Berto Cartagena

This picture was taken of me during one of my ayahuasca ceremonies, and it's one of my favorite pictures because it marked a significant moment in my life.

I had found this spot overlooking the pool, and I don't believe anyone had thought of meditating here before me.

What was going through my mind at that moment? Well, one of the things I was striving to teach myself during this retreat was stillness and discipline. I usually find it challenging to meditate and sit still. During this ceremony, I didn't allow myself to move despite the distractions, such as flies buzzing around me, noise, and leaves from the trees brushing against my face. Something extraordinary occurred.

While I was up there, an internal battle raged within me. My mind wanted to be distracted and wanted to move, but my spirit was resolute: "No, you're going to sit still." The result was that I began to shake violently and emit some unusual noises that everyone in the entire retreat could hear. Many began to laugh due to the unexpected sounds.

At times, I wanted to join in the laughter because it was so unexpected, but I made sure to discipline myself to endure the discomfort.

One of my intentions during this retreat was to develop leadership skills, and I remember telling myself not to laugh along with everyone else, even though I wanted to. A leader is disciplined and stands out from the crowd.

As a side note, after the ceremony, one of the facilitators told me that during his journey, I looked like Buddha floating, which I thought was pretty cool.

“Ask yourself whether the dream of heaven and greatness should be waiting for us in our graves - or whether it should be ours here and now and on this 🌎 “

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“If you can make it there, you’ll make in anywhere” 🗽

I don’t know if it’s because I was born in NYC but I’ve always been enamored by the city and believed that one day I’d live in Manhattan.

There are definitely obstacles that come with living in the city but I’m never one to shy away from a challenge. Plus the minute you step into the concrete jungle you just wanna do better.

It’s an energy that cannot be described unless you’ve experienced it yourself. Now I admit the city isn’t for everyone. The weather and people can be cold, and rats are definitely a thing.

However, in life there’s always tradeoffs and the opportunities New York has to offer from its wide selection of food, art, culture, entertainment and business, are second to none.

I left the city when I was 11 years and I was NOT happy about it. Still believe one day I’ll be back ❤️ny

I was just in New York and DC in October when my sister n law asked whether my father, who’s 87, would like if all six of his kids were together for Christmas.

It didn’t take much convincing before I decided to make the trip back to New York. I didn’t know this but the only time we were all together for Christmas was back in 1998.

Some people lead with their head and others with their heart. I tend to lean more toward the latter.

I’m not sure how many quality years my father has left and I don’t want to live with regrets. I think it’s important to give people their flowers while their still alive to appreciate them.

Needless to say, last night was a huge success and my father said it was one of the best days of his life.

Had a great time yesterday getting to know some amazing people and entrepreneurs in the blockchain.

However, yesterday was also a reminder of just how early we really are in the space.

Living in a crypto hub such as Puerto Rico, I’m usually the one who knows the least in any room I’m in and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

You don’t want to be the smartest in the room because then you can’t learn anything.

What was so beautiful about yesterday’s event is it attracted all different levels of crypto knowledge.

You had people who were in it since 2015, those who caught on this last bull run and those who haven’t even started.

Being able to teach some and learn from other is really what this space is all about. Thanks .0 for having me speak and continue building community and providing blockchain education 💪

Proud to announce that I’ll be speaking at on Monday Nov. 28th.

If you’re in in Miami for Art Basal please join me Nov 28 & 29 for some awesome networking, keynotes and entertainment surrounding crypto and NFTs!

Use promo code FREN30 for 30% off

I have this bad habit of focusing too much on the future and not taking the time to really appreciate the present.

Often times the simplest moments make the best memories. There’s no better than gift than the “now” that’s why the call it the present 🎁

lifecoach

Happy Father’s Day to all the all the dads out there!

Moms usually get all the glory and rightfully so but there’s no denying the importance of having a strong male presence in your life.

Thank you dad for showing love to me the best way you know how, being a great provider, teaching me how family values and being a man of principal and always being there for me.

There was something my acting teacher said at one of his workshops regarding play that always stuck with me.

I don’t remember his exact words but what I got out of it was to always remind yourself to play and express your inner child.

It’s easy to get caught up in life’s everyday rigors but we can always make the best of a situation. If you think about it, there’s always an opportunity to make everything you do more fun and playful.

So the next time you feel some resistance with what you’re doing, ask yourself, how can I make this situation more playful?

This year just feels different #2022

My word for the new year is FOCUS

Earlier this week I was thinking about what I want to ask the universe for and the words that came to mind were the 3 C’s: Clarity, Confidence and Creativity.

However, all 3 boil down to FOCUS. By focusing on one thing, I will gain the clarity I need through trial and error, every failure brings you closer to success.

Focus gives you confidence because the more you work at a particular thing, the better your going to be at it. The better you are at something the more confidence you have to be better at other things

Last but not least, focus brings out creativity. It allows you to match the vibration of your art because if you spread yourself too thin, how can you ever truly get in flow and be great at something?

Less than a week before the year ends and I want to be around nature. Nature is our greatest teacher. Lately I’ve been reflecting and accepting where I’m at and where I’ve been.

Living in the past or in the future is not really living at all, since everything happens in the present. So my goal this year is to be present.

However, it’s not simply enough to say what you want. Conquering your mind takes practice and discipline just like anything else.

Meditation is a must and it’s not something you can do here and there to get the full effect. Meditation and yoga, so I can stretch my muscles and allow my energy to move freely will be part of my daily practice.

Being stingy with my time and energy and staying away from anyone that obstructs my flow, is also a must. We know right away who those people are and many times it’s those we are closest to.

All in all, I want to be aligned with my true, authentic self, the man I was intended to be all along.

I recently started listening to arguably my favorite (Power of Now) audible book Think and Grow Rich again and it’s crazy because each time Iisten, I learn something new OR it pertains to something relevant going on currently in my life.
I learned a lot during my weekend in Miami for Bitcoin conference. Several times I had planned to go to a particular event and it was like the universe had other plans. There was one event I really wanted to attend and I thought I had put my name on the list but I never hit submit.
After initially being frustrated, I surrendered to the moment and it ended up being the best thing for me. I met several potential business partners and got to bond more with members of my community. It was my best night.
I probably would of had more fun socially in the other events but that’s not what the universe has been calling of me lately. Lately even when I do out it has been very enjoyable because of all the uncertainty currently going out in my life.
However, what I’ve learned is by surrendering to the current moment, you become in flow with the universe, and that’s when the magic happen. This is the power of faith. You don’t always have to know where you’re going but you do have to keep moving.
So what does this have to do with self-confidence? Everything. You see I’ve always been one to do what most would say is unrealistic and until this very momentum, they’ve been proven right.
When you fail time and time and again, you begin to doubt yourself. But just when I’m at the brink of wanting to give up, I continue to get that small ray of light. And within those failures, were minor victories and lessons learned that have prepared me for what’s to come.
I realize when you’re doing things that nobody’s ever done, you’re gonna have to go through lessons that nobody else will go though. And when nothing seems to be going my way, the only thing that keeps me going is my faith.

I’m here for a good time not a long time