From IRONMAN to IRON SOUL: Living Simply in an Extraordinary Way

By Jose Irizarry

From Iron Man to Iron Soul: Living Simply in an Extraordinary Way by José Irizarry
 
Many of us make our lives complicated and difficult by chasing things we don't really want or need. If instead we were to follow our hearts and allow the grace and intelligence of the universe to guide us, we could live infinitely simpler, but richer lives. From Iron Man to Iron Soul: Living Simply in an Extraordinary Way is an exploration of one man's discovery of the mysterious "System" that pulls the strings of the universe and helps us to live in extraordinary ways—if we could only learn to read its cues and accept its invitations.
 
The book consists of stories and spiritual lessons from José's colorful life. By following his intuition and the "signs" the System has sent him, José's adventures have taken him from Puerto Rico to Hawaii to Machu Picchu to India to ancient Greece, and provided personal encounters and relationships with people like Lucille Ball, the Dalai Lama, a world-renowned shaman, and a billionaire philanthropist. Referring to himself as the Puerto Rican Forrest Gump, José has let the System carry him where it wanted to, and in the process has undergone a spiritual transformation. José reveals the secrets of the System by showing the remarkable and "magical" ways it has affected his own life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jul 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9781667852423

Book preview

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From IRONMAN to IRON SOUL

Living Simply in an Extraordinary Way

Jose Irizarry

ISBN (Print Edition): 978-1-68564-912-8

ISBN (eBook Edition): 978-1-66785-242-3

© 2022. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

WarninG:

This Book Can Cause a Joy Attack

Contents

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Hola y Bienvenido—Hello and Welcome

Chapter 1 Syracuse: A Glimpse into the System

Chapter 2 Hawaii: Coming Home

Chapter 3 Letting Go: From Machu Picchu to Athens

Chapter 4 Student. Teacher. Friend.

Chapter 5 Two Great Spiritual Masters, One José

Chapter 6 Life After Maria

Chapter 7 Imagine That

Acknowledgements

I am deeply grateful to every person who has ever crossed my path in this astonishing, interconnected journey called life. You all had an influence on my growth and on this book. I cannot possibly thank you all by name, but gracias—from the heart.

When it comes to particular people, I would like to thank by name my Three Amigos and Three Masters.

The Three Amigos :

Dr. Richard Keelor (the only one still on this physical plane). I met Richard in the early ‘80s through the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, where he served as a director for many years. He opened up to me about his personal life, and I learned from him how to develop a fitness-related business. He also introduced me to the Native American flute, which I have played all over the world, and to Master Raji, who changed my life. I was honored to be the best man at his wedding to Carolyn. To this day I say, When I grow up I want to be like him!

Baucke Bendien, aka The Flying Dutchman. A great businessman and world traveler from Holland. He loved Puerto Rico more than many Puerto Ricans do and stayed for more than forty years. We talked a lot. He helped me with my fiscal challenges and I helped him in his bouts with age-related issues. He died riding a mountain bike, a perfect Baucke ending. I miss him a lot. And to his kids Sandra and Alex, thanks for all your help. The man is proud of you!

Peter Gary Alfond (El Pedro). Another great businessman, a lifelong philanthropist, and a brilliant mind. Also a transplant to Puerto Rico, he was especially generous to the Vimenti school and the Boys & Girls Clubs, giving the largest donation in Puerto Rico’s history. I met him as his personal trainer, and we became longtime friends. We were both born in May of 1952, Taurus and Dragons. Our relationship was one of passionate energy—every extreme of love, hate, and life! He was the best man at my wedding and we were best men for each other.

The Three Masters:

Anthony Diaz. During my last three IRONMAN competitions in Hawaii, I stayed with Tony and my Puerto Rican family on Old Donkey Road in the Kona Hills. The competition became secondary. My main purpose was to share time with Tony and talk story. We talked about metaphysics and the meaning of being a Puerto Rican. I learned to be a true Puerto Rican with Tony in Hawaii. Big Kahuna, Pele power, with a twist of Taino and Spanish Conquistador. Aloha.

The Dalai Lama. The embodiment of compassion. I will never forget my journey to Daramshala and my opening to forgiveness and to living in the present moment—and of course, meeting my adopted son, Kalsang Tashi, and his Tibetan family.

