 Welcome to the 21 convention Orlando Florida. It's 2016 guys. It's actually the under 21 convention the original room Where it all started and we're about to hear from an amazing guy. He founded this thing I mean this is amazing in 2007 and I don't know what he expected in the beginning But it was to bring people together bring knowledge together. This is that people could grow what it's turned into has been the absolute definition of men's development Online worldwide reach man. This is one of the the guys with the greatest integrity that I know and If I had to put my money on somebody in some wisdom, it's this guy right here Anthony Johnson. Come on man All right guys, I'm Anthony Johnson Steve. Thanks for the introduction held an intro always gets me big smile on the face So welcome to the under 21 convention 2016 This is our first under 21 convention in about eight years since 2008 last time we had one was actually in this room In this opening address, I want to welcome you guys to the event and kind of warm you up for the event So it's not a full-length talk. It's like an hour or something like that it's a half hour It's gonna be pretty solid I hope and I think you guys will get a lot out of it and I'm following the footsteps of people like James Marshall and Socrates Who will be here later today Socrates. We've also done this before So you have before you even get going Thanks to come to the event in person, you know, we have thousands of people online to watch it millions every year When you guys show up, that's truly badass and it's a big part of what supports the company keeps us going year in and year out for 10 Years now So before we get into even more of this I want to talk about a brief 10-year history running the company Like Steve mentioned, we started a long time ago. We started back in 2006 Actually started organizing the first event which later occurred in July 2007 Since then my life's been like riding a rocket ship Especially with this company and some other ways too But really this company's been there for me over the past 10 years age 17 when I started it and I'm 27 going on 28 and Having the company with me over the years has just been absolutely well like a rocket ship just riding one bear, you know bear-ass Just like skyrocketing through the past 10 years But it's been powerful and it's been it's been vital to have to surround myself with people who are like-minded And have similar goals and visions for their life the same way you guys are surrounded by friends and people like yourselves right now in this Room and online in a way too So to give you guys kind of a brief overview for those you don't know because not all of you actually know the history of the company Some of you do some of you don't Convention started I started organizing it organizing in 2006 2007 at the first event we followed up in 2008 with an event here in this room first one 2009 I took it again to this room. We made it a little bit bigger 2010 we took it across the world. I took it to Stockholm, Sweden Europe for the first time 2011 we did that again brought it to London 2012 that was the biggest year we've ever had I brought it to lunt Austin, Texas London England and Melbourne, Australia that year was fucking insane some of you I met that year actually John Mike a bunch of you guys were volunteers of the events throughout that year that year was truly phenomenal 2013 took a year off because 2012 is so badass. It just burnt me out truly. I couldn't do another event I was like I'm fucking done for a year 2013 was off 2014 we came back strong in Tampa. We had the biggest event we ever had Three days 23 speakers 26 presentations eight podcasts 20 interviews. It's fucking massive We're still putting out footage in 2016 from that event. That's how much content we had from it because it was huge 2015 again, I took off now. We're back here in 2016 We have two events this year one interesting and right now and of course Miami, Florida later this year in October There were 20th 23rd, which will be the biggest event. We've ever done four days long 30 speakers 30 presentations Which is just nuts and you guys will see that throughout today and tomorrow with a short two-day event You guys are gonna walk out just like Mind-fucked and then you'll have double the length of that in Miami if you go So that's kind of the brief 10-year history the basic overview of how the company's operated over the years And of course we've had the YouTube channels over the years different websites different programs going on but the events That's where it's laid out. This is our I believe 12th live event. This would be the 12th. Miami be the 13th So rather than just give you guys the brief factual history I Wanted to take a moment and give you some unknown history Because the stuff that has told you guys to get figured out through Google the website stuff like that So it'll give you some of the good stuff, right? You don't even know 2010 late in the year. It's like October something so like six years ago Company's four years in right running it since 2006 2010 It's October. I Had 23 cents in my personal bank account Company had negative $300 in the business checking account Thousands of dollars in debt didn't have money to eat barely to place to sleep That was 2010 and we had two events in Sweden and Orlando here