The School of Greatness - 5 Things Holding You Back From Achieving Your Dreams w/ Shaolin Master Shi Heng Yi EP 1428

Episode Date: April 24, 2023

https://lewishowes.com/mindset - Order a copy of my new book The Greatness Mindset today!Shi Heng Yi is the headmaster of the Shaolin Temple Europe. In this function he is responsible for the mental and physical development and training of the novices, disciples and master students of the monastery in Otterberg / Germany. Despite it’s traditional history of over 1528 years since the establishment of the famous Shaolin Temple in China, less is being known about the underlying aspects of psychological and mental practices that go along with the hardship of physically demanding training and conditioning, known as Shaolin Kung Fu. His goal and endeavor is not only to explain and convey theoretical principles in an understandable way, but above all to make this knowledge practical and tangible for our contemporary modern world. Being a martial artist for more then 36 years, Master Shi Heng Yi has spend decades of practice and research in the field of Shaolin Kung Fu and Qi Gong. He has an academic background and does not consider himself as a Monk. His strength is the ability to combine his knowledge with ancient Shaolin methods to unlock the potential that lies in the unification of body and mind aspects.He's released a 12 Month Self-Master course that's now available - https://www.shihengyi.online/self-mastery-trainingIn this episode you will learn,Various training methods of the Shaolin Arts.How to use your imagination and the power of your mind to manifest and create positive change in your life.The power of affirmations in obtaining great results.The virtue of balance.The five hindrances that hold people back.The importance of finding balance between obtaining and letting go throughout your life.For more information go to:www.lewishowes.com/1428Listen to part one of Shi Heng Yi's interview:https://link.chtbl.com/1418-pod

I firmly believe that taking charge of your mindset allows you to be in the driver's seat of your life and unlock your potential. And that's why I'm thrilled to share that my new book is out right now. It's called The Greatness Mindset. In it, you'll learn how to build a plan for greatness through powerful exercises and toolkits designed to propel your life forward. This is the book that I wish I had 20 years ago. It's everything I've learned in the last decade with the research and the science to help you unlock your mind. Make sure to go to lewishouse.com slash 2023mindset

to pick up your copy of my book, The Greatness Mindset, today. Sometimes you can't change people around you. You can't look into the heads of other people. But what you can do at all times every day is to do something about what is in your own. Welcome to the School of Greatness. My name is Lewis Howes, a former pro athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur. And each week we bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to unlock your inner greatness. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Now let the class begin. When do you think is the easiest time in life? When you're younger or when you're older?

When you're younger. Out of just the fact that you have not learned yet and have not been exposed yet to all of these adult ideas of what you are supposed to do with your life. How do you manage the level that you're at now? I'm not sure what level you're in in the video game. Is it level 7 or 28 right now for you? But how do you manage this level

where you're stepping into new seasons, new decade of the material number of the world you're in, the platform that you're building around the world globally, how do you step into that and master it? I think before we talked about it already a little bit, that within the last three years, four years, I could really witness in a way how like these type of teachings or let's say my name was really spread out into the world and more and more people starting to also participate in listening to what is it that is being

shared out for example and at the same time I can also feel that everything I have to say, everything that I like shared, the reason why I could share all of these things is because the first 35 years before that, I was not the talker at all. There couldn't be any more quiet person than me. Really? Yes. Until when? When did you start using your voice? the talker at all. There couldn't be any more quiet person than me. So I was really, yes. Until when? When did you start using your voice? I think it happened in the moment where people asked me to explain what I'm doing. So, and then I just said, look, I'm not just doing like my punch. This is not punching for me. So in martial art, for example, I started to explain, for example,

the punch is not just for me something, let's say, physical. It has also something to do, what I do to prepare inside of you before you throw out that punch. Because if you throw out something, if something moves outwards, the question for me is,

where does it get in? Because if you throw out punches, 500 punches every day, you just throw them out, where do you get the energy from to throw 500 things out? And now, different ways how you can express it, but for me, coming from this field of martial arts, where the yin-yang symbol does matter, and also does matter why it is around, means for me I started to explain. If you want to throw a punch, there are different ways how to throw it. If you have a lot of mass already on on yourself you probably can just use straight line movements no issue at all but if you look at me small asian i have to compensate for the lack of mess somehow and therefore i need to use another method i need to use different methods to compensate for the lack

of mess that I have in comparison to other people. So and suddenly out of a question how do you punch starts the talking discussion. And honestly I think this is where the beginning lies where then people found it interesting that apparently there's a whole philosophy just behind like a punch. And I said, yes. How did you, I can resonate with the fact that, you know, you were shy most of your life, right?

You didn't speak that much up. You didn't use your voice as much. You were more introverted with your voice. Is that correct? Yes. So how did you have the confidence and learn that skill of confidence to use your voice when you really didn't use it that much beforehand? Were you fearful? Were you nervous? Were you afraid? Or how did you step into that?

I just had to laugh right now. Because I just imagined in my mind, there were very often, also now in school time already, imagine in my mind there were very often also now in school time already of course my my my friends they were standing in the break time everybody having discussions I was always quiet yeah but internally I could already like feel like I knew what I would say if I would open my mouth. It's just that I didn't. Why not? Because ultimately I just thought that it's pointless. It's pointless because sometimes, just sometimes the topics are just... Right.

It's superficial or whatever, yeah. Yeah. It doesn't bring benefit to anything. It's just meaning maybe that you are like profiling yourself, but that was it. So that's why I kept it for myself. But internally observing people, watching, just listening, inside of me the language was always speaking. I always knew like what would be my answer if somebody speak to me like this. And so ultimately i really think it was for me not difficult at all to then when i was asked to just let it out say it yeah because i already

had it inside i just had to let's say allow my my mouth to speak it out and yeah that's beautiful so you had the confidence because you had the inner wisdom the inner Answers to what you would say already. You just didn't say them before as much Probably yeah, probably but of course To sometimes Use proper vocabulary to use proper rhetorical ways. Of course, this I also had to learn.