Sant Rajinder Sing Ji. My living Master. Having a living Master is like going on a plane trip with a good pilot; you know you’re going to get there. The trip is my lifelong journey of becoming me! And the key to my evolution is the practice of meditation and the science of spirituality, which keeps my sometimes-caballo loco mind in check and has been my key to discovering the System. Be Good, Do Good, Be One! Namaste!

Next, I would like to thank my co-writer/editor, Andy Wolfendon. I have just one thing to say to Andy: Todo o nada! No Andy, no Book! Your patience with me and the opportunity to put this book in writing was a dream come true. I remember when you came to Peter’s to work on his book, and I told you, One day, Andy, you are going to help me with my book. And so it is! The System at work. Gracias.

And finally, I have come to realize that one of the deepest and most mysterious aspects of the System is FAMILY! I am blessed for mine. I now fully realize that I chose to put on human clothes and take this trip we call life. And the means of transportation I chose was Felícita & Ismael. The love of good parents may be the closest we ever come to experiencing the Love of God. The seeds of everything I am and everything that is in this book began with them.

Thanks, too, to my brothers, Jorge and Che Juan. And special thanks to Cheo, Nati, Cami, Sofi, Kiki, AJ, Shi and Lin. And, of course, to those other special family members whose presence has graced my life: Polo, Mr. Yemerson, and Lady Tips.

Foreword

You probably don’t know my name, but I’ve written a lot of books. Most of them don’t have my name on the cover. That’s because I’m a ghostwriter. No, I don’t do what Stephen King does; I don’t write ghost stories. I write books that other people put their names on. Sometimes well-known people.

That’s how I met Jose Irizarry. Not through this book, but through a book I was ghostwriting for a friend of his some years ago—a wealthy and successful businessman/philanthropist who lived in New England and Puerto Rico. Jose was an important part of this man’s life, so he wanted me to interview Jose. I had the pleasure of spending time with Jose on a beautiful estate in Dorado Beach, PR, and an equally beautiful estate in Maine, and some other places in between.

I took an instant liking to Jose, and I knew immediately that he was one of those rare souls who is tapped into the magic. Jose moves through life with a complete trust in the universe—and because of that trust, the universe takes him to amazing places. And he goes along for the ride, always confident that he’s going to end up making new and exciting connections.

How many people really do that? Not many, in my experience.

My specialty as a ghostwriter is in the realm of inspirational books, much like the one you’re holding in your hands. I write about human development, spirituality, metaphysics, alternative belief systems, themes like that. Many of the credited authors of these books are people who talk a good game. They expound on the Law of Attraction or the Power of Gratitude, but often don’t really live the principles they slap on their book covers.

Some of them, in fact, are arrogant jerks. Some don’t pay their bills. Some lead lives of chaos and pain and doubt, so unlike the promise their books offer.

Jose is different. Every word you’re going to read in this book flows directly out of his life experience. He lived these stories and these principles for decades, long before he decided to put any of this material down in a book.

Jose moves with grace in all circles of life, with all kinds of people, because he sees life as a glorious game. He is an athlete, a businessman, a musician, a philosopher, a father, an outdoor adventurer; the nouns go on. I’m honored to call him my friend. He is equally at home on a billionaire’s yacht as he is in a Buddhist temple or a storm-battered house with no electricity in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Whatever the situation, Jose always has the same gleam in his eye, that gleam that tells you he’s tuned into a special frequency.

This book is about that frequency. This is good stuff, my friends.

The stories you’ll read here are just the tip of the iceberg. Jose’s life is a constant adventure—and yours can be too if you give the ideas in this book half a shot. That’s a promise.

- Andy Wolfendon, author of Fishermen’s Court and The Girl from Glocken’s Glen and ghostwriter of 70+ books

Hola y Bienvenido—

Hello and Welcome

Do you remember the movie Forrest Gump ? Its opening sequence is one of my favorites of all time. It shows a feather dancing in the wind, being blown from one location to another. The feather, of course, is a metaphor for the life of the main character. Like a feather blown by the wind, Forrest Gump goes wherever the universe carries him. And somehow he always ends up in meaningful situations, interacting with some of the most influential people in the world. He also has incredibly good fortune—because he is always in the right place at the right time. He doesn’t try to put himself in these situations; he simply allows it to happen. He changes the world by letting fate carry him wherever he needs to be and then by having a positive, helpful attitude in whatever situation he lands in.

