Yo Elliott! Live in New York City

Earlier today I was at Yo Elliott! Live in New York City, and I can honestly say it one was of the best events I’ve ever been to. Limited to 30 people and in a Crossfit gym, it was 4 and a half hours of unscripted awesomeness. Elliott just answered the questions we had for him. He shared his personal knowledge and experience, providing insight to ultimately help us help ourselves.

But wait, before I get into this, you know who Elliott Hulse is right? He’s that guy with all of the Youtube videos. The strength coach who goes off on philosophy tangents. That jacked dude shaking like a maniac at the gym. And in my opinion, he’s a genius as well as an inspiration. Here’s the thing, we all have the potential to get to that level (that Elliott and other mentors are at); we just need to realize and actualize it. And people like Elliott Hulse are guiding us in that direction.

Here’s a pic of Elliott and I, because, you know, if you don’t get a picture, it never happened, right?

(I think it’s time for me to get a hair cut.)

But anyways, when we all got there everyone made a name tag. But with the addition of some artwork to express our individual uniqueness. I felt like I was in first grade again (in a good way of course), so I took it and got all deep with it. Steve = Infinity symbol/plus sign/eye/heart/eye. Interpret as you wish.

So, yeah, back to the event. Everything we discussed is still sinking in, but here’s a hodgepodge of discussions and quotes from Yo Elliot! live in NYC:

My question to Elliott was actually about this website, regarding passion and purpose. Here’s what it looked like. (It’s not word for word because I was busy paying attention, so I didn’t write it all down or video tape it. But you’ll get the point.)

I’ve come to the realization that my passion and purpose seems very broad and can’t be labeled. I have a knack for positivity and feeling great that I want to share with people. My website/blog is actually called “Feelin’ Good, Feelin’ Great.” What’s your opinion on finding a niche as opposed to just doing your thing and seeing where it goes?

And here’s the gist of Elliott’s response to my question:

Stop letting the mind categorize everything.

Just let God work through you.

Don’t hold anything back.

Don’t worry about fitting into a category, throw yourself into the river and see where it takes you.

All of the great minds throughout history couldn’t categorize themselves. How do you categorize something that’s new?

Give birth to new ideas. Just do it.

Share whatever you’re passionate about with the world. We all need it.

This was an awesome confirmation for what I’ve been feeling inside. The content I’ve been posting here has been what I NEED to share and express. Maybe I can’t put a definitive label on it now, but I’m going to keep doin my thang here until I blaze my own path. Because I CAN’T NOT help as many people as possible to go dance through life while feelin’ good, feelin’ great.

Enough about me. Here’s some of the topics/concepts we covered:

Heartbeat, which is creating/establishing a  daily routine to reach a goal. As an example, Elliot makes one video and writes one e-mail (for his newsletter) every single day.

Correcting movement patterns. He helped one person perform an exercise to practice engaging his glutes. He helped another check his form while performing front squats. And he helped another person find out how to improve ankle stability with one-leg balancing progressions.

Neurotic holding patterns. Conditioning. How repressed emotions manifest in bodily tension. Learning to express yourself through speech, motion, exercise, and countless other ways.

Finding new universes on the quest for knowledge. When you have a thirst for learning, you constantly go deeper and deeper into rabbit holes of information. Elliott explained his love for indexes in books, which serve as a portal to vast new worlds of knowledge.

The art of detachment. And how it benefits us.

And some quotables from Elliott:

“I owe the world.” (Referring to his passion of helping people become the strongest versions of themselves)

“Don’t be so selfish as to hold things back that you can share with the world.”

“We all tell ourselves stories. We define ourselves with our stories. Is your story helpful? You won’t be able to tell a new story until you stop identifying with your old one.”

“We live in a society where we want a guarantee. But the truth is we don’t know what’s going to happen.”

“No fucked up situation happens overnight. You get little taps on the shoulder as warnings. You need to recognize the signs.”

“The whole idea is you gotta get over the bullshit.”

“Our society praises extroversion to an unnecessary degree.”

“Bamboo grows downward before it grows upward. It has the extroversion (above ground) and the introversion (underground). The power lies within the roots. But all you see is what is above the surface.”

“What attracts people to me is that I’m relentlessly me, to the point that it’s fucking weird.” (This seems to be a common theme among people I view as mentors)

“People appreciate people that are different because it gives them permission to be different.”

“You’re a unique flower, don’t compare it to flowers that already have been.”

“Find your awesomeness, and be flamboyantly awesome.”

“The stronger version of yourself wants to come out, but you’re creating prisons.” (self-imposed limitations)

People ask me, “Elliot, are you a philosopher?” And I respond with “Do I need a piece of paper to be one?”

“It’s the implementation of your knowledge that really matters.”

“I have a feeling that the future of education is going to go back to the roots. And that is apprenticeship.”

“Two things you never go cheap on, your food and your knowledge. Because both become who you are. Your food becomes your cells, and your knowledge becomes your ideas.”

“You know what’s one of the best inventions? Audiobooks. I love those things.”

“For the nervous system, repetition is the most important thing.”

“I’m not attached to anything.”

“Think about the power you have when you can readily entertain and deviate from ideas.”

“The minute I tried to be something, I realized I wasn’t that.” (referring to categorizing and labeling yourself)

“There’s a version of you that’s completely detached from race, religion, nationality…etc.”

And this is the note he ended on:

“See what’s possible for you when you let go. Just be.”

Thank you for an amazing day, Elliott (if you’re reading this).

Now I’m even more inspired to pursue my passion and fulfill my purpose of sharing my thoughts and ideas to help others.

The snowball effect of awesomeness is in motion.

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Elliott on the interwebz:

http://www.facebook.com/elliotthulse

http://www.youtube.com/user/strengthcamp

http://www.youtube.com/user/elliottsaidwhat

http://www.youtube.com/user/CampaignNonJob