in Florida A lot of you guys don't know that I don't talk about the stuff openly usually, but that's part of the company's history So at that time, you know super broke couldn't even eat I had to call my mama asked for 20 bucks She barely had her herself. She gave it to me. I was able to eat for a week off that Actually went to the Publix in downtown Orlando here. Maybe five minutes away and I remember walking up and down the aisles Finding the cheapest eggs and cheese I could buy so I could eat for a week. Otherwise, I'd just starve Now I mentioned this too because that is how dedicated I am to running this company Even after I sold everything I owned to run the company even after going into all this debt being completely fucking broke in That position barely able to buy food trying to buy the cheapest stuff. I can't fucking eat I was still completely focused on the company 23 cents negative $300 broke a shit can't eat How am I gonna run the next conventions? That's where my fucking heads at and that's the kind of dedication you see at this event in yourselves and the people around you and the Volunteers Mike McDonald is a great example. This guy went through hell the other day getting to America from the UK Seriously like some fucked up shit. I was in a great mood when he told me I was like this fucked up like I'm in this Awesome mood this guy's like going through hell But that is the kind of dedication you see in this event from the volunteers from yourselves from me From do the staff from the speakers everyone and that is really important in life to have that kind of dedication and integrity It's something that is important to you So even in the worst possible position you can't eat you have pennies literally 23 pennies in your bank account negative hundreds of dollars in another account for the company still We're gonna run the event. We're gonna do two of them next year and I did a couple months later We sold $10,000 of the DVDs Probably the last DVDs anyone in history ever bought in 2011 because no one fucking buys us anymore We started bringing money enough the YouTube channel for the first time ever We started selling tickets to the London convention in 2011 and the Orlando convention in 2011 Turned everything around Lowest probably one of the lowest points in my life clearly No fucking problem because I know what's important to me I know my purposes and my purpose is running this fucking company making it the best possible event I can pursue my happiness and pursue my values with it and having it be like a sword through fucking life So that's the unknown history that you guys probably never heard of or Anthony is like starving You know, well, I can go 30 days without eating still run the company. So let's fucking do that Whatever I got to do, right? Now fast forward to 2016 from being broke with shit in 2010 not knowing how I'm gonna eat 2016 it's been Unfucking real like getting shit like I've been riding like bare-ass, you know rocket ship past ten years But 2016 is like getting shot out of a cannon Since January this year even December 2015 to now has just blink of an eye unbelievably fast unbelievably powerful and intense Drama all kinds of just unreal stuff that we're gonna talk about in the morning tomorrow during my main talk Not this talk or the late the closing address, but my main speech so yeah, this year has just been unreal and Never before in my life have a bit have I've been more thankful For the work that I've put into myself and into this company and specifically the friendships and business relationships I've made and surrounded myself with Unknowingly I built an incredible safety enough for my life and for my own personal health and well-being By building this company and pursuing my values and pursuing my passions with what I want to do with my life Even when I had 23 fucking cents in a bank account That shit paid off in spades when I needed it most and I was deeply impressed with the dedication and effort and Kindness people showed to me in the time of need that was by far the greatest in my life much worse than 23 cents Your bank account that shit looks like rich in comparison to recently not financially clearly, but in other ways See this year has been epic and one of the results you're going to see that not only as a talk to our morning Where we go over some of the things that happened But we're gonna do the biggest convention. We've ever done this year Miami, Florida This event is a special event as you guys know focused on young people. It's an experimental thing We'll probably do it again in the future, but special but Miami this year in October is gonna be fucking epic And part of that is how this year started off It's motivated me to work harder than I ever have and more intensely and focus myself on the company more than ever because A primary lesson a lean I learned this year from everything that happened in my life personally is That I need this convention a company more than I ever have and so do millions of other young men So this year getting shot out of a cannon and we'll talk about what that means tomorrow It's been a lesson in empathy and relating to you guys people who are younger than me but going through similar stuff in their life like I was at your age and it's been I Guess humbling. I'm not usually a fan of the word humble, but