B (23:53)
Well, my. You know, I had to help support my family. We don't have enough money for food, so I'm going to school. And I kept two different jobs as a janitor because I could work in the middle of the night. And they didn't charge you, pay you by the hour. They paid you by the result. So I could do two banks in the middle of night, do a great job, take the buses home and contribute. And then on the weekends, I would try to find something to do also, because you didn't have to do the banks then. And my mom and dad knew this man who, as my dad's words were, used to be such a loser. Now he's so successful, and I wonder what happened to him. And all he was, was he was buying properties, fixing them up and flipping them in Orange County, California, in the 1970s. Like, 78, 1977. And the market was exploding. So he was doing very well. So he needed. He was very efficient in his workforce to move things. And so he always hired, like a high school student. And I'd been 5:1 in my sophomore year, and I got a tumor in my brain. No one knew. That's why. And I grew 10 inches in a year. So I was like, get that big strapping guy. We'll do this. So I come and I. I'm a hard worker. And after two days of working my guts out, he's like, you're the hardest working guy I've ever met. He goes, I'm really impressed. Let me take you to lunch. So he takes me to lunch and. And he starts to ask some questions. I said, I want to ask you some questions. I said, you know, my dad and I. I wasn't saying trying to be harsh or funny. It's just when you're a kid, you just don't realize. I said, my dad said, you should be such a loser now you're so successful. Like, how'd you do that? He was taken back, obviously. I said, what? And he goes, well, he goes, it's probably pretty accurate about me. I said, but what changed you? And he said, I went to a seminar. I never even heard the word seminar before. I said, what's a seminar? He sits where a man who has become incredibly successful over decades takes all he's learned in the decades and tries to compress it into a few hours or a few days and save you all that trial and error learning. I said, wow, that's fascinating. I said, so how long does somebody. He goes, it's three and a half hours. I said, well, how much is it? He said, $35. It'd be like $250 in today's dollars, right? Inflation. And I was making $40 a week. So I said, wow, that's expensive. I said, can you get me in? And he's like, yeah, but you said, anymore? I said, well, will you? And he said, no. And I said, well, why not? And he said, well, because you won't value it if you don't pay for it. I said, no, no, no. I'm on my own. I've been sleeping in my car. I'm working as a janitor. I'm giving him the whole story, right? He goes, I don't hear the story. He said, if you really committed, you'll go there. Or he said, learn on your own experience and take 10 or 20 or 30 years or maybe never figure it out. So I remember I like sweating bullets over this decision. Do I do a week's pay for this 13 hour thing, right? And I was like, oh, my God. And then I went down there. I had graduated to a 1968 Volkswagen since my mom had gotten the other one Baja Bug. I pulled up in front of the nice hotel in Orange County, California, and threw the keys to the valet. You turn my engine off, and it usually had a little explosion. I was wearing a blue leisure suit, which is what people wore in those days, that I got in the thrift store. Fake gold chain. But I was ready to rock and roll, baby. I went in, talked my way, and a guy had set this thing up so I could get in. And I sat in that seminar and I'd read so many books that when Jeroen was speaking, I would finish some of his phrases and you're at a round table. I was somewhat disruptive without meaning to be, but I was so enthusiastic. And then during a break, I went up to Jim Rohn and told him the story about, you know, how I've been doing all this stuff and I wanted to come to work for him. And he's like, young man, if you want to come work for me, you have to go through all my programs. And, you know, it was in those days, $1200, it'd be like, you know, $12,000 today, 10, 10,500, I think is the translation. So I know that kind of money. I'm sleeping in my car in an old trench coat. I got the thrift store. I'm working as a janitor, you know, trying to keep everything going. And I said. I tried to tell him my story, and he said, no, no, no, I don't want to hear all that. He said, I'm not your banker. So I said, you could loan me the money, and then I'll go get these great results, and I'll tell everybody that you helped me do this, right, this whole plan. And he goes, no, no, no, I'm not your banker. He goes, you know what? If you want to come to work, you have to have the money by Saturday. And he said, everybody gets what they have to have. Some people have to survive, some people have to succeed. Decide which one you are. And he walked away. And I was pissed off. I was like, he's an asshole. I mean, I'm struggling. He's rich. I'm willing to pay for it. I just want him to finance it, you know? And then after bitching in my head about him