But in general, when it comes to if I was fearful to speak out, normally not. Because I only let out what I anyway already have inside of me. So that means, this is something important maybe. I don't know if they are public speakers or so sometimes listening, but I concentrate on just, I can only talk about stuff I have inside. That's why very rarely I try to come up with new ideas or anything like this, which doesn't come from me.

Then I don't feel comfortable. It's inauthentic. Yeah, it's inauthentic. You've been training for essentially 35 years of your life in some different form, whether it be physical training, mental training, emotional training, but specifically for the last 15 years, you've really been having a disciplined life at the temple. And you've been practicing martial arts, I don't know, is it five days a week or seven days a week, physically, mentally, emotionally in that discipline and in that practice. The fourth hindrance that you talked about that I've seen is restlessness. Can you talk about what is restlessness and do you ever face it yourself in this practice and in this discipline?

So restlessness, there is a nice picture you can always think about. We say it's the monkey mind. Monkey mind meaning there's always one, you're jumping from one sort to another, from one branch to another. What it means is that you are maybe having contact with a lot of branches, but it's very difficult to really focus and concentrate on one thing specifically. Now why would I say that it is important to learn and concentrate on one thing specifically? Because this is the pure expression of what the Buddhist teaching or also the Shaolin teachings are about.

You can spend your time traveling this whole world, always visiting different lakes and oceans. But the way how you are visiting them is you drive on the coastline of it, watch over it, say, okay, that's the ocean, and then you keep on driving to the next one. Which means what you do is you keep traveling the world, watching at the surface of each of these lakes and oceans. I do think that if you just stay with the Pacific Ocean and start diving down into it,

you will never ever again need to visit another lake or ocean in order to make discoveries. So the point is that it is about going deeper. Going deeper means it is going to give you an insight. And so what is Buddhist teaching about? To give you insights. Into what? Sometimes into your body, sometimes into your mind. So what's the problem with the restlessness? You don't gain insight

because the monkey all the time is jumping too much and staying too much on that surface area. And now translated it just means that on an average day, whatever job you are doing, you do it under your possible potential. And also what it means is, it's like you can't really embrace what you actually have there. It's like you are at work, you are supposed to concentrate and work, write down your emails, but all the time you're already jumping around, making plans for the weekend, who to call or that you are hungry or that you are thirsty, what movie to watch. This is how you behave when you are at work.

Then afterwards you drive home and maybe the family is waiting for you. It's a good example, but the children or your wife or your husband want to spend time with you, but they can see very clearly your body is there, your mind is not there. You're not present. You're just not present. your body is there, your mind is not there. You're not present.

You're just not present. So then sometimes the question just is, why do you have to end the wife and the husband if you don't pay them the necessary respect and attention that they, let's say, deserve, or also towards your children? And if it's a conscious decision why you don't pay attention to them, well, there's something different. Then it's really the question why do you have one family then? But that restlessness can also mean it happens

unconsciously. And maybe for you yourself you don't realize it, but people around you, they realize very quickly if you are with them or not. Right. And I just think that this is hindering you. Now, in that picture of reaching that mountain or reaching that goal, it's hindering you because whatever you do, you don't do it properly.

You jump from one to another. You maybe have touched many different surfaces, but none of them you can really, you don't really have an insight into them. You've been delving deep into it, yeah. The fifth one you talk about, hindrance that holds people back is skeptical doubt what is skeptical doubt and why do we have it

why do we have it I don't know I really don't know what it means therefore or what it still means is you need to trust in what you do once you have put something into your mind don't let anyone else stop it anymore now I have to be careful how I say this. Of course, sometimes you can

see, but come on, this is now really, really stupid idea. It's really stupid. So like, obviously stupid. But what I'm talking about is that if you continuously develop yourself, educate yourself, train yourself, seriously observe yourself, try to be honest with yourself, listen to the opinions of other people, and after all of this, you finally come up with a plan. This one now, Don't doubt anymore. The plan that before that you have well thought of, that you have taken time to establish it, where you spend weeks and months of figuring out should you really do it. It is this type of plan where skeptical doubt is not necessary. You don't need it anymore. No. If you are still in the field or in that area of you are unsure,

don't start the journey. So if you're still in the field of that mountain is so high, do you really think I can reach the top? But it looks dangerous. If you're still in that state, don't even start. That this evaluation of your risks

and should you and your benefits and all of this, you make that before. You make that in the moment where you still have time and space to look for yourself. Is it really what you want? And make a plan. This is what's happening in those, we call it, 99%.

You stay calm. you stay relaxed. Spend 99% of your lifetime relaxed. But that 1% is the other way. 99%, I'm a very peaceful person. Very peaceful. I'm a very easygoing person, I think. And as long as I stay in the 99%, it stays like this. But if somebody forces you into the 1%, then at least it is my attitude, which is like this. 1% is 1%. Inside the 1%, there is no compromise of jumping back into the 99 anymore.

That's why the 99 is so big. Because you have time to really think about what are you willing to do? What are you willing to sacrifice? What is it worth for you fighting for? This is the 99% and the 1% there is the no compromise. You decide, you walk the path, then here we go. And this is what I relate to personally to this idea of that skeptical doubt. You shouldn't have it anymore.

Once you're clear, once you've got the game plan, once you've assessed the risks, all that stuff. Yes. You have this four-step method you call RAIN to help you clear your mind and overcome these hindrances. Can you share what this four-step method is? Can you share what this four-step method is? So for example, once you know or have understood about yourself what type of mental states these hindrances, for example, represent, the way how we just try to explain to them. Every time one of these mental states pops up into your mind, which means positive emotion, negative emotion, ill will, you feel depressed, you feel weak, you feel that lack of power,

you have this restlessness inside of you, or you have... what was the last one? The skeptical doubt. Or the skeptical doubt coming up. So most important is you need to realize it. Realize that it is just there. Sometimes you realize it, sometimes you recognize it. This is the idea why it's a very, very nice simile to remember those four methods later on what we regard as RAIN. R-A-I-N. And we are at the moment with the R, meaning you recognize and you realize that apparently at this moment in time you are finding yourself in one of these mental states which are representing hindrances. Now the next step, what are you doing after you have recognized that you are in it?

