How I met JT FOXX – and why a date matters

It’s Monday morning, July 3rd. I’m sitting bared foots in this impressive house, in Florida. Next to me about 50 people I never met before. In front of me one of the most successful people the legendary George Ross. I still wonder how I get myself here. I feel curious and eager to see where all these will bring me.
Nothing of that morning could announce what I experienced only few hours later.

Images of a different set up are coming back to my mind. I’m in Paris, and just seen one of those adds on my facebook page. The promise: “we need more women speakers”. In my mind, I go “are you talking to me?” Yeah, I had on my plan to go more on stages. I like being on stage, connecting with people from a different perspective. And to be honest, providing I’m talking like a broken record anyway at least to do it in front of a large audience. I registered right away. And went ahead with my life, my travels, totally forgot about it.

How many weeks went by I don’t know, it was spring and I just landed back in Paris, checking my emails. One of it reminds me I signed for Mega Speaker (http://megaspeaker.com/), that they are happy to see me in 3 days, and there is a free ticket attached to my mail. I’m ohh dear, these guys are serious, and I’m back to Paris just on time… I know now that for so lit I could have miss this first date with JT.

I printed my ticket and here I go.

Saturday morning, wake up call before 7am. My first thought it s “really Raluca, really, Saturday morning, and it s on the other side of town for god sake”. No time for second thought. I’m up in the shower, take quickly my coffee, and half hour later I’m on my bike, enjoying the beautiful quiet spring morning.

I sit in the middle of a conference room of this big hotel, with few hundreds people. I’m just by myself. I kind of enjoy that; thinking let’s see who they are and how serious we go. Hey who is this guy talking; and why on earth we talk tennis…; he s good but look quite older than the picture I ve seen. Let me check again, no, clearly he can t be JT (sorry Brant). OK, I’m thinking of course whoever this JT guy is he is probably too good to come to a free event. To be honest I did not mind it; this other guy knows his stuff so I continued to stay focused, take notes, all was good.

Around me an international audience and quite a few French people; after all we are in Paris. I see their smiles, the “WTF you Americans are here for? Yeah you are fun but really who do you think you are”. I hear them without even hearing their voices. They just have that arrogant smile you may sometime notice when in Paris (sorry to all my Parisian friends, I chose this place as home long back and well, we all know what I’m talking about). It s so ridiculous that I’m smiling as well amused. For now I’m not looking for conclusions; I’m just curious and to be honest I’m having fun.

At the morning break I don’t talk to anyone, still observing and amusingly smiling. Few people are not coming back. Out of the blue someone makes a huge announcing. From the way it goes you may think at least Obama will enter the room.

So he is JT FOXX

Stay with me, it s getting even better.

He comes into the room; young, great tie, big watch, kind of the reality show American star, speaking French, just enough to immediately know he is Canadian. Come across as arogant not to say more and I’m kind of, who the hell is this guy. And the show begins. He gives tons of valuable information, he goes for being angry, to picking on people and provocatively give them the “who they are and what their issue is”. And goes on for the entire day. To a point he shows himself on stage with Travolta singing The song (https://www.facebook.com/lorenzo.escobal/videos/vb.506672600/10153911375822601/?type=2&theater). We all know that song, and i don’t need more to start singing and dancing while watching the video. At that time my decision was already taken. I’m not buying who he seems to be, or the image he is showing; I’m buying this fun incredibly smart guy who is the total opposite of who I am and the way I think and can go as crazy as I go. In the back of my head I hear Saber’s voice my coachs (saberwaves.com) asking so how will you influence more people without any branding and any marketing.

I have all those memories in my mind when I see him entering his own house in Florida; he comes directly from Sydney Australia. I’m happy to see him. At that time I’m just excited, it will be a great week after all…

Well for once in my life I just spoke too fast. Nothing in that genuine smile would have allowed me to know that in few hours he will literally kill me in front of all these people.

The day goes on.

My turn comes, he calls my name from a list; he has no clue of who am I not even where I’m coming from. Gosh JT I’m your first Romanian speaker… that was so nice when you said to me “I’m so happy you are from Romania”. And now… OK passons, as we say in French.

So I tell him we have met in Paris, so he looks straight to me and ask “what date was that”. In my head I’m like why that even matters… Few months back I answer. What date? That question came back again as a knife. He keeps pushing my red buttons, while I really try to stay calm. He of course knows the date, the hotel etc, I say I could find the date in my agenda but this is not his question. I spare you the rest, it turns out not only I don’t know what date we met, more I don’t know my basic figures, nor what time did I wake one day before leaving to US, and it goes on and on for about 30 minutes. He wants to prove me wrong; I want to be right, try to give my explanations, no way he listens. I was shocked. Not even understood what his message was; and really why was he so hard on me in front of all those people. Tons of thoughts are coming; my mind goes fast; at that point in time I fight hard not to judge nor him nor the situation; I try to stay calm but who am I fooling; I have no control. And yet in my mind I see no point of him destroying me; So as my logic provides no answers, the most obvious conclusion is that he sees something that may keep me from being as successful as I have the potential to be. It took a few hours to understand his message, I realized that although he said I was great, I did not take my business seriously, at least not as seriously as I take my clients business. Providing any of my clients would have given me the same answers I gave him I would have just told them “stop bullshiting me”… He had a point.

The rest it’s history, there was great connexion with amazing coaches from JT teams (#reggiebatts, #damieneston, #lesevans, #charliedombek), there were tears and smiles, great people coming to reach out and share there stories, to encourage me, to tell me this is JT showing love (and I thank God he does not hate me); and there was a jetski tour with JT, … , and most of all there were hugs, hugs, hugs.

At the end of the day I knew so clearly inside me where am I going; when he hugged me I felt the trust, I knew I was not longer alone in my business journey. I knew he was my family. That was only 5 days back.

 

As I sit here in my home in Paris I still hear him next to me. Every morning I wake up with enthusiasm, so much I barely sleep; so many things to do, so many ideas. I don’t know where I’ll be next year what I know is that it’s going to be great.

So here is to you JT. I don’t know anyone giving as much as you give. You opened your house, your arms, and your heart to me. And more important I don’t know anyone trusting me so badly and wanting me to succeed and be successful as badly as you want. There are not only worlds but acts, actions plans, tools, ideas, branding, and so much more.

March 25th 2017, that was the date I met JT, and that’s a date I ll no longer forget. That day I took one of the best decisions in my life. Opportunities are knocking on our doors each day. I could so easily passed by that March 25th, I could even sleep longer, I could have been on a different continent, I could have not taken immediate action at the end of the day. Anyone could have been in my shoes to be honest. Opportunities are the same. How many do we recognize, how fast do we take decisions, how do we know that is something not to miss… for those still having similar questions reach out and let me open your answers with you.

And for those wondering each day I’m enjoying my life and my business more; what changed in addition to extra business, impressive tools, new coaches (just to mention few), the biggest change is that I have JT as my family. And family is not just an overused cliche, it is one of my highest values.