Two more weeks until we wrap up this rate-hike laden, crypto market crashing, war torn Year of the Tiger, so it’s time we buckle in and finish strong everyone. That is to say, stay healthy and positive and focused in the final inning of 2022, and most importantly, stay committed to your fitness.
Another day, another workout is my motto. Because keeping your Temple, i.e., your physical body that’s harmonious with your mind and spirit, is paramount to keeping you primed to finish strong in everything you do.
And not to be forgotten are all those small victories you’ve achieved throughout the year, whatever the successes or positive outcomes earned – or perceived negative outcomes that will prove to be rewarding nonetheless. Be sure to acknowledge them and savor them and celebrate them for what they are: small victories in the war of life.
Happy Holidays everyone, may peace be with you.
PS – Click HERE to buy the best motivational stocking stuffer on the Planet – at least I think so – and get your workout in! Peace – R
Stay strong Floridians, in the wake of Hurricane Ian and thanks for having me in your Sunshine state. Albeit, not much sun the past few days as I’ve experienced my first Category 4 hurricane. The good news is I’m located in central Florida and the brunt of the storm just missed us. The bad news is my friends in St. Pete’s and Ft. Meyers weren’t so lucky. No worries, just stay positive and enjoy the rebuild!
And as luck would have it, since I left Los Angeles about a year ago I’ve survived 30,000 miles of “nomad living” while trans-versing the United States and getting to know 50 unique and exciting cities. That’s right, 50 amazing cities in 10 different states where I’ve spent anywhere from several hours to several months (most recently in Frisco, TX). Check them out:
Leaving Los Angeles for…
Oceanside, La Jolla, San Diego, and Needles – CALIFORNIA
Yuma, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tuscon, Mesa, Chandler and Flagstaff – ARIZONA
Las Vegas – NEVADA
Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Vegas and Tucumcari – NEWMEXICO
Amarillo, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Waco, Ft. Worth, Grapevine, Denton, Dallas, Plano, Frisco and McKinney – TEXAS
Texarkana and Little Rock – ARKANSAS
Memphis, Nashville and Chattanooga – TENNESSEE
Atlanta, Augusta and Savannah – GEORGIA
Charleston – SOUTH CAROLINA
Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Melbourne, Ocala, Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Dunedin, Ft. Meyers, Sarasota, Naples, Hollywood and Miami – FLORIDA
Now I can only imagine what’s in store for the next leg of life’s journey. Have an awesome Autumn everyone…and get your workout in!
As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.
At least when it comes to those good things that have a positive impact on your life and are meant to be provisional. That is to say, they’re meant to inspire and empower you in the present moment, but definitely not the long haul.
Like nomad living.
Because any individual who roams about for any length of time will certainly desire a more permanent resting place. Trust me, I should know. After 9 months of transversing this great country – from LA to Plano to Las Vegas to San Diego with many many stops and cities in between – I’ve found my way back to Texas (no kidding). Although I loved every minute of the journey as well as my time in San Diego – a place akin to heaven – it was time to return to the land of the free and home of the brave. Thus, I’m back in Lone Star state.
As for cryptocurrencies, well that’s another story. Since my last post they’ve crashed by more than 50% and have no doubt sent seismic shocks to my portfolio, to say the least. But then again when it comes to anything in life and especially stocks and cryptos, nothing goes straight up. So keep the faith and HODL on for dear life everyone, because like I’ve said many times before on Tola Talks Texas, we’re in the first inning of a very long ball game.
Be kind and stay strong everyone, and no matter what, get your workout in!
Today is all about doing whatever it takes to never live in fear. Because during the past two years of this COVID pandemic, the powers to be have done their best to control you by instilling fear in your mind, body and spirit. No doubt fear controls – so never let it happen. In our last Tola Talks Texas, at least for now while I travel and spend time with family, I do my best to communicate why we need to get rid of the divide between the vaccinated and unvaccinated. Plus kudos to Bill Maher for his recent monologue about not wanting to live in a masked, paranoid world and never being scared of COVID, but rather the reaction to it. Not to mention this particular comment that I totally agree: So, the fact that America, the medical establishment never even attempted to get people to live a healthier lifestyle as response to this pandemic is a giant scandal to me. Right on Bill, because everyone needs to get with the program and Drink from the Fountain of Youth, like I do. And no matter what, stay strong, stay positive, stay true to your dreams…and get your workout in.
Today is all about giving kudos to those who deserve it most. Like England for ending their Omicron restrictions, Amazon for opening its first clothing store in SoCal, the White House for distributing 400 million N95 masks, Starbucks for rescinding its vaccination requirement, the Supreme Court of the United States for striking down President Biden’s employee mandate, fashion icon Andre Leon Talley for following his dreams and making a difference, and the four NFL quarterbacks that I pick to win their divisional playoff games this weekend: Joe Burrow, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes. Plus the final three Steps to Everlasting Youth from my book, and of course, more positive cryptocurrency news as they begin their ascent (hopefully for good).