Now starts the point where it becomes very helpful if we start to analyze. And analyzing meaning you do everything that is in your possibilities to just ask questions about why did it come up? What did it trigger? When did it exactly come up? How actually did this feeling in the first place get into yourself? When was, for example, the first time that you realized that you are having this type of mental state? So what analyzing means is you try to look into your past also. Is it something related to the education of your parents?

Is it something related to an idea that you caught up from, I don't know from where? So analyzing means that you make an investigation. Investigation means investigation means this time you go deeper this is where we are at the i already oh yeah third one yeah i is investigation a i'm sorry i said uh analyze analyze no it's except it's except sorry you're good accept it accept. Accept it. Accept it, acknowledge it. The difference is when you acknowledge something and accept something, it is that you're not pushing it away. You're not resisting it. You're not resisting it. And the reason for that is as long as something is not accepted or not acknowledged it can't be changed because it is still outside of you see so if i have like a mental state anything like this

and i say yes it's there but but i want to have it gone then what you're trying to do in this approach is you're separating you're trying to do in this approach is you're separating. You're trying to separate it. But this is not the way this method is expressing. This method tells you it is there. Why is it there? It's because something inside of you already is resonating with it. So it's a matter of you. It's your business. So now what you're doing is, I accept the business. I take it. I understand, okay, it's my business. That is the acknowledgement, the acceptance that you are saying,

okay, I'm going to take care of it. This is like that A part, why it is important. If you reject it, if you don't embrace it, it can't be changed. And then now in the third step, now comes the investigation. This is where you ask the questions. So that means where you try to find out more. You want to become familiar. You want to take that feeling into your family. Make him become part of you and make him become a friend of you. Understanding it is a part of you,

but maybe it's just a misunderstanding of the way how you saw it before. This is like the investigation of asking questions. Finding out more about it. Where does it come from? Who implemented it into your way of seeing the world? And ultimately, the last step after this type of process is what we call non-identification. Now, non-identification is quite similar to what I tried to express before, that you sometimes need to stand above you and see from that perspective

how can you support yourself, how can you support that person to get into the next development stage? For example, this is one type of non-identification, but at the same time also means means. Nothing stays as it is. Nothing stays as it is. Just as sometimes things are so overwhelming entering

into your life, it can happen the other way around as well. And I mean, you just need to, everybody just look back into your personal life. How many bad moments did you have in the past? How many times did you suffer in the past?

How often we were already thinking like this is the end of the world. Girlfriend left you, boyfriend left you. Different occasions. But none of them stayed. That is also the other truth behind it. And the great part, like the abilities of the mind. Because you can turn it both ways. Either you see it as why did it come so suddenly, or you see the opposite. It's going to leave.

I mean, that's going to leave. Right, right. I mean, that's the other side. Of course, in this world we are living, that we humans and this society, I think, is more easily being torn towards the positive or towards a very certain side, let's say. torn towards the positive or towards a very certain side, let's say. But this is because of, I think, the developments of our 21st century, where there are certain values being propagated. There is no propaganda in, learn how to be poor, learn how to deal with failure, learn how to not be successful, learn how to accept the way how you are, not how to make yourself more beautiful and try to stay beautiful.

There is a different agenda going on in the 21st century. And based on that, I do think that the mindset also has shifted therefore in trying to fulfill the expectations what is present in our nowadays world. But it's your personal decision. It's really important for me to really say this again and again. I'm not here to judge whether something is good or whether something is bad. But I'm just saying that if you have placed something upon your mind, place something upon your mind that right now you are trying with your lifetime

to make it become real. But this is what you are trying to put into this life. It's not even an idea that comes from you. I just want to express that I think it can go very wrong to one day find out that you have lived a life and invested your lifetime following up on a vision, on an expectation or anything like this, which first of all was never something initially coming from yourself, and afterwards, even if you followed up on it and achieved it,

afterwards realize it doesn't give you what you were looking for in this lifetime. And that's just how it is. Yeah. This has been about the five hindrances that hold people back from mastering their inner selves and really feeling more abundance, peace, love and joy. I'm loving everything we're talking about. And I want to ask you now, I want to transition into a new topic about how to manifest your dream future and how you think we can step into this. If someone has a vision, a dream that they want to manifest something, where do you think we should begin in this process of dreaming

and manifesting the future? And I know you've talked about heaven, man, earth concept that has helped you manifest a vision. Is this something that we should think about? And if so, what's this concept? Can you explain it? So this sentence, heaven, man, earth.

Heaven above us, man in the center, earth below us. It's just expressing from the same, let's say, family of teaching, the same that also we find in the area of the yin and yang symbol. It's just a little bit more detailed. Meaning, there is something inside of us humans

which we say has some heavenly connection. At the same time, there is something about us humans which has a very strong foundation rooted in the earth. So let's start with the earthly aspects about ourselves. So earth means for me, first of all, I can see it. If I fly on the plane, no matter where, if I look down, I know where to look to see the earth. So what does it mean? It means there is look to see the earth. So what does it mean? It means

there is something to see. Our whole world is based on seeing. What is it that you can see? You can only see something that has a shape. Something without a shape you can't see. But talking about you can see it, talking about it has a shape. What is the nature of a shape? The nature of a shape is separating. It's separating what is inside the shape and what is outside of the shape. is inside the shape and what is outside of the shape. It is separated. So one quality of the earth is, it's based already from the, let's say, from the natural side, based upon separation. Based upon this is life and this is death, this is growth and this is decay. And now our body, our physical body. How come when we were born we maybe had our like

three kilograms, four kilograms baby and now look at how huge we have become. Not me, you. Look how much like we have grown. So where all of this comes from, very easily said, from the food, from the nutrition, from everything that we have taken and give our body to eat or to drink. Even if it is meanwhile some products are created in a laboratory but even the resources for that ultimately everything comes just from the earth. So if you now just follow up on that thought, our body is created upon, let's say, individual aspects from this earth that by nature already are limited in a way, limiting inside and outside. So limiting, that means our body

automatically is limited. It is what we call nowadays lifetime. So simply said. Sorry for the long explanation, but that is what it means for me. It is no doubt about it. I don't need to philosophize around it. I can see it. This is out of question. It's going gonna go. That is the earth part about ourself. At the same time giving me insights, you want to change something about that, what is it to take care of? Everything that comes from the earth, very easily. Which means food, drinks, the breath. So that is like how I would use now this concept in my daily life. To just understand, okay, this body comes from there.

