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The James Altucher Show

Ep. 297 - Rich Roll: Surrendering Does Not Mean Failure

The James Altucher Show

James Altucher

Education, Business

4.6 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 28 December 2017

⏱️ 91 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

"If you were on the outside looking in you'd probably think, 'This guy's got a really good life.' And on paper I did, but on the inside I felt like I was dying. I was depressed. I was unenthusiastic about my life because I knew I was in a career that was ill suited to me. But I just couldn't see my way out of it," Rich Roll said. He told be about the time he felt a tightness in his chest. He couldn't walk up the stairs. He had to take a break halfway up the flight. Rich was 39 and dying. Rich and I talked about his story before... how he transformed himself from a depressed and overweight alcoholic to a plant based, vegan eating, mega athlete / bestselling author / podcaster / writer and total peak performer. But THIS time we dove even deeper. "I was trying to force this round peg into a square hole for most of my life," he said. I wanted to understand the switch that led him to himself... He told me his secret. And I believe him. "Surrender." He went to rehab. And got help for a problem he couldn't handle on his own. That's Rich's meaning of "surrender." Getting help when you need. But it's hard to know when it's the right time to get help. I probably need help right now. It's the first time I've felt physically sick in five years. My body is tired. And I'm trying to rest. But sometimes, I can't pull myself away from what I love. So I talked to Rich and then my friend Ryan Holiday. And then prepped for two more interviews. I like this interview with Rich for a lot of reasons. I'll tell you one though... It's because when he says something, it feels just confessing. He's sharing what's true for him. And helping you heal in the process. (You'll know what I mean if you start listening) ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

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0:00.0

This isn't your average business podcast and he's not your average host.

0:06.4

This is the James Altiger Show on the Choose Yourself Network.

0:12.4

Today on the James Altiger Show.

0:15.2

I remember when I was in rehab, one of the first things one of the counselors said to me was,

0:19.6

Rich, are you a human being having a spiritual experience or are you a spiritual being having a human experience?

0:26.4

I was like, I don't fucking understand that question.

0:29.6

Can you repeat that?

0:31.6

I think about that almost every single day, but I do believe that we're all spiritual beings having a human experience.

0:38.0

There are lots of things going on around us that we can't understand and perhaps could never understand

0:42.8

because of the size of our brains not being large enough or whatever it is.

0:48.0

And trusting in that and kind of getting to this place of surrender versus self-will has been one of the most powerful and helpful tools that has guided my life.

1:07.6

Got Rich Roll on the podcast. Rich, how's it going?

1:10.8

Good man. So happy to be back with you.

1:13.2

Yeah, this is your, I think this is like your third or fourth time on, but it's been like a year and a half or two years.

1:18.0

It's been a while.

1:18.8

Yeah, it's been a long time.

1:20.0

And I kind of want to start from scratch a little bit for those who don't know you.

1:24.4

You're like, I always think of you as a mega athlete, which is basically how I describe anybody in sports who moves their body.

1:33.2

Right. But essentially, I'm going to describe your story in a nutshell and then we could dive in a little bit.

1:39.2

And then I just want to ask you about some other things, but you were a hardcore entertainment lawyer for many years.

1:47.2

Life was going badly. You were practically having a heart attack while walking up the staircase.

1:53.2

You switched your diet. We'll talk specifically how.

...

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