Today we’re paying tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It’s a national holiday in the United States and time to honor a great man who stood for never ending equality and justice for all. MLK was also the youngest man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, and a civil rights leader who inspired a nation with his “I Have a Dream” speech in front of 250,000 people gathered around the Lincoln Memorial during their peaceful march upon our nation’s capitol. We’re also talking about the Wolf Moon, a full moon that illuminates to its fullest tonight at 6:48p EST. Plus more fitness tips and inspiration as well as three more steps to everlasting youth from my book, How to Drink from the Fountain of Youth. Have an awesome holiday everyone…and get your workout in!
Today we’re talking about the 10th leading cause of death in the United States: suicide. To put it bluntly – and I say this numerous times on the show – suicide sucks so don’t f**king do it! Because not only does it eliminate nearly 50,000 lives every year, that’s 1 death every 11 minutes, it has far-reaching impacts including serious emotional, physical and economic costs to society. With depression and anxiety among teens and young adults at an all time high, especially with the fear mongering from COVID and Omicron, suicide has to be thwarted and stopped. Not to mention that anxiety affects 1/3 of adults and adolescents in the United States today, further complicating matters. And kudos to all schools K-12 for their prevention efforts against bullying and other forms of abuse that adversely affect students of all ages. So what should you do if you’re anxious and distraught: save yourself with fitness and yoga, and more specifically, come take my Tola Yoga class at Plano Athletic Club starting this Saturday at 12:30p. That’s right, Tola Yoga is back, and I’d love to see you there front and center. Because who doesn’t want to empower their mind, body and soul while drinking from the Fountain of Youth? Plus kudos to the David Bowie estate as well as Bruce Springsteen, aka The Boss, for such massive sales of their music publishing rights. PS – good luck to my father with his cancer surgery at Sloan Kettering today…you’re gonna rock it! Peace – R
Hey everyone, I’m super excited to launch another original podcast, this time from the lovely confines of downtown historic Plano and appropriately called, TOLA TALKS TEXAS. Because when it comes to the great state of Texas, no doubt it’s the land of the free and home of the brave.
If you’re wondering why, let’s just say it’s time I take off the kid gloves and call it like I really see it when it comes to current events, cryptocurrencies and of course, all things related to health = wealth. Not to say my previous Tola Talks weren’t chock full of candid and intelligent no bullshit talk – the first on LATalkRadio and then YouTube while the second 2.0 version was focused on my latest book, How to Drink from the Fountain of Youth. They certainly were, although I never addressed the problems facing our society today as well as our great country, the United States of America…at least it used to be.
So coming this Christmas I look forward to bringing you the best of the best, i.e., my most straightforward and insightful knock-out punch. Or a barrage of punches that’ll have you questioning what’s truthful in today’s news (and politics) vs. what’s meant to “control you”. Just like our current Administration says they’re trying NOT to do…”not to control you but to save you”.
Utter nonsense if you ask me. Because only YOU can SAVE YOURSELF.
Have an awesome week everyone, and Ill see you on Xmas! Peace – R
PS – if you haven’t been keeping with my 100 Workout Challenge, there are three days left to get them in. Happy fitness!
When I told my buddy I wasn’t vaccinated and was never getting the jab, he said, “Then it’s either Texas or Florida if you want to lead a normal life.”
Normal life, as in freely or being allowed by law, including going to the gym, nail salon, movie theatre, shopping mall or any bar or restaurant in the city. Talk about a quintessential What-The-Fcuk. I mean, one of our nation’s greatest Presidents and spokesperson for democracy, Thomas Jefferson, would roll over in his grave with such “tyranny over the mind of man” exhibited by today’s government officials.
Because in my book the COVID mandates of Los Angeles are not only ridiculous and unjust, they’re also a form of tyranny or “arbitrary or unrestrained exercise of power”, as defined by the dictionary. Most importantly, these mandates prevent me from living a so-called normal life, which includes working out every single day plus walking 10+ miles a day since COVID began. Not to mention I’m at my ideal weight with less than 10% body fat, a blood pressure of 110 over 60, plus a great bill of health from my doctor. Oh yeah, I’ll be 59 in March and I’ve never taken a daily pill in my entire life – medicine or supplement. And don’t forget I wrote the book on How to Drink from the Fountain of Youth: 30 Steps to Everlasting Youth. So why do I need to inject myself with something that isn’t necessary? Forgettaboutit.
So there you have it California, you leave me no choice but to leave you after 15 glorious years. Albeit, it’s more like you kicked me out after 15 hard-working and dream chasing years.
Here I come Texas, with my new horsepower and anything is possible attitude. And no worries to anyone who thinks like I do and remains committed to living a fearless and vaccine-free life, all the while treating your most valuable asset, aka your Temple, with the utmost respect.