So the better the quality of the ingredients I put into this, the more quality this can generate. That is the earth aspect. And in comparison now to that earth, we have that heaven aspect. Heaven aspect called like this, because looking up into the sky, it's really difficult to tell where does the sky end. Meaning, heaven stands for something which is borderless. There are no borders in the sky. And so what is it inside of us humans that I think we have something similar like this?

That is for me the way of how you are able to use your mind. Because sometimes you can use the mind and create something you have never seen in this world. You are creating something in the mind. You have never seen it in person. Why? Because it's not existing yet. Yet you can see it here. This can mean a fear also. A fear what's gonna happen tomorrow. A fear what will happen to my children if I will not be able to take care of them anymore. So there is something you are projecting already that is not here yet. It's not real. You are projecting it inside of you and the feelings based upon that

way of thinking still makes it real to you. Even though it's not in the world yet. Yes. So this is how you need to be careful what you're creating on the mind this is the reason why it's so important to know what are you placing inside the mind because it's so powerful. But now assuming that we all do not want to create our own descent or decay, anything like this, let's say this is not what we want, but we want to have something that we would like to create. So the question right now is, how do I get something from what at the moment is only in my mind into something that it becomes what we would call real?

When is something real? It's real when it's here. When also other people can see it, not just you in the mind. Then it's real. Because you can imagine you have some beautiful woman as a girlfriend. But no one else sees it. Nobody else sees it. It's only real if there's another witness who sees you and that girl walking together.

Then it's real. And how do we make this now happen? It is on the one side. Of course, you need a plan. You need a small step-by-step plan. And I really think that meanwhile, especially like in modern businesses, it's very similar like when you make project management.

especially like in modern businesses, it's very similar like when you make project management. You break your ideas, of course, down into walkable steps. So that's why I think I don't need to say so much to it. But along this plan, along this way of, let's say, trying to make it become real. This can also mean you need to find more and more ways.

How does something so fine like your thoughts start to shape into a form? So it is about finding ways to give it expression. Can you explain? Yes. Write it down on paper. It's one way of giving thoughts and expression. Speaking about it. Speaking it out to your friends.

More people know about it. Writing it onto your fridge. Something where the thought starts to enter into your visible world. This is the small steps that just support you on this mission. These are small things. The next step would be whatever you would like to achieve there. What skills are necessary? Do you have the skills?

Now a little bit more, a little bit more nicely drawn. It means you want to go on a mission, but at the moment you don't know yet in which direction you have to move. So that means the first thing in order for you to answer this question, which direction to move, is you need to know your location. You need to know your location. And this now translated into, so what is it I'm supposed to do? Who are you at the moment? What are your abilities at this very moment?

What do you have available time-wise, financial-wise? It doesn't matter. In which situation are you right now? So we need to see where is our actual location. And from there now it starts, at least now you have a hint. If you want to go there but at the moment you don't know yet where are you located. If you're located here you know you need to walk here. East. If you are located here it's not East because then you're gonna make a long way. So that it really depends on where are you located. And this is why it's from person to person.

It's different, and I cannot always tell to the same person, so you want to go there, go east. You want to go there too, you also go east. No, because they are not starting from the same position. Some people have already some education and some experience previously that will immensely help them to already start from a different point. But where have we been? Skills. And now this is the part we are also jumping back into what is Shaolin also known for.

Known for abilities of the practitioners which are normally above average human abilities. And this doesn't come because we bought it somewhere. You practice it. Yes, but there is a very specific type now of practice, and this is maybe also interesting, what actually is that original meaning of David Carradine, Kung Fu? Kung Fu,, Kung Fu. Kung Fu. This Kung Fu. Kung Fu meaning it's attaining a skill through hard work. That is important. Attaining a skill through hard work. Why is only this one what we call Kung Fu? Because this Kung Fu is not about fighting at the moment.

It is about something that you have, for example, also developed. You also have Kung Fu. It is something that you have, you can do, you got. And if somebody else in this room would like to have the same ability like you, he cannot buy it, he cannot just like wish to have it. There's only one way how a person would ever get to the same skill set like you have he needs to go through the same training effort sweating suffering consistently yeah like you and this is what we regard as these are the skills we are looking for i'm not looking for a skill that I can outsource. I'm looking for skills, I have them. And nobody else in this world can copy.

If you want to copy, well, then you need to train. You need to do the same. And so that means along this way, you also realize in developing those skills right now, means along this way you also realize in developing those skills right now actually this is a way to make something unique about you and this uniqueness goes hand in hand with the unbroken willpower that you put into it and with that vision of yourself that this is what you want, and this is what you're going to do. And so it is a combination. It is a combination of you need to work for it, but also at the same time have the mindset also that backs up your battle plan.

Yeah. And why do you think most people fail to manifest what they want? Is it because they don't have the discipline, the willpower, the consistency? Is it because they're not strong enough or willing to develop the strength? Why do they fail at manifesting? I think it is a question of time. at manifesting? I think it is a question of time. In my world, people are repeating the same mistakes over and over again because they haven't overcome them yet. They're still level one. They keep failing at level one. They haven't

beaten that level yet. Master the level. But it's out of question for me that they will. Why is that? Because you can touch three times on the hot heat plate and it hurts three times. You touch the fourth time, it still hurts. Fifth time, still hurts. There will come the day. They say, no more. Now no more. No more. They say, no more. Now no more. No more, yeah. It might take a while.

