About Nef Hidalgo
Before I tell you my story, I have to ask you a question, a VITAL question:
Do you have 7 Euros (or its equivalent in any currency)?
I mean anywhere, in your pocket, in your wallet, on your debit card, in your bank account. Do you have 7 euros?
If you have 7 euros, you are in a brilliant position on the board of the game of life!
If you don’t have 7 euros, think: could you get 7 euros in the next week? Next month? If your answer is yes, perfect! You are close to being in the brilliant position on the board of the game of life.
However, if you say there’s no way you can get 7 euros… …then I urge you: get out there, do every job you can find. Offer people to carry their groceries, shine their shoes, wash their cars, work for pennies if necessary. Do everything possible to get those 7 euros as if your life depended on it!
What for?
Because if you have 7 Euros… …you can achieve ANYTHING! If you have 7 euros all your dreams come true! I am totally convinced of that!
You ask why?
Well, this is why:
My 7 Euros Story:
It is the 4th of September 2009. At that time, I was 26 years old. I had just landed at Barajas Airport in Madrid.
As I handed my passport through the window, I reminded myself to breathe and stay calm. I fought to keep my hands and legs from trembling.
My face cleared as the officer’s eyes narrowed a bit, looking at me. Even though I had prepared a bunch of fake documents for him (bank statements, insurance, a non-existent return ticket, a Photoshopped hotel reservation), something in my confidence must have convinced him; he did not ask for anything.
A moment later, he stamped my passport and let me through. My heart sank with relief as I retrieved my passport and crossed the checkpoint.
Minutes later, as I walked down a hallway with large windows, my eyes fixed on a forced stop I had to make on the lower floor. So, I headed down.
While waiting my turn in the currency exchange line, I reached into my pocket. Though it was not necessary, my hand made a big gesture to find what I was looking for. I guess it was my way of dealing with fear. I didn’t want to remind myself how poor I was. The next second, I took my hand out of my pocket with all my capital: 10 dollars. I had been taking care of them as my most precious possession since I left El Salvador, my home country. I didn’t even have a wallet to carry the banknote.
It took less than a minute for the clerk to complete the transaction. She took my money, pressed a few keys on a calculator, and computed the currency exchange. I felt even poorer when I counted the 7 euros that she gave me. 7 euros. That’s all I had, not a penny more.
I should also mention that at the time, I was unemployed, had no savings, and not long ago, I had literally lost everything… and when I say everything… I mean EVERYTHING.
Look, I’m not a person who likes to make assumptions. So, just so you understand what I mean by EVERYTHING, let’s do this exercise: Think of anything, yes, anything that you think I couldn’t have lost.
You got it?… Well, guess what? YEAH! I HAD LOST THAT.
Think of something else, try harder…
Guess what?…
YEAH! I HAD LOST THAT TOO.
Go ahead, one last try… …whatever you say, my job, my car, my family, friends, money… …I had lost everything. Just like that.
What made me leave my previous life and decide to go to the other side of the world with nothing more than 10 dollars, you ask?
This is where it gets a bit confusing for me. I have told myself hundreds of times to stop telling this part of the story for many reasons. First of all, because it seems so unreal and dark. Second, because when I tell the story, I don’t stay true to it. I always end up removing a few details or adding something here and there. I guess it’s a way to protect myself from its shadows. But most importantly, this is the part where most people think the story I’m telling is a sad story. And I swear it’s not like that!
So let’s make a pact. I will tell you the reason why I left my country in such extreme conditions. But you have to promise me that as you read the following lines, you will imagine me saying them in the most positive way imaginable. In fact, no matter how absurd or intense they sound, you will remember that even though it seems bad and painful, I don’t suffer from it anymore… not one bit.
Deal? You promise?
Alright, I’ll keep it short.
Here it goes:
I was having a great life (or at least that’s what I thought). I was growing up as a performer with my own TV show in my country. You see, I was a sleight of hand artist, an illusionist, a magician. Then one day, I woke up to the news that the TV show had been canceled. More shocking to me was the reason why that happened: a local television falsely accused me of exorcism!
That moment triggered it all. It started a series of events that completely changed my life. The newspapers talked about the cancellation of the show and how I had been accused of exorcism. As a result, a local church later accused me of witchcraft. And that was just the little snowball rolling down the hill…
I will not go into details, not here. But as the snowball kept rolling, I lost everything: my job, my friends, my family, my faith, my strength… everything.
Now answer honestly… …Did you picture me smiling in the last few paragraphs? Something tells me you didn’t! It’s alright. I understand you. It’s not easy to imagine a smile saying those words. Nevertheless, it is important to me that you remember that I now understand without a doubt that all those things that happened to me were really a blessing. So keep that in mind!
Now, I’m not going to lie: back then I was feeling lost, confused, angry, and frustrated. That’s how I ended up at Madrid airport with nothing but my last ten dollars. I was running, running from having lost everything because of a lie, a false accusation, and from not being given a chance to deny it.
Back then, I didn’t know the truth. It took me years to understand that I wasn’t running from something… I was actually running towards something… and I hadn’t lost a thing. If anything, I was just beginning to gain everything.
So I was thousands of miles from what was once home with nothing more than those ‘golden’ 7 euros. I thought going through immigration control would be the hardest part. How wrong I was!
While I looked at those 7 euros, fear climbed through my body. My heart trembled again, and I wondered if I had made the right decision. I felt betrayed, by my math, by the exchange rate, by the world, and by my impulses. I wondered what the hell I’ve done… but then it was too late to change my mind. What’s done is done.
All I know is that at the time I was scared, but for some reason… I kept going…
…There you have it. This is how the story begins. I can’t tell you how it ends because as long as I am breathing, this is a story that is still going on. I could however tell you hundreds of chapters about the millions of things that have happened since I landed in Madrid. But for now, let’s summarize it like this: I became a full-time stage performer. I traveled all over the world with my show. I was the first Central American to qualify for the World Championship of Magic (FISM). I eventually became an Illusion and Theater Consultant. I even sold two of my original illusion designs exclusively to David Copperfield. I have consulted artists for their performances on Britain’s Got Talent and America’s Got Talent. I have performed my show for all kinds of celebrities. AND… I live FREE AND HAPPY!
7 euros!!!!!
Whatever I have today, whatever I own, whatever I’ve achieved, whatever I’ve accumulated, whatever I’ve learned, whatever I’ve lived through… started with nothing but those 7 Euros…
…7 Euros… AND A LOT OF COURAGE!
It took me years to realize that I was never poor! Having a euro more or a euro less would not have made a difference. I was rich in some other way. I was rich in courage!
I trust that you can somehow make your own way to possess 7 euros. You may even already have them. Those 7 euros give you your starting point, a great position in the game of life. But the formula for a full and happy life is 7 euros and tons of courage.
So if you already have 7 euros, I want to help you find the rest, what really makes you rich: your courage… But I also need your help!
Here’s the thing: I’ve written a series of novels called Zarapkrat. In it, I have turned everything I have learned on my journey into a science fiction fantasy story. It combines elements of quest, magic, trickery, deception, romance, and personal growth. Also, I am determined to make this series a bestseller and a pop culture icon. And if there’s one thing you should already know about me after reading my story, it’s that I’m a determined person.
Like I said, I need your help, but I also want to help you.
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