A Dalai Lama you can get drunk with?
In a special 1 year anniversary edition of the Live Different Podcast this is exactly how our guest has been described.
Daniele Bolelli is a University Professor, MMA Fighter, Author, and one of the most badass practical philosophers on the planet.
His latest book “Not Afraid: On Fear, Heartbreak, Raising a Baby Girl, and Cage Fighting” is a hero’s journey that will inspire and guide anyone seeking to forge their own path, without the dogmatic side of philosophy that Daniele abhors.
Daniele’s work has had a tremendous impact on my life, including his lecture series on Taoism and of course his signature podcast The Drunken Taoist.
Quotable Gems:
On growing pains:
“Losing sucks, nobody likes to lose, and yet, when you lose is when you learn the most because it forces you to go back to the drawing board and figure out why is this not working. You tend to be able to grow a lot from losing.”
On learning:
“Ultimately to learn anything you have to put your ego aside and think, ‘I don’t know anything, lets start from scratch.'”
“Even if you do know stuff, you’re not going to learn more if you go in with a mentality of ‘I already have the answers.'”
“Having that beginners mind constantly looking at things with fresh eyes is useful in all aspects of life.”
On dualism:
“You can only grow richer as a human being by incorporating opposite energies.”
On fear:
“I dont think I ever fully overcome fear, its about figuring out how to continue going forward even when you are scared sh*tless.”
“A lot of fear holds you back, it makes you a smaller human being than you can be. You don’t ultimately do the things you want to do because you’re afraid.”
On overcoming fear:
“You want to do more than what you’re used too, but still in the range that you can somewhat handle.”
“As you develop the [fear] muscle, you can push for a deeper level of fear, and you keep at it.”
“It is a matter of improving tiny step, by tiny step, adding to the person you want to be.”
“Just f*cking step up. It’s all about stepping up. You can’t control the outcome, but you CAN control stepping up and fighting your heart out.”
Listen in as Bolelli explains why the term “guru” and “master” makes him want to puke, how to create your own religion, and why it’s okay to visit both wine shops and whorehouses.
Or get it directly to your iPhone on iTunes or your Android on Stitcher!
