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Alvaro Nunez

Level Up In Life

By 29029 Everesting

April 5^th, 2024

My life's journey has been full of many ups and downs. After so much effort and work, I finally got my investor visa in the United States. Almost immediately after, I learned that the person I was going to move in with and spend the rest of my life with wanted to be with somebody else.

Later, my business partner took over the business on his own terms, more or less cutting me out.

What was supposed to be a perfect end in the chapter of my long journey to the USA had become another challenge.

I felt like I had two choices - make excuses and go down a dark path of placing blame and ruminating, or using those setbacks as an opportunity.

I chose the latter - I was going to turn my obstacles into superpowers to level up my life.

I decided to use my pain as fuel, so I started searching for challenges. Subconsciously, I knew that channeling that energy into another challenge would help me grow.

I sat at my computer, opened up Google, and typed “toughest challenges in the world.”

One of the things that came up was Ironman, so I said “f*** it, let’s do it!”

I didn’t own running shoes. I didn’t own a bike. I hadn’t swum since I was 10 years old.

But that wasn’t going to stop me. I signed up, then and there.

It’s tempting to put off doing challenging things while gathering info, trying to learn everything you can to prepare. I call that analysis paralysis - putting off doing the thing by learning about the thing.

To a point, it can be helpful, but eventually, you just need to do the thing.

You just need to get started.

I had never run more than 6 miles, so on the day I registered, I decided I needed to beat that number.

I laced up an old pair of gym shoes and hit the road, aiming to run further than ever before.

By the end, I’d run the distance of a half-marathon.

That cemented my belief that if I just try, I can do even more than I think.

Finding your limits early on gives you superpowers. If you push to that point of difficulty, you know it can only get better from there on out.

I used that attitude to propel myself through all kinds of events.

I completed Ironman.

And then another.

I qualified for the Ironman World Championships.

I did the Marathon des Sables, a 250 km ultra-endurance run held in the Sahara Desert.

I did an Ultraman Race.

And eventually, that journey led me to 29029.

I’ve followed Colin O’Brady’s adventures for some time now, and when I found out he was going to be near me in Florida, I knew I had to meet him!

But how?

In all the posts he had shared online about his adventures, I noticed he’d never talked about skydiving.

“Somebody who has done so much hasn’t skydived?” I thought to myself.

I reached out to him and offered to take him.

Of course, a guy like Colin who is always looking for a new adventure would say yes.

I was going skydiving with Colin O’Brady!

The encounter was even more impactful than I expected.

We talked about all kinds of things, but when we started talking about mindset, the real magic happened.

I asked him what he’d done that had helped him build the mindset he has.

He gave a list of answers.

The first?

The 12 Hour Walk.

I’m one of those guys who if I respect and admire somebody, and they suggest something, I’ll take action right away.

I cleared my entire schedule the next day and did it.

Those 12 hours were very powerful. 12 hours of walking with no devices, no music, no podcasts, and no distractions led me to learn even more about myself. It gave me such deep insights that I hadn't thought of before.

It was profound.

Colin also mentioned a silent retreat he’d done.

I searched for one, found it, applied to take part, and booked it into my calendar.

When the time finally came for me to go, it was another profoundly impactful, yet challenging experience.

This guy is onto something! Everything he suggests I do builds this power in my mind!

We kept in touch, and then, one day out of the blue, I got a call from him.

“Hey, what are you doing on August 14th?”

“Yes.” was my reply.

“...I didn’t ask a yes-or-no question. I asked what are you doing?”

“I know. Yes is my answer. What are you doing, because my answer to joining is yes.”

Laughing, he invited me to 29029 Snowbasin.

I was fit when I arrived at Snowbasin. I was in the thick of training for Ironman World Championships, and I had a long list of experience at other endurance events to lean on.

But I still couldn’t help but feel a twinge of nerves when I looked up the slope.

The mountain was huge, and 13 ascents were no joke!

It didn’t take long for the feeling to pass - as I started talking with fellow participants and event staff - I realized this event was about far more than just the personal challenge.

My focus switched away from the magnitude of the mountain - this was an opportunity to connect.

Not only with myself, but with others.

This was an opportunity to get empowered and inspired, and to empower and inspire others.

As the climb began, any last remnants of nerves were erased with excitement for what was to come.

On that first day, every time I climbed, I got the chance to connect with someone new. Conversations on that slope quickly turned deep, so I’d learn my fellow climbers' struggles, motivations, and experiences that led them to the mountain.

Those conversations made going deep into the tank a little easier as I continued to tick away the ascents. It was energizing!

It wasn’t until the rare moments of solitude that I hit the hardest parts of the mountain.

I vividly remember the late hours of the first day. The mountain started to get quiet, as many took the chance for a short midnight rest.

I didn’t want to have to deal with trying to restart climbing after what I assumed would be a restless sleep, so I chose to skip turning in for the night.

I kept climbing.

It was cold. It was dark. It was quiet.

I was tired. I was fatigued. I was sore.

There was little to distract me from the struggle on the quiet slopes.

There was a lot of time to get inside my head, but I knew that’s where the growth would come from.

I turned inwards - it was my chance to confront the challenge head-on.

I kept climbing.

My final ascent was special.

It had taken so much personal effort to get there.

I basked in that personal accomplishment briefly - there should always be some pride in completing a massive challenge - but that feeling was quickly replaced with another.

I don’t know how to describe it, aside from a tremendous feeling of the shared experience: how special it was to accomplish a feat like everesting while being surrounded by so many amazing, energetic, and engaged people.

Even though I finished late at night - or early in the morning depending on how you look at it - the summit was electric. People cheered for me, people high-fived me, and people shared their energy as I got to run down the Red Carpet and pull on my Red Hat!

My accomplishment wasn’t just about me - it was a shared experience with the entire 29029 community that made it that much more special.

I’ve done a lot of different, epic events, and when I think back on all of them, the most beautiful part of 29029 that stands out is the ability to connect with other participants. That’s a rarity at other events, but at 29029 it’s an integral part of the experience.