Meeting a Hero

 I entered and completed seven fitness contests and lost eighty pounds because of one man — a man I finally got to meet a week or so ago.

I was a featured speaker at the World Wellness Weekend event in Austin, along with Marianne Williamson, Marci Shimoff, and Bill Phillips.

Bill Phillips created the Body for Life challenge over a decade ago. It was a brilliant movement to get people to transform their bodies and their lives in only twelve weeks.

His book became a six million copy bestseller and the movement captured the imagination of an estimated two million people.

I still remember reading his magazine, Muscle Media, and seeing all those before and after pictures of average people who were now stunning looking.

I got the bug and the dream, and went for it. I couldn’t complete the first two challenges. Working out and dieting for twelve weeks was too much for my mind and body at that time.

But when I combined the Body for Life system with the Mental Toughness Institute for Weight Control‘s support and education, I got results.

As I mentioned above, I entered and completed seven contests. I lost 80 pounds. And I received an honorable mention for one contest.

So you can imagine how much I wanted to meet the man behind all this: Bill Phillips.

My friend Mark Ryan and I went to the event on Friday night to set up my booth. I didn’t know it but Bill was speaking that night. We figured we’d go see the room where I’d be speaking on Sunday. As we wandered around, I thought I saw Bill Phillips over in the corner.

But the guy I saw looked too young. This might be Bill’s son, or younger brother. But not Bill. He looked like a California surfer dude. Was that Bill?

I tried not to stare but my eyes kept wandering back to the guy. I wanted to know if it was Bill. If so, he sure seemed unassuming, humble, and natural.

After a while he went on stage to have a sound check. That’s when I knew the young fella I had been watching was in fact my hero: the legend himself, Bill Phillips.

He wasn’t ready to speak yet so I felt this was my moment. I took a deep breath, looked at Mark, and said, “I’m going in.”

I took two steps up the stairs to the stage, looked at Bill and said, “My Phillips, I’m –”

“Hi Joe,” he said, smiling.

I almost fell down the steps.

“You know me?” I asked.

“Oh, I’m well aware of who you are.”

He was smiling a little sheepish, shy smile but his eyes glowed.

“How do you know me?” I asked, baffled that this fitness inspiration would know my name. “From the movie The Secret?”

“No, I knew you before that,” he said. “From your marketing books and methods.”

Now THAT was flattering.

The man behind one of the most legendary movements to get people in the gym, who’s marketing is brilliant, knew me from my marketing.

“I saw you in the movie, too” he said. “We call that movie the Joe and Michael show, since you and Michael Beckwith are the stand-outs in it.”

I was stunned.

But I also wanted Bill to know how he helped me.

“Bill, I want you to know you transformed my life. I entered your contest seven times and dropped eighty pounds.”

“No!” he exclaimed, truly impressed.

We made some small talk for a while, had our photos taken together, and exchanged information so we could stay in touch.

It was a historic moment for me: meeting one of the heroes of my life.

Thank you, Bill Phillips.

Ao Akua,

Joe
www.mrfire.com

PS — Bill has another movement in the works and another book coming out. He wants to transform the nation’s youth from childhood obesity to healthy and fit. See www.transformation.com