Today is the Day for Your Freedom

Hello and welcome to the Soul of Innovation podcast. I am the host Thomas Anglero, and my mission for this podcast is to share with you those private thoughts and reflections that I have being one of the top keynote speakers around the world on technology, motivation, and innovation. I hope you truly enjoy all the lessons I share, all the dots I connect that sometimes are just really difficult to get out but it's all for you. I truly hope you enjoy this episode. Welcome to the Soul of Innovation podcast. I am Thomas Anglero, and I'm celebrating the day before. Today is the day before my 24 years of moving to Norway, buying a one-way ticket. Today is the day before my 5-year anniversary at the job that I'm at. I'm celebrating the day before. Do you celebrate the day before? Do you know how significant— it's not the anniversary, that date that should be celebrated is the day before, because that's the day that you took action. That was the last day of your old life. That was the last day of your old marriage. That was the last day that you were having or being or doing whatever you were not meant to be. That was the day of the decision. You should be celebrating you and your decision, that big decision that you made that shifted your life completely 24 years ago today. I stood at JFK Airport with 7 suitcases. Um, I wasn't clueless, but I had a one-way ticket. I bought a one-way ticket from New York City to Oslo, Norway, and I brought my 7 suitcases to the counter, and the woman said, you're only allowed 2. I said, I didn't know that. I didn't— I've never traveled so much. And I said, well, I'll just pay for the other 5. She goes, honey, that would be over $1,000. She goes, what are you doing? And I told her, I told her that 30 days ago I talked to my girlfriend and I told her I'm quitting my job. I'm quitting my life, leaving everything behind me— my friends, my language, my culture— and I choose her. So I bought a one-way ticket, and here I am. The woman looked at me, started crying. She says, you're not lying to me. I go, What part of the story could I lie? Is that— this is the truth. She goes, I know. And then she only charged me for 2 more bags and said let 3 go on the airplane for free. She says, gotta take care of men like you. It was the day before That day that I decided to leave my life, my entire life, everything I've known, that was the day that should be celebrated. Have you made such a decision? Are you in a situation that you should be making such an enormous, enormous decision that would change every facet of your life. It would change the language that you speak when you wake up in the morning. It would change the colors. It will change the windows. When I first came to Norway, I have an engineering degree and I could not figure out how to open up a window because their mechanisms is completely different on the window. I could not unlock this window. I had never seen anything like it before. Do you understand what it is to be A 30-year-old man with an engineering degree with 10+ years of experience, and I don't know how to open up a window? Yes, you start from ground zero. Have you started from ground zero? Can you start from ground zero? Should you start from ground zero? A lot of you should. It's scary as hell. 24 years ago, that was scary. I think about it now and I go, wow. But you know what? If it wasn't for that, It was— it wasn't for me. Believing in love, believing in that, that decision, that when I thought about the decision I was making as I stood there in that dirty airport in JFK with all those people around me and all that noise, but as long as I thought about her, my breath was straight, was clear. No interruption. No, it was light and relaxing and it tasted good. But when I thought of any other option but that, to stay there, continue my life in Brooklyn, continue that job, it was heavy breathing. My heart hurt. My head was heavy. I felt a mess. I'm not exaggerating. There was only one option, and I left my entire life behind. Think about the options you have now. Which option do you think about that your breath is light, is natural, it smells good, it tastes good? That's where you're supposed to be. That's what you're supposed to be doing. That's where you're supposed to be living. That's where you're supposed to be existing. These are big decisions. There's never going to be a bigger decision. Buying, having a mortgage, buying a car, it's nothing but this decision to start a new life, for you to be the place you're supposed to be, with the people, the person you're supposed to be, having the family you're supposed to have. You're Destiny awaits you. Are you there? Are you supposed to make this decision? This is your moment. Every moment is your moment. You just need to make that decision. I made that decision 24 years ago, and here I am. And I've— I have the world's greatest kids. I have the world's best wife. I'm blessed to be able to talk to every one of you, and I honored to death that every one of