for a while, another part of my brain started going, he's right. He's right. He's right. He's like, he's right. What? He's right. You've always got what you had to have, but you haven't had to have much. It hasn't been many months for me. And so I was like, okay. So I went to banks, thinking banks will loan you money when you need it. Which, of course, as I'm sure you know, they only loan you money if you don't need it. So I went to four banks in a row. Turned down, turned down, turned down. And I'm running out of time. So I finally. I'm outside the bank of America in West Covina, California, a place called Citrus Avenue. And I'm. I didn't know what I was doing, but I was getting myself pumped up physiologically. I know. I know what I was doing now, but I was getting in this really strong state. So I go in there and convince somebody. I walked in, I looked for somebody who looked persuadable. And there's this kind looking woman, kind eyes. I thought, she'll understand. So I walked up to her with all the energy I had, shook her hand, probably shook it off, and said, I'm Tony Robbins. I'm here today to borrow $1,200. I don't want that money for, like, to repair something. I don't want for a vacation. I want it so I can attend a seminar. And she had this weird look on her face like, I'm not getting through to her. And she Said, well, I appreciate your passion. I said, I want to go. No, I just want to go. For me, I'm going to learn how to manage my time and this and that, how to lead and blah, blah. And I said, and I'm going to go help hundreds of thousands of people. That was the goal I had at that time. And she said, okay, young man, well, let me see your application. Settle down. And she goes, I appreciate your intensity and passion. And so she's reading it, and she sees my address is on Citrus Avenue. It's a commercial street that goes through four cities. There's no apartments on it. So she says, citrus Avenue. She said, where's your apartment on Citrus Avenue? I said, well, I don't really have an apartment. I have kind of a mobile home. She said, a mobile home? So I told her the truth. I'm sleeping in my car at 24 hours between Denny's and 7 11. They don't make me move. I talk to the mailman. He gives me my mail because he understands what I'm going through. So if you send it there, I'll get it. And her eyes are getting like this. And then she says, so you want the bank to loan your money, and we'll send the bill to the 711 and you'll be in your mobile car sleeping. She goes, and then she goes, and you're 17 years old. I said, what does that matter? She goes, you can't sign a contract till you're 18. I said, I'll be 18 soon. She said, how soon? I said, I assume not to be 18. I said, I'll be 18 in two weeks. She goes, oh, you probably. I just don't think the bank's gonna loan it to you. And it's like, oh, no. You understand I gotta do this. I got even more passionate. And she said, listen. And she looked at me and she said, you're serious about this, aren't you? I said, as serious as a heart attack. I'm gonna use everything I learned. I'm doing all these things. And she said, I've never met anybody quite like you. She said, if you look me in the eye and swear to me, I will never have to come looking for you. Cause I'm not going to 711 or Denny's. I will do everything I can to get the bank to help you. But if they won't, I'll loan you the money, but you better take this seriously. And I jumped across the desk, kissed her. She was ready for that stuff. And I said, I always tell people you gave my start and that's why I've always told the story. And her name was Mrs. Williams and she got the money along with the money though she didn't have to do it. I don't know how she did it. Maybe she co signed, I don't know. But I took $1,200, which is. Makes me emotionally. But now I'm remembering it and all the money in the world is more expensive than the car I was sleeping in. Right. You know, and I went to Jim Rohn seminar and I met a man there named Mike Keys, who's still my friend today, 45 plus years later. And he had just a little bit more money than me. And he said, look, stay in my hotel. You don't stay in your car. And we were both pretty broke and there were a lot of very wealthy people were there learning from him. But because of that, like I said, it's like we were writing every word. I had to go to the bathroom and everything. At one point I figured out every word was worth like 3 cents or some ridiculous thing. But I was so committed. And then Jim wrote years later, I spoke at his funeral. He's a beautiful man. He would start his seminars and say, you know, every time I get up here I want to do a good job because you never know who's in your audience. And he'd tell the story about this kid who was in a kid who's sitting in his room and shouting out answers. And he goes, you know what? It was Tony Robbins. And today he's here with people all around the world. And then he also would tell a story about Mike, the two guys that were the most broke because we probably applied it as much or more than most people would. So that's where my whole start began.