it's been It's been a humbling year Kind of like James Marshall whenever speakers talks about no matter where you're at You can still get fucking knocked on your ass and that is exactly what happened And then people who I built around me pick me right back up. I picked myself up, too, of course But yeah, this year has this been a huge lesson in that how vital this convention is for me personally and for you guys Because I realized and one of the reasons I bring this up, too Is that as I get older and I have more time behind me from where I started really working on my life? It gets a little bit more difficult to relate to people who are going through different stuff So for example, I grew up fat. I had really bad acne. I was overweight I had man boobs my sister used to call them man boob and like make fun of me and shit So it's been a long time since I've been that way So when I've seen people going through weight problems like that or other health problems as the years roll by it's harder to relate to that But this year has been a huge lesson in relating and Yeah, you guys need it more than ever. I need it. We need something like this We need an organization dedicated to helping you improve your life in a reliable way that is grounded in real life Not in like wishful thinking here and now on this earth in this room this weekend Now we're going to rewind a little bit here to 2008 So the last under 21 convention was in 2008. It was right here in this room, Orlando, Florida, United States of America It was in July July 19th to the 23rd or something like that. I have to look the exact dates Now I mentioned this because Yeah, we'll show that Couple days after that event a lot of crazy shit going on at that event behind the scenes, right? But it all worked out, but a few days later my best friend Curtis died of cancer at 22 years old So it was about a week after this event. He was dying of cancer during the event I knew that but I came here to do it because it was important to me. I knew he wanted me to be here no matter what Few days later. He died So what I decided to do after the event was dedicate that particular event to him So if you actually look on some of the old 2008 videos on YouTube, you'll see in the description It's like dedicated to Curtis Noel. That was his name. I Didn't ask him. I didn't use permission. I know full heartedly. He would have really appreciated the endorsement or the dedication And part of the reason I dedicated to him was not simply that he was my best friend and he died Which clearly is tragic, especially at such a young age of cancer, which is really rare But he's someone who has motivated me even now eight years later He continually was impressive and inspiring in his own life and is to this day to me and seeing someone so young Was such a bright future ahead of them die like that I Don't know if it's scarred me But it really is a vivid reminder of how important my life is and everyone's life is when you're alive Because you don't know when you're gonna die Clearly there was a shooting recently in Orlando, and that's a vivid reminder, too But when it's personal like this when your best friend dies like this just like that and you think like there's no way You someone's the young is gonna die cancer. It really impacts you and it drives me to this day Like Steve said with the integrity people make comments like that about me a lot the intensity the drive the integrity Tensity drive integrity a Lot of that is because of Curtis because of the way he lived his life and the way he was so fucking dedicated to pursuing his happiness and pursuing His values and he did it without studying it and without education and without Surrounding himself with people who did it independently of him. He was the source of it He was self-generating the stuff, which is just fucking amazing It still blows my mind that lived his life and the way he did Without external sources of information did a wonderful job of it, and I continued to look back to this day at him And it also reminds me again why it was so valuable and important to dedicate an event like this to him So I'd like Dean to come to the front of the room right now Dean's not coming to the front of the room My friend Dean was supposed to be standing at the door right now this weekend April 30th. I invite my friend Dean I invite him to work security at the convention Basically be like a door person watch the door So we're texting he signs up. He's really excited to do it This is April 30th 2016 a few weeks ago Later that day my friend Tim hangs out with him Few hours after that Dean dies and what appears to be an accident Dean just turned 28 years old was unbelievably fucking kick-ass dude a lot like Curtis dead Where does texting? He signs up to work at the convention Excited to do it dead That's it Dean should have been right fucking there standing there watching this speech, and he's not Just like Curtis should be here young people like this to die like this. It's it's horrible But you need to remember it not let it wash away because it needs to drive you and that's exactly what they would want to This is Dean by the way This is the only picture I ever got to take of him it was in K Costa State Park in 2011 So and I bring this up by the way with Dean. Let's not forget this So I dedicated 2008 to Curtis