you spend your time to listen. But that's because it was the day before, 24 years ago, that I made a choice. I made a decision. What decision are you going to make? Is everything so perfect? If it is, God bless, don't change anything. But what decision— we all have things we can improve. What decision can you make about your life, about yourself, that you could fix, that you could straighten, that you could, um, correct? This is your moment. As I say these things, I'm sure things are coming into your mind of things that you know you could do better, be better. Be— what is it? I know, are they hurt when they come into your mind? But that's where you're supposed to be. That's who you're supposed to be with. Those are the feelings you're supposed to have when you have that thought, when that flash flashes to your mind and you think, yes, that's the life I'm supposed to be. I'm supposed to be with that person. I'm supposed to be doing those things. I'm not supposed to be here. I'm not supposed to be doing these things. I'm really bad. I got a really bad habit. I'm addicted to this or whatever. Flow with the vision of where you're supposed to be. And do what's best for you and just do it. It is not easy. It is not easy leaving your life behind. It is not easy making these big choices. It is not easy starting a new job, but it's mandatory. You have to do it. You have to take care of you. Celebrate the day before because that's the day, the last day of the old you. What old you, or which old you do you want to bury today? Which part of you? Is it all of you? Do you want to move to another country? I buried my entire life Everything in the past. Still keep— thank God for Facebook and all these things. I'm still contacting my friends, so I didn't bury that in. It wasn't running from anything. I was just running to one person, but I wasn't running from anyone. And if you make such big decisions, you're not running from anyone. You're running to— maybe not to a person, but you're running to— yeah, you know, you are running to a person. You're running to that you that's waiting for you tomorrow, a moment from now. That person you should have been, that person that you know you can be, is never, never, never too late. Never too late. Every moment is a gift. Every moment is a moment you just start something new. You could do whatever the hell you want. You could be whatever the hell you want. Don't you understand? You have complete freedom, total freedom. No one's holding you back. It's only us and our stupid thoughts that are so heavy that hold us back. This is Freedom Day. Today's the day of the day before. Today is the day that you let it go. And if you can't just let it go today, it's a process. Because I gave myself 30 days before I had to get on that airplane. I had to pack my bags, I had to put away my apartment, I had to put everything in storage, you know. It takes a while to change your life. So don't— it's not a crisis. Today is the day you begin to change your life. Today is the day you begin down that path where what's waiting for you, who's waiting for you down there, is actually you. Is that you, you've always seen yourself. That's who's waiting for you, and probably a whole bunch of other people too who've yet to meet because you haven't followed your destiny. With all the things going on in life today, with all the things with the coronavirus and everything, use that as something to elevate you, to push you forward, to say, yeah, this is it, I can't take it anymore, I have got to be me, this is my moment. It is your moment. And then a few years from now, you could look back the day before the anniversary and celebrate the end of the old you, the end of that life. And then you look forward to tomorrow morning like I do, in which I wake up celebrating my new life with my family, with people I love. No broken ties to the past, but I had to break away from that life I had to have the life that I was destined to have. Fulfill your destiny. It's your life, and there's so many people out there that want to love you. I promise you. Celebrate the day before. Celebrate you. Go forth and spread beauty and light and celebrate you right now. It's gonna be a hard road. It wasn't easy making those decisions. It wasn't easy coming into a country not able to speak the language. It wasn't easy not knowing anybody. You think it's hard going to a party, you don't know anybody? Go to a country of a couple million people, don't know anybody. And I did it with a smile, and so will you. Because you're following your destiny. So what's the problem? It's so simple as that. I love you. I truly, truly believe in you, and you're never, ever, ever alone. Until the next time. Thank you for listening to that episode. If you want to contact me, you can contact me on my website at anglero.com, and you can also subscribe to the newsletter, or you can find me anywhere on social media with Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. Thank you so much, and I hope to hear from you very soon.