Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

by Rich Roll

I nodded. And Garrett assented. Not because he thought it was a good plan. It wasn’t. But only because he understood one crucial fact: You can’t help someone who doesn’t want help.

I could continue to pursue what was expected of a man of my education, a path I’d seen many follow, but which I now knew all too well would lead back to despair. Alternatively, I could choose to believe that my life was worth more than the name of my firm or the car I drove, and have faith that something more meaningful awaited if I could summon the willingness to break free. I desperately wanted to believe in the alternative, and finally, with the help of others, I found the courage to take the leap.

I can say with full confidence that my rapid transformation from middle-aged couch potato to Ultraman—to, in fact, everything I’ve accomplished as an endurance athlete—begins and ends with my Plantpower Diet.

The general take-away is this: eat plants. Lots of different kinds. Vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, seeds, legumes. Every meal. All the time. All colors, all sizes, and simply prepared, close to their natural state. Keep it varied and focus on seasonality. Stick to the perimeter of the grocery store and avoid the middle aisles, which generally feature processed and refined foods.

Keep in mind: The closer your plant-based foods are to their natural state, the better.

Although there are simply far too many titles to mention here by name (for a complete list, see Appendix V), an absolute must-read is Michael Greger, MD’s, groundbreaking New York Times bestseller How Not to Die—perhaps the most compelling and comprehensive evidence-based book ever published in favor of a whole-food plant-based diet to prevent and even reverse many of the chronic lifestyle illnesses that are unnecessarily claiming millions of lives annually. Equally compelling is Dr. Greger’s non-commercial, nonprofit website NutritionFacts.org. An invaluable science-based public service, the site offers more than a thousand free bite-sized videos (with new videos and articles uploaded daily)

“But if all I do is go slow, how will I ever get fast?” I asked Chris. “The prize never goes to the fastest guy,” Chris replied. “It goes to the guy who slows down the least.” True in endurance sports. And possibly even truer in life.

Submerging my body up to the neck, I closed my eyes and floated spread-eagled, centering myself for a very brief meditation. It was a desperate attempt to release the mind, to put distance between my negative thoughts and my higher purpose, to get in touch with the idea that who I am is not defined by what I “think” or even how I “feel” in a given moment. You are not your mind, you are not your body…

“Surrender is a beautiful movement in which you gracefully, willingly, languidly fall, only to find midway that you have been gathered into some unimaginable embrace. Surrender is letting go, whether or not you believe the embrace will occur.

Sometimes in life we’re lucky enough to receive the precious gift of clarity. I suddenly realized that success wouldn’t come if I made today about me. Rather, success would come only to the extent that I could drop my ego and align myself with something higher and more fundamental.

No, my accomplishments were wrought through pain. Through relentless perseverance and unwavering persistence. Through a commitment to being a little bit better today than I was yesterday. I am here because I embraced the journey, and all the pitches it could throw. I am here because I had extreme faith—in myself, in my song, and in something powerful beyond the self. And then, I busted my ass. Today, finally, I can exhale. But only for a moment. Because tomorrow awaits—and I want to be better then than I am today.

Because there is no destination. And there are no finish lines.

Because the search for what makes your heart beat hardest—and fidelity to its fullest, most devoted expression—is the very stuff of life. Rooted deep in our souls and coursing vigorously through our veins, it is our birthright. It is our lifeblood. And it is our sustenance. So, to repress that urge, or worse yet deny its very existence, is to squander the extraordinary gift of what it truly means to be human.

What makes you uniquely you? What is that one thing you have forsaken that brought you the most joy as a child? What were you doing the last time you were truly happy? If you could do anything in the world, free from the chains of social expectation or economic circumstance, what would that be? Maybe you always wanted to play the clarinet. Become a stand-up comic. Run your first 5K or start your own business. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you ask the question and engage the process of answering it as if your life depended upon it—because it does.

Sing your song because you deserve it. Because it’s what you were put on Earth to do. And because we all need you to be more of who you really are.

I’m not talking about faith in any kind of dogmatic, denominational sense. This is not about a bearded man, a pantheon of deities, or an immortal creator. And it’s not about burning incense either. I’m simply talking about a deeply held conviction, premised upon my direct experience, that we are not merely our bodies. Not merely our minds. Instead, we are consciousness. This consciousness is as undeniable as it is vast. And it is as invisible as it is unknowable, pulsing within us and beyond the constraints of our three-dimensional material world. It lives without boundaries, unlimited in scope, inexhaustible in energy, and unrestricted in its potential to shape and guide lives.

In short, your story—good or bad—is just a story. But it’s actually not true in the objective sense. Indeed, it’s an illusion. A lie. It’s a lie because our lives—who we truly are—cannot be adequately reduced to a few knots on a spindly branch. Instead, we are the sum total of an almost infinite number of constantly occurring interactions, exchanges, events, actions, thoughts, and reactions.

Baby steps, taken consistently and relentlessly, move mountains. Trite I know. But so true.

Seek out the positive, aspirational people in your life. Engage those you admire. Solicit counsel from individuals certain to support and reinforce your dream. People of like minds who share your passion, perspective, and values. People armed with the experience you lack, who can be trusted to deftly guide your course, provide objective feedback, and keep you on track. In other words, create a community. Foster a web of close relationships that transform your quest from a solo enterprise into a robust and vibrant social experience. As for those people in your life that bring you down, it might be time to make some hard decisions. Personally, I avoid these people.

Decline the impulse to indulge your low-grade emotional state. And just take action. Because what matters is what you do, not necessarily how you feel about the doing.

Understand second that failure is part of the equation. It’s not shameful. It’s not a commentary on self-worth. It need not be a predictor of future outcomes. And it should not be avoided. Instead, it’s part and parcel of every triumph, built into the very fabric of success. Because if you haven’t failed, it’s only because you haven’t extended yourself enough. In the same way that good cannot exist without evil and light holds relevance only in opposition to darkness, success and failure too are a duality of the human condition. One simply cannot exist without the other.

If you can make this a consistent practice, over time you will come to understand and ultimately embrace a fundamental secret—that the entire idea of failure is a lie. A fabricated distortion of perspective. A concept without a home in your experience. An illusion. A word to be removed from your lexicon as if it never existed in the first place. Because failure is nothing more than opportunity. Welcome it as an occasion to grow. To learn. And ultimately to flourish.

We live in an instant gratification culture. We want what we want when we want it. But the best things in life are hard-wrought. They require extreme patience. Stop resisting this truth. Stop trying to rush results. And disengage from the overnight-success fantasy. Along the way, rejoice in the struggle. Embrace the tears. And celebrate the missteps. Because the true value of your life is found not in your accomplishments, but rather in the long, hard path trodden to achieve them. It’s found in the fullness of your heart, and the bonds formed with others.

So my mantra has become: Do what you love; love those you care about; give service to others; and know that you’re on the right path.