In some ways, my own life has had a Forrest Gump quality to it. No, I didn’t teach Elvis Presley his dance moves or witness the Watergate break-in, but I have had interactions with some world-renowned and influential people, experienced some truly mind-boggling coincidences, and had more life-enriching adventures than a simple guy from a small city in Puerto Rico should have experienced in one lifetime. Most importantly, each experience has deepened my joy, my wonder, my peace of mind, and my sense of connectedness to this astonishing universe we live in.

I am not wealthy or privileged by financial or world standards, but I have been living an extraordinary life, full of richness and color and blessings. And I know you can live one too.

The heart of this book comes down to one premise: There are two ways to live—the difficult, complicated way, or the simple, extraordinary way. Many of us, sadly, have been trained to choose the former. We try to follow the kind of mind-driven, goal-oriented life that has been modeled for us by our peers, our society, our teachers, our family, and the media. We strive to acquire all of the approved symbols of happiness and security—the job title, the house, the cars, the family, the insurance policies—in the belief that these things will make us feel happy and fulfilled. We endure endless stress so that we can pay our bills and have the things that are supposed to bring us happiness. Meanwhile, we fail to enjoy a great many of the things that would actually make us happy. And we miss out on amazing opportunities that come knocking on our doors—invitations to explore new ideas, to go on new journeys, to unlock our full potential, and to develop hidden aspects of ourselves.

There is a better way to live. It is the simple and extraordinary way. It is driven by the heart more than the head. Not only is this second way a more economically efficient way to live—since we don’t waste all our money and energy acquiring things we don’t truly want—but when we live this way, each day becomes an exhilarating adventure. We unlock levels of fulfillment and spiritual joy we couldn’t even imagine before.

This book, it won’t surprise you, is about the second way.

Simpler Is Better

Years ago, I read a story by Richard Bolles, the author of What Color Is Your Parachute? It has always stuck with me. Here’s the way I remember it, in my own words:

An American investment banker goes on vacation to a small coastal town in Mexico. He is walking along the beach in the middle of the afternoon when he sees a village fisherman dragging his little boat ashore. The fisherman has three big fish in his boat. The banker admires the fish and asks the fisherman how long it took to catch them.

Maybe three hours or so, says the fisherman.

So why are you quitting work so early? If you fished until sunset, you could catch even more fish.

But I don’t need any more fish, says the fisherman. I have enough for today. I will keep one fish to eat and I will sell the other two. Then I will stroll home and take a siesta with my wife.

Siesta? Napping in the middle of the day? That sounds like wasted time. What else will you do with your day?

Later on, my wife and I will walk into the village, have a glass of wine, and watch the sunset. Then we will take my fish to our friends’ house and we’ll cook a meal together around the fire, play some music, and tell some stories. After that, my wife and I will go home and maybe make love.

But you’re missing out on a great financial opportunity, says the banker. If you caught six fish instead of three, you could bank the profits every day. Pretty soon, you could afford to buy a second boat and hire someone to work it for you. Double your profits. Eventually, you could buy a whole fleet of fishing boats and start your own corporation. Sure, you’d have to move to the city for a while in order to manage it effectively, but eventually you could do an IPO, and with the money you earn from selling stock in your company, you could retire.

And then what? asks the fisherman.

Then you could buy a cottage on the beach, spend your days fishing, drinking wine, watching the sunset, dining with friends, making love to your wife.

The point of the story is clear. The things that truly make us happy are right in our hands, but we often miss out on them by chasing the things that are supposed to make us happy. The other message this story tells us is it’s the simple things in life that bring us all the real joy and fulfillment—laughter, music, physical movement, fresh food, love, conversation, and sharing joy. These things don’t cost much, or any, money. Many scientific surveys have been done on happiness, and they all tell us that relationships, a sense of purpose, and optimism about the future are the main ingredients of a happy life. And none of these things cost