Summary: Have you ever asked yourself, “Who am I?”<br> Most people never bother, submitting instead the nagging voice of the abomination known as the inner critic. Or perhaps they fear answers that may never arrive. The mind, capable of incredible creativity, can also be the greatest obstacle to true authentic expression.<br> When powered by the ubiquity of the heart however, the mind is a faithful servant acting on passion and purpose with incredible ease. On the other hand, the mind – without heart – is an unfeeling entity capable of tremendous destruction – to the self and to the world. The cold logic of the dominant intellect oppresses the true self through fear, reason, excuses, opinions, blame, reactivity, judgement, projection, cynicism, separation, and denial.<br> Most people prefer the certainty of misery over the self-created illusory misery of uncertainty. And what is uncertainty? It’s simply the place in life of not knowing. A place greatly feared by those with a deep attachment to the mind. However, next to death, uncertainty is the only true certainty in life. How ironic. How many people inhabit the globe living half-lives of “comfort” fearing the illusory uncertainty surrounding true authentic expression? In a world where conformity, judgement, fear, and indifference have oppressed the masses, it’s no wonder that few act on the calling in their hearts.<br> Unless we’re willing to step into uncertainty, there is no possibility. We must be willing to step into uncertainty for new possibilities to happen in life. It’s just that simple. For some people, a powerful question may be all that is required to transform their lives. For others, it may be a movie, a book, or words of wisdom spoken in a podcast. And for still others, a rock-bottom plunge, a life-threatening health scare, the death of a loved one, or surviving a dramatic accident may be the wake up call required to demolish the cultural trance.<br> Today’s podcast guest is a man who transformed himself from overweight addict to best-selling author, inspiring motivational speaker, and one of the 25 fittest men in the world. Rich Roll is, in his own words, a man of extremes.<br> A former entertainment attorney turned accomplished vegan ultra-endurance athlete and full-time wellness and plant-based nutrition advocate, Rich was also considered by Men’s Fitness magazine in 2009 as one of the 25 fittest guys in the world. It wasn’t always this way though. Rich transformed his life after what he calls “his staircase epiphany”.<br> Although he competed as a butterfly swimmer at Stanford University in the late 80’s, his career was cut short by struggles with drugs and alcohol that led him down the dangerous path of self-destruction where he alienated friends, colleagues and family. He also found himself in jails, institutions and ultimately in rehab at age 31.<br> It didn’t end there though. Despite his new-found post-rehab sobriety, he soon found himself 50 pounds overweight – the furthest thing from fit. Everything came to head on the eve of his 40th birthday. He found himself defeated by a short flight of stairs that left him buckled over in pain, foreshadowing a heart attack looming in his near future.<br> It was time for a major life change.<br> As he states on his website:<br> The day immediately following his staircase epiphany, Rich overhauled his diet, became a dedicated vegan, put on his running shoes and jumped back into the pool. It wasn’t long before ambition took hold and his quest to participate in Ultraman slowly began. Two years later, 50 pounds lighter, and fueled by nothing but plants, he surprised the triathlon & ultra communities by not only becoming the first vegan to complete the 320-mile über-endurance event, but by finishing in the top 10 males (3rd fastest American) with the 2nd fastest swim split — all despite having never previously completed even a half-ironman distance triathlo...