Happy Veterans Day everyone…and get your workout in! Peace – R
I remember it well, from the balcony on the 39th floor of my Midtown Manhattan office building located just 3 miles north of The World Trade Towers. Chapter 43 of my memoir, Simply Between Millions: From Wall Street to Hollywood, recants that fateful day 20 years ago today:
CHAPTER 43 – 9/11
“As I write these words, it is exactly one week prior to the 10th Anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks. This is how I remember it:
It was the most beautiful of NYC days. Crystal clear blue skies and a coolness that made everything in the city feel alive. I was excited to go to work that day because I was giving my printer the thumbs up for my first mailing, The Tola Report. It was this fancy, four-page color flyer that was going out to more than 1,000 owners. I had spent the past six weeks getting it ready. Now it would be finalized and sent out directly from the printer. I also purchased two new suits and was excited to get them to my tailor on John Street. My tailor was less than 500 yards from the World Trade Center. I had planned to go there before I went to the office – he opened at 8 AM. But I was running late and the subways were crowded, so I decided to go straight to work and then go see him during lunch. I arrived at my Midtown office just before 8 AM.
If I had stayed on the Lexington Avenue subway line, I can only guess that I would have been at my tailor’s at exactly the time the first plane hit.
View from Midtown Manhattan on 9/11 – RIP
Our office had a balcony with an unobstructed view of Tower I and a partial view of Tower II (about half). As I was proof-reading my report for the last time, a senior broker, Zev, came running past me with a huge pair of binoculars. I would soon learn that he was a paratrooper in the Israeli Army and loved his military binoculars. He screamed, “Smoke’s coming out of the Tower”, as he ran by. I turned to look out my window and then at my clock radio that was playing the news. It was 8:44 AM, and there was still no mention of it. About three minutes later the reporter sounded confused when he said something about a small plane had hit the World Trade Center. I went to the balcony to check it out. A few other brokers and assistants had joined me, and others were in my office listening to the radio. We passed the binoculars back and forth, each taking a few minutes to look. Soon we were all staring at each other because we knew it wasn’t a small plane. There was way too much smoke pouring out of a huge swath of floors high up on Tower I. As real estate people, we strangely knew it would fall. Then a plane hit Tower II and it was chaos. Everyone in the office seemed to be running all over the place, onto the balcony, into my office, over to each other’s desks, until I found myself alone on the balcony.
Time stood still for the next two minutes as I secured myself so the binoculars wouldn’t move a millimeter. Then I focused my sights on Tower I. The stainless steel skin of the building, right below where the smoke was pouring out, was peeled away like a banana skin, arching away from the building, frozen in the air.
I then saw two men climb onto the steel skin, one behind the other, clinging for dear life, crawling away from the inferno. When the first man couldn’t go any further, he let go. As he plunged to his death, he did what appeared to be a backward swan dive. The other man soon followed, and when he let go, he grabbed his knees and slowly tumbled forward. I put down the binoculars and went inside. I’m not sure what happened next, other than I was on the balcony with a few others when Tower I fell. I didn’t have the binoculars, but I watched in shock as Tower I slowly crumbled to the ground. The same for Tower II – I was on the balcony and stayed until I could no longer see the horizon.
The next thing I remember, I was standing in the middle of Madison Avenue looking downtown at the smoke-filled sky. Cars were stopped dead in their tracks, doors open, people just standing there, screaming and pointing to downtown. If felt like a scene from a movie, as New Yorkers fled the streets not sure what to do. It soon felt like everyone was moving north. Me and two other brokers who lived in New Jersey walked north to my place. The entire time I looked back over my shoulder, trying to figure out what happened. All cell phones were dead, so it was word of mouth from the people in the streets. Once we got to my place, we put the TV on and set up camp. My apartment was busy with friends coming and going. By 6 PM, my broker friends had left, and fortunately, they both got off the island and made it home safely.
The next day, Jimmy V and I took the subway south to Canal Street. For some reason, we both needed to go there. The subways weren’t running past Canal, so we got out and walked east toward the Manhattan Bridge. Every street running south to downtown was barricaded with NYC policemen. We finally found a side street in Chinatown where we snuck by and made our way toward the rubble. It was at least a mile away. By the time we got to Foley Square, Jimmy V had an asthma attack. The air quality was bad, and of course, we shouldn’t have been there. Since he could barely breathe, we went down into the subway, just to get away from the polluted air. Twenty minutes later, we headed back.
What I remember most about our trip wasn’t the sounds and smells of the city that day. It was the two-inch layer of soot and ash delicately resting on the wrought iron fence surrounding Foley Square. It looked like really dirty, dry snow had fallen – it was eerie and yet strangely peaceful at the same time. I truly did feel my skin crawl that day. Something I won’t forget for the rest of my life.”
RIP to those who perished, and continued strength, happiness and unity for the rest of us.
Have an awesome weekend everyone…and get your workout in!