I express it maybe like in a funny way, but it is even said like this in the teachings. You cannot teach someone who is not willing to be taught. who is not willing to be taught. Don't waste your time on people or to teach people that are not having the willingness to learn. Don't waste. This is also the reason why this, what I try to present right now, we don't have missionaries going out like saying, look, we have the answers to your problems. We don't do that

stuff. Because if people aren't receptive to it, it's not going to work. Exactly. If people are becoming ready, how do they know they become ready? It's because they start to ask different questions. And once you start to ask the question, soon or later in this lifetime, let's just say, what happens after death? Let's just assume this one. This question, only we can ask. People that are right now starving in the world, they are not asking what happens after death. People that are feeling too good, they are also not coming up with this type of question. So that means whoever is asking this question

already is at a certain level in his life, in his development of the mind. And this is like why I appreciate this type of teaching so much. Because for every person there is the right time. There is nothing to hurry.

There is nothing to worry. It's in each individual hands. So why do they fail at the moment? I could say because they haven't failed enough yet in order to make the next step. Or because they didn't see the lesson yet from that failure. I don't know. I don't know. There are so many

different reasons why people then do not continue. But it's just a question of time until they will. Right. I've made many mistakes over and over and over again until finally I said, oh wait, it's not what I want anymore. Let me really take a step back and reevaluate why this keeps happening, why I'm at the source of all these mistakes happening over and over again for 15, 20 years, and let me start to look at it differently and approach it differently. And it wasn't until I experienced so much pain and suffering where I was like, okay, no more. I'm done with this way of acting, being, experiencing, relationships, whatever it might be. And I'm going to redefine what I want and step and act accordingly.

And it took a lot of pain to get there. I was the one that touched the hot pan, you know, a hundred times probably, right? Until I finally said, okay, this doesn't work. But I think that's what we get. Each one of us gets to be on our own timing and learn the lesson the way we need to. Whereas other things in my life, I learned very quickly. You know, I make one mistake and okay, I don't want to do that. Let me learn it.

You know, let me improve. and okay, I don't want to do that. Let me learn, you know, let me improve. I'm curious, in your life, where's the lesson that you feel like you haven't fully learned yet? You keep touching the hot plate just a little bit. Is there any area that still causes pain or that still you haven't?

Something I, let's say, observed about myself also in the way how i grow up and also like afterwards now watching what type of let's say hobbies i spent my time in there is something i witnessed about myself which is always i cannot leave the things as they are. I always have the urge to optimize. So that means optimize the bike, optimize the car, optimize the engine, optimize myself, optimize the body, optimize the mind, optimize the life. So at the moment, my biggest biggest journey I still have to say is really at the end these are all just like optimized. This life itself is for me the area to just discover. The thing is I don't know where this journey is going.

Yeah, and this is maybe something also. So you don't have to always optimize is what you're saying. Yes, maybe. You can just let it be and just experience it

and just sit with it. Yes. Inefficient, inefficient sometimes. Yeah. To find that balance. Yeah, okay. You know, many years now already,

I have spent in optimizing, thriving for goals, also like training-wise, yeah? So people always maybe misconfuse a little bit. So how could I have reached all these graduations, for example, or reach any type of position in the field of martial arts? Because there is a difference inside the field

of martial arts. You are not being measured by how much you can talk. In the field of martial arts, you are being measured by does it work or doesn't it work? Is it effective or ineffective? For example. And so that means, of course, there is some fire inside of me in order to push through a lot of these hardships when

it comes to the training. So that means Buddhist teaching is not about what you want. Buddhist teaching is about what can we take away from you until it is uncovered again, what you really are. So we have this world nowadays on the one side where it is about in the picture speaking you're feeling not complete that's why first of all you go to the school until you get your college degree but even with that college degree you are not complete yet so that means you make a further education even with that university degree you are not that means you make a further education. Even with a university degree you are not complete because you need a job. One job is not complete.

Second job. Okay, second job there's still something missing in your life. You need a family now. Now you need a car but actually the second car wouldn't be so bad. So you get the point. There is something about you're never enough wherever in which position you are located in your lifetime. Apparently you are never enough. There's always something more to add. That is the one direction. And what we nowadays know as the Buddhist teachings doesn't have this approach. The Buddhist teaching says, you come to this world as an empty cup. Then your parents put their drop inside of you.

The teachers put their knowledge inside of you. The advertising, the government, the schools, your friends, the parents of your friends. So a lot of different influences, ideas, concepts, what you are supposed to do in this life is starting to fill up your cup. Now, really simply said, what Buddha is teaching now is to say, look, all of that stuff inside there it's not coming from you so that means spend some time and learn to empty the cup make that cup empty then you will realize who you really are what your essence is the way how you came to this earth. And previous to the question, when you ask when was life let's say easier, as a

child or as an adult, like I said I think as a child, because that cup as a child is not so full yet. It's empty. Not completely empty but more empty than now as an adult. Now you have the burden to cover, the expectations to fulfill, the role you have to play. This is why I think it's more difficult now. Yeah. And so that means you have these two approaches. Learning to get rid, learning to let go is one area. Learning to attain is the second. And the balance of this, I think this is the biggest challenge. Wow. I love your thoughts around mindset and your thoughts around how we can think in a

certain way that can either impact us and be useful or hurt us and be ineffective and pull us backwards from manifesting the future that we really envision the dream future I'm curious what are the daily thoughts that people should should generate to keep focused on their vision and not fall back into pains or problems of the past now that word came flying before when i said you need uh you need a commitment i didn't mean commitment you You need an affirmation. Affirmation. That's the word. For your goal that you set into your life, for whatever you want to develop yourself in,

you need to connect it with a personal affirmation. That is something that fuels it. This is what fuels actions. Just similar, like I said before, in the Kung Fu training for example, you are learning techniques, you are learning body mechanics, but that is something you learn on the outside. It's the form, it's the shape that you are supposed to take in why you make, let's say, this movement. You need it, yes. But there is something more that you need.

