Today’s guest is Michele Graglia is a model, author, fitness coach, and ultramarathon runner. His book 'Ultra' was published in May 2017.
Michele is intimately acquainted with the hollow feeling many listeners of Next Level Guy struggle with every day.
Before he was beating David Goggins at the Moab 240, and regularly winning ultra marathons Michele was battling depression as one of the world’s most sought-after models. A man who seemingly had it all, yet felt nothing inside.
He finally came alive when he started running for his life (literally).
His new book Ultra documents more than his journey from depressed model to fulfilled ultramarathon runner. It’s the jolt everyone needs to wake up, pursue their passions, push past their limits, and ultimately find fulfillment in their business, relationships, and life as a whole.
In this interview, we discuss:
How to find yourself How to start changing yourself to become the person you want to be How you can become Ultra in your own life And so much more!Here are some key points that I would advise you to concentrate on
Michele had it all when he was a model, fame, attention, dates ... you name it, he had it! But he wasn't fulfilled. He took the big step to change his life, and it transformed him and he found true happiness - what could you achieve by leaving the comfort zone and seeking true happiness in your life? Life is too short not to be happy, so you need to chase your dreams. You can normally always return to your current starting point, or close to it with a little work, so what is stopping you from chasing true happiness in your life? Michele made a massive change in his life by moving to America - he felt the fear and did it anyway. Change can be terrifying but it should be seen as a good thing, as it allows you so many other opportunities to grow as a person and experience new things and ideas that your current version of yourself wouldn't be able to encounter in your current living pattern. As Michele found, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. He felt lost and in a dark place as he realised that the people he was surrounded by and the life he was living, was not who he was as a person. Who are you pretending to be? Who are you acting like to fit in with others expectations of you or who you should be? Are you living your life or someone else's idea of how you should be? We can all change, no matter how hopeless things seem to be. You need the desire to change though. Michele found the desire to change and found true happiness. Why can't you too? Our culture has really focused on material wealth - it is the items that you own that judge your value as a person, and its really stupid. Michele saw people who had it all, be truly miserable and that pursuit is deeply flawed. It give him the kick to realise he needed to make a change in life. Who are you trying to impress? Someone you probably don't really like anyway. What could you do without wasting time on these 'filler' activities and put your energy, time and limited life-force into chasing your true dreams in life? "You never know how far you can go, if you never start" With the current COVID pandemic, it is a good chance, to catch your breath, and take stock of where you are in life, and what you want from it. You may need to step away from your current life, from the friends, hobbies etc you are undertaking, to go off and find out what you want in life. It is not wrong to step away and chase what you want - you don't need to burn bridges, but this is your life, you need to do it for you. Real friends should be positive about you, encourage you and empower you to be better and keep growing and achieving. They shouldn't just take from you, they should want you to blossom, your weirdness and true self to the max! You find your strength through challenging yourself. Physical challenges can allow you to leave your head, and connect with your body again, and channel your primal energy again. We are usually pushing our energy outward, and we disconnect from the truth of who we are as we try and please others. You don't need to spend hundreds of pounds on equipment to change etc. Michele just bought a pair of shoes and started to run - don't over complicate things, choose what you want to do and find the lowest entry point to it and start. The internet has a wealth of free and paid resources on how to start things, learn things, books on people etc. Make Google your friend. Michele can teach you how to make running fun again and something that you can do! Start where you are, build slowly, and go from there. The process never ends, so you need to enjoy the journey as much as the destination. You cannot control anything outside of yourself, you can only control yourself. Top performers will only focus on what they can control and ignore the uncontrollable. "The mind is a great servant but a terrible master" - make your mind work for you, rather than be controlled by your mind. We are all capable of extraordinary things - what will yours be? We all have doubts, but they are perceived limitations. Once you start, you will build confidence and build from there. You just need the confidence to take that first step.