knoll after the fact Dean died recently as I'm dedicating this event to Dean knew He deserves it just like Curtis did Dean is someone who had a great sense of humor and like Curtis was very Focused on what he wanted to do in his life Presuming his happiness pursuing his values particularly with bodybuilding this guy was fucking awesome to be around He had in particular what one of my favorite philosophers called a great sense of life meaning his total approach and total Emotional evaluation of how to face reality and how to live life Dean was awesome to be around. He's someone who would have loved to be here just like he signed up to work at the event Dean like Curtis deserves an event to be dedicated to him because of the way he lived his life Not just because he died and it's tragic because he was fucking awesome And one of the ways you saw that too is that So Dean and Curtis had a lot of similarities. They never got to meet by the way, but similar in some ways But both of them I find it very interesting I went to both of the memorials of course both of them had huge memorials with hundreds of people at them and people were Devastated beyond belief and I found it fascinating that not only of course or people were devastated because they're so young But there were so many people and the stories they shared were so similar Meaning both of these people were very young and they both impacted hundreds and hundreds of people in their lives and at that age with that kind of Charisma and influence. I think it's really rare and it's special and it reflects on who they are as a person just like you guys Here today in this room pursuing your values pursuing your happiness and the success you want to have in your life Whether it's a woman dating relationships health and fitness and so on So both of them have inspired me and I hope they inspire you guys to to live your life to the fucking max Because that's exactly what they did nothing stop these guys except death That's exactly what should stop you nothing sort of fucking death Whatever you want to pursue in your life your goals your values your happiness go after it and don't fucking stop Let nothing stop you except being dead. That's that's a valid excuse. You're dead. It's okay. It's okay to stop Seriously, it's all right legit excuse I Also bring Dean up because he was an excellent excellent example and exemplary person of personal transformation You guys are here to self-improve the transform your lives in a variety of different ways whatever specific to you while you're here Dean he had a he had a relationship like I ultimately did very similar the really toxic abusive person That caused him after his divorce to go gain a lot of weight got way out of shape and in one year This guy fucking got shredded and huge. That's why I hired him over security. He's huge. Just intimidating as fuck so But seriously look at this. This is someone in one year who made this is a physical transformation But it reflects on him as a person too that the immense amount of hard work you put into this hit in the gym As often as he needed to hard as fuck dedicated as fuck. Nothing stopped him From getting like that. He did it. This is how he looked towards the end of his life, too He's just fucking massive So if you need inspiration look at this guy this guy did it and you can do it too No, maybe not exactly like Dean has very specific genetics. A lot of you probably can't get that big That's not important. The importance is the transformation going through that process is difficult and he did it and you can do it too So should go without saying you guys should prepare yourself for the weekend of a lifetime. We'll say it anyway, right a Lot of you've never been to this event before some of you have Mitch I see a number of you guys have been here before but seriously even this two-day weekend Which for us is short is gonna fucking blow your minds by the time you guys leave tomorrow You're gonna have information overload You're gonna be super emotional like holy fuck what the fuck just happened over the past 48 hours I can't believe this and I'm really happy you guys came and seriously like buck your seatbelts It's gonna be fucking epic and specifically this is the best event on earth for young men And you are a part of it because you're sitting here in this room today. You made it you showed up You took action you invested in yourself. Don't forget that that's important They say showing up is half the battle or more than half the battle Regardless of what percentage it is you did it and it's really fucking important It's really fundamental to living your life and getting where you want to go and finding your purpose and living that purpose You guys are here and that is really really critical not to the company for you guys as individuals in your own lives So that's it. That's my opening address. I Can't thank you guys enough for coming it means the world to me It should mean the world to you and you'll see that more throughout the event as you stay here and experience it That's all I got. I'm Anthony Johnson and I look forward to having you guys throughout the whole fucking weekend having an awesome time I'll be speaking tomorrow my own main speech and I'll be here throughout the event You can ask me anything you guys want throughout the whole time. Thank you