You need something that is going to fuel that movement. You need something that fills up that form. And now just to explain to you, you have no real drive to fight. You don't want to win, you don't care, you know how to do it against somebody who needs to do it because it's about an existential question no matter what type okay there is a different spirit behind it if you meet those two people somebody who has nothing to lose and puts everything on one card because you have no choice either you make it now or your family suffers.

You fight differently. So that means it's not always the technique, the form that you see on the outside that is so impactful. What is it that fuels your actions your daily actions what fuels when you walk to the office prepared to do the work what fuels you to invite other people waking up every day even if it's hard even sometimes you're sick you still go to the office and do the work. And that fuel, I think, is very, very essential. And I can only imagine, even if maybe you don't call it like this, or people are not officially expressing it like this,

I cannot imagine there is one person existing in this world who in some way has achieved something without an affirmation. I think it doesn't exist. What's your affirmation? I think we are all connected. Mm-hmm. On the one side, I really love this life. So as long as I can, I would like to experience the variety of everything that is existing here. But at the same time, I also see it as part of my obligation that if I have a possibility to do something that supports other people along the way, this is what I do. I just think this is what you do in a family. I'm curious about your thoughts on the actions people should take in order to manifest.

And it seems to me that there's a lot of weakness in the world. People don't have, in general, a lot of people don't have the discipline, the actions that create good habits that support them in being consistent, you know, having the right thoughts, the right actions, all those things. And I wanted to ask you about how can we, you know, having the right thoughts, the right actions, all those things. And I wanted to ask you about how can we, you know, you train the body, right? You're training the limbs, the weaknesses, you're callusing the bones and all these things to take on more force, more stress. How do we harden certain things in us, but while also keeping our hearts open loving compassionate

giving how do we do both in this process always when there is something consisting of two aspects at least or both

like you mentioned the answer is always balance so now the practical ways what i would suggest okay you need a healthy body body. You need a healthy body. That means choose any type of physical activity. It really doesn't matter. It only matters that you understand all your wishes, all your dreams, all the goals that you are putting to yourself, what you want to achieve in this lifetimes. They all are not going to matter anymore if your body is not going to be on the earth to witness these things. Right. You got to take care of it. Simply said. But what we're talking about right now,

greatness means you want to bring something out of yourself which is not average. This is not what the mess is able to do. If it is something that the messes are not able to do, which means your body, yourself, the way how you're thinking, the way how you're training can't be average. So in our field, keep the body not just healthy, but watch out for methods to make your body really performant. Performant for that specific area where you maybe later want

to find yourself in. Because let's just say, if I want to become a truck driver, I could never do it. Because my mind and my body probably is just not made for so long distances and this type of concentration which is needed. So I have definitely a lot of respect of all the truck drivers, but I can feel it is something I couldn't do. There is a performance necessary in these type of areas that I have not developed in myself. It's like I can also watch back in my past. I had a lot of ill will when it came to running around the track.

Sprinting never a problem. I enjoyed. Yeah, but long distances. Yes. So that means short bursts of energy, a lot of energy in a short period. This is what I really feel like what that body is made for. But long distance, which is draining, this is draining me. But we were at the body, which means just physicality, activity, vitality, yoga, many things you can do.

But there should be something yeah and when when we lack confidence when we lack the belief in ourselves the esteem the self-esteem how do we learn to overcome the things that we doubt about ourselves and gain more confidence, not just in the material skill acquiring world, but in the spiritual world? How do we gain more confidence? Here I think we're entering into an area

that for me personally matters a lot. Why, I think. Look, it seems like at the moment, 21st century, everything is about everybody can do what he wants. We are free to express. There's no hierarchy because we are all humans. There's no hierarchy between all of us. Seeing as a human being, there is no hierarchy. we are all humans. There is no hierarchy between all of us. Seeing as a human being, there is

no hierarchy. I agree. But if you want to learn something, there is a hierarchy. And the hierarchy is there are people who already possess what you want to learn and there are people

who don't possess what is possible to be learned. So if I want to learn. And there are people who don't possess what is possible to be learned. So if I want to develop myself and I want to learn something, attain a skill, at the moment I would just look out in the world first of all to see who possesses that skill. Because it might be that you think about something, but there's nobody else in the world who at the moment possesses it, so it maybe is a little bit unrealistic that it even exists.

But if you want to have something, first of all, look for the places or the persons that have it. Very easily. And very often that means you are meeting in our tradition now, you are meeting masters. You are meeting a person who has already mastered a certain ability because you see it and then you say, yes, he has it.

And then the next question is, how does now either the knowledge or the skill is being transmitted? How does it come to you now? And like I said, from my tradition, there's only one way. You need to get into a student-master relationship. A master-student relationship. And a master-student relationship, there is no democracy. Right.

That's what the master says, you deal. And I do think that in the field of where we are talking right now as well, sometimes you need a mentor. Sometimes you need to surround yourself with people that are already standing at a certain point where you maybe would like to go to. These are the people with experience.

These are the people that walked the path already that you right now would like to walk. So I think there is a difference in the way of how then you talk to these people, how then you also see yourself in regards to these people. And this is what opens up doors, which means you are regarding yourself as a student. This is what it means in our tradition.

If you think you are equal to the rest of the world, you are equal, this is a type of wrong pride, I have to say. Because it absolutely stops you from further development and learning really what you would like to learn. So getting surrounded surrounded searching for people that are already in that area where you would like to move to is also one of the next steps for example i would look for yeah so it is about with what type of people are you surrounded one side how are you taking care of your body other side so now taking care of the mind

how do you do this in order to know what is important to you it's necessary to also know unimportant things. Unimportant things. Unimportant things. It's not necessary from seven days a week to only do important things. Because ultimately importance is a question which is also very subjective. Importance for this life, nothing is too important. What I mean is you need balance.

