pertain to my discovery of Thought=Energy=Mass. If you haven't watched my YT lecture on it yet, please do so today. Watch:
And if you like the video, please remember to give it a thumbs up 👍
Until next time, keep pursuing your own aspirations and goals. And don't you ever give up!!! ✌️
PHOTO TIMELINE OF MY PAST EVENTS AS AN INDEPENDENT TRAINER
2010
In 2010 I left the corporate gym world and started my own business by training inside apartments that had a gym.
2011 - 2019
I moved inside The American Cement Building in 2011. It was in this space where I would call both my home and work for 8 years. Here are a few more photos:
As beautiful as the space was, it was never the ideal place for me to work in the long run. And as hard as I tried, I was never able to find an affordable place to move.
2019 - Present (2023)
This picture shows my current fitness studio on Western & 3rd when they were still constructing things when I moved in. The timing was a complete miracle for me. Watch how I slowly developed it:
Look carefully at the second floor. I blocked it off with dividers. My bed was in there, along with a makeshift closet and my TV attached to the wall on the right.
Look how the black turf adds so much life to my space.
This is the second floor. I lived here for almost exactly 1 year. In this photo, I record what it looked like after I moved all my personal belongings out so that I can move in some hefty workout equipment which I posted below:
These machines were built by Atlantis Strength, the Bentley of workout machines. You will also notice the blue gym rubber flooring and the new mirror on the wall.
My final picture. The latest picture of the front entrance of my gym.
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