You consciously sometimes need to do something where you really feel this is really unimportant. Yeah, just doing whatever. Yeah. Because it keeps something inside of you open. If you only do the important things, only be focused, you can only be focused because there's another state inside of you which is you're open-minded. You're open-minded. You're able to receive. Focus, there is no receiving anymore.

There's already that guided intention of yours. So switching the states of mind, putting yourself consciously into different states of mind, I think this belongs to the category of mind development. And there are different ways how you can put this into practice and I can now maybe share the way what we use in the monastery please I think it is super helpful if you are learning to work in cycles cycles cycles so for example when it comes to you need a new skill, you want to develop something, you need to learn how to program, you need to learn how to use a new software program, you need to learn accounting, I don't know, you need to learn to do the webpage, something about you need to, you want to develop something new about you

i think the most effective way is to cut off yourself for a certain period of time and do nothing else in between for that period for that. Can you give me an example? Yes. Now this is a really simple example but it involves something more. If you want to change something about the appearance of your skin, you're not satisfied with your skin so the good message is it probably is the quickest to to do something about it the quickest why because because it lies right on the surface because it's right on the outside of the body so it's easily treatable. So which means do a seven day treatment where you take care of the body. Seven days long, go into the sauna, cream

yourself. What? Seven days. After seven days I'm sure if you do it, it looks different. Now we go a layer deeper. You want to change something about your muscles. The muscles are lying underneath the skin, meaning not so easily accessible anymore, which automatically means the cycle needs to become longer. Seven days muscle training? No, it's not gonna be enough. So let's say 30 days. Yes? Maybe not visibly, but feelable definitely. Go even more deeper into the area of your tendons, your sinews, your fascia. 30 days is not enough, because this is changing, this is going even deeper into your system, trying to change something there, so the cycles become

longer. So the deeper within the field of martial arts we get into our body until the bone, the longer these cycles become that you need to dedicate your time in practicing. And similar I would say it is like now when it comes to the training of skills that modern people nowadays want to develop. you need to ask yourself how much of a of a software hack is it that you're trying to put upon yourself how deep is it embedded the deeper it is the more time those cycles need the more often you need to repeat those cycles but the main point is that i don't think it is a sensible and a good method within the 30 day months to like spread it apart to have too many things at the same time

here you make that skill here you make that here you make another one i think it's not effective go all in on one thing for a cycle yes now maybe of course people say yeah but i can't concentrate on one well concentrate on three better on three than on ten right yeah this is the main point what i mean sure because it's not just physically that we are transforming it is it is mental changes it is emotional changes it is physical changes and they just don't go so quickly if you jump too much right right and also they don't penetrate deep enough. They don't penetrate deep enough for you to have a lasting impression of what it is that you're trying to develop there. Which means also before when we said mind training or how do I react to ill will towards other people. I talked about the heart qualities.

Heart qualities, you make one a week, which means, let's just say we take the heart quality of gratefulness, just as an example. Gratefulness means you go to your closed room, you close your eyes,

if you want you put some music on, but normally you better try without music, and then you recall all the moments in your lifetime where you think gratefulness was apparent in those these moments. The gratefulness that you felt because Because, you know, like, yeah, Louis, so thank you very much for this interview and for that cup of water. You know, this is like talking. Gratefulness has never been about talking. Either you have it or you don't have it.

It's feeling it, experiencing gratitude. Yes. have it or you don't have it. It's feeling it, experiencing gratitude. Yes. So this is why in order to get to that feeling again, every human had it in his lifetime. Just sometimes it has been too much in the past and it has been forgotten. That's why we need to dig it out. And therefore, recall the moments where you think, yes, towards that person I really felt that gratefulness. Then it's like a small flame pops up and there it is. It's not clear defined yet, but you feel there is something. And now, for example, what we use is you breathe into the feeling and try,

use also like your mind to make that grow right okay maybe it's a little bit more feelable it feels maybe strange to many people but since you are asking me how do the ancient traditions look like what are the methods this is the way how we do it okay you realize there's something you want it to grow means you need to put energy into it how do you put energy into it by using your intention in going there and so like this on day one it becomes like a small pellet of gratefulness of that feel. But now you stay one week long. On the second day, it's already easier to identify, there it is already.

And you stay one week long cultivating, cultivating, until it's very easy for you now to identify, especially to identify if people who apparently seem to to be grateful towards you if they really are because the good part is that now that you know how it feels you just you don't only know it how it feels inside of you but you can detect it in other people. This is that special part why all this development always starts with yourself. Because I know how my body is aligned. I know how your body is aligned. Because I know the weak points of my body.

I know the weak points of my body. I know the weak points of your body. And this is that idea that sometimes you can't change people around you. You can't look into the heads of other people. But what you can do at all times every day is to do something about what is in your own hands. Yourself. This is why this idea of turn the finger around,

do something about yourself, develop yourself, invest in yourself. You grow as a human being. You grow in yourself. You grow as a human being. You grow in skills. All of these things, they will naturally just follow. Because in the moment where you are starting to express something that people nowadays are not seeing often anymore, you just become the magnet.

This is how it is. Why? Because people are used already to average. Every day they see average. Yeah, but now they start to see something different. They start to see somebody, another attitude towards life. And so this feels, I think, very like a magnet.

And so all of this, you don't even need to probably go there. It's going to come to you. Everything you want to create starts to come to you. Only if you work on yourself. How often do you embody gratitude and practice it on a daily basis? We have therefore our ceremonies for example. Our ceremonies in the monastery which always always evening time, nine o'clock, and there we have parts of this type of cultivation integrated in the ceremony. Really? Do you think we can manifest a beautiful life without gratitude? No. No. It might feel like it, it might seem like it, but ultimately, no way. Gratitude is the key to abundance.

It's the key to being a magnet, to drawing in the things you truly want. They create a beautiful life. I've got a few final questions for you. This has been fascinating. Before I ask those questions, I want to make sure people follow you online because your content is amazing. You also have a 12-month course, a program that people can follow if they want more of this mental training, the philosophies that you've provided, the things that you've learned and that you teach to others. It'll help people in their life, improve their life. But also physical a lot yeah physical stuff

as well in there um so they can get this 12 month course at shaolin.online for all the information there plus information about the temple the practices the teaching your work uh speaking and other things as you do some speaking i'm not sure how much you'll be doing in the future, but every now and then you'll be doing some. Also, people need to follow you on social media, Instagram at shaolin.online for that. And if you look up shaolin temple.europe on Facebook, you'll see it there as well.

And if they look up your name, they'll see lots of great content, if they look up your name they'll see lots of great content lots of great TED talks you've done videos we'll have a lot of this linked up in the show notes but I just wanted to say I'm grateful for you for being here and I've got a couple of final questions I have so many more things I want to ask you but you'll have to come back on another time save your voice for the next time but this is a question I ask everyone towards the end of my conversations. It's a hypothetical question. So imagine you live as long as you want to live in this physical three-dimensional

space-time reality. I think I heard you say 108? 108 that one? A hundred and... 108 years. 108, sounds good, right? Yeah. So imagine you're 108, right? And you get to live the life you envision. Everything you wanna do, it happens. You create it, you overcome, you learn, you master all these different areas of life. And you serve and impact the world through your teachings.

But for whatever reason, in this hypothetical scenario at 108 years old, you have to take all of your content and message with you. So this conversation goes to the next place. All the TED Talks, all the interviews you've ever done, for whatever reason, they're not here in this physical world anymore hypothetical scenario but you get to leave behind three lessons with the world three lessons from all of your teachings and all your learnings and this is for whatever reason all you could share these truths that i like to say what would be those three truths for you if you could only share three you know that this is a really super hard I know I gotta get you to think a little harder, you know, okay

Sounds super funny, especially if I'm not gonna talk about it, but One message is just a flower If you want a flower in a pot, it doesn't matter. The first message, one, I don't even need to speak about it. It's just the flower in the pot. This is number one. What does that mean, flower in a pot? It means everything. There is a history behind it the future of the

flower in a ways in your hand the care is integrated the nature is integrated no words to be speaking sometimes you don't need to speak about it. It's feelable what needs to be done. So this is one message, let's say. Okay, that's number one. Number two. Keep community. It's not necessary to always be right.

It's more important to also have backup if you're not right. That feels better. And the third? I've got to challenge you, you know? I got to challenge you. You do already. You do already. Number three is, it's repeating.

It's repeating. It's repeating. Everything? Just as I said it. It's repeating. It's repeating. Everything? Just as I said it. It's repeating. This was now kind of Matrix style. Yes. It's the inception.

I love it. Master She Hong Yi, I want to acknowledge you for the gift you are in this world, for being a symbol of inspiration for a lot of people and for dedicating decades of your life to mastering certain skills and philosophies, practicing them and teaching them to others. I want to acknowledge you for showing up here, present, open, loving, giving, vulnerable, wise, and giving us this time and this energy from, again, your near 40 years of existence and lessons. i really appreciate how you show up in your level of discipline your level of commitment to your

message to your community that you have into the world so i really appreciate your time here again i want people to go and follow you i want them to get your course shaolin dot online shaolin.online on social media um we'll link up a lot of the TED Talks and all the other information that you guys can learn more about the temple in Europe. And I recommend people seeing if they can get to your temple too. I know you guys host certain retreats there

for people to study, to practice for shorter periods of time so they can see and experience smaller groups. So you can go to the website, learn more about that. If you feel called to learning more, then go to the website for that. Is there any other way that we can support and serve you right now, besides sending people there and following your message online? online not really the only thing that since I started sharing out all of these methods what gave me super much confidence also of why I also came here

now I can tell you I also did some search, where actually has Lewis House come from? And it makes me so happy to meanwhile have the chance that I met so many people who from nothing built up so huge things. And what does it show me? It means there is something that you can get. But you also need to give something back. You need to develop something about yourself in order to be able to receive these gifts from the world. And if you are selfish, you're not going to get it. This affirmation for your mission, I really think this is something to keep in the mind.

And at the end, no one in this world is like your master. I appreciate it very much if people call me master. But what is it that I'm trying to spread to the world? I'm spreading self-mastery. You are your master. You take your life into the hands and decide in which direction you want to take it. It's just that you need the right methods and the right tools sometimes to go in the right direction. And that's what it is

about. Learning from different people. Learning from people that already had experience before you. from people that already had experience before you. But ultimately, you are the one who needs to put it into practice. And this is that greatness of this whole path. That if you are open to it, things are going to come. And so therefore, I think everything that you have said, thank you also very much, Louis. You're really greatly appreciated.

Yeah, I appreciate it, man. I've got one final question for you then. Okay. What is your definition of greatness? To impact, to be able to impact on the one side something beyond yourself in all different types of areas. Which means this is not about your own wealth anymore. It has become the wealth of the world.

It is not just about your own personal peace. Your matters are the peace of the world. This is not about you are beyond yourself. You are greater than yourself. That is very close related, I think, to what greatness means. I hope today's episode inspired you on your journey towards greatness. Make sure to check out the show notes in the description for a rundown of today's show with all the important links.

of today's show with all the important links. And if you want weekly exclusive bonus episodes with me, as well as ad-free listening experience, make sure to subscribe to our Greatness Plus channel on Apple Podcast. If you enjoyed this, please share it with a friend over on social media or text a friend. Leave us a review over on Apple Podcast and let me know what you learned

over on our social media channels at Lewis Howes. I really love hearing the feedback from you and it helps us continue to make the show better. And if you want more inspiration from our world-class guests and content to learn how to improve the quality of your life, then make sure to sign up for the Greatness Newsletter and get it delivered right to your inbox over at greatness.com slash newsletter. And if no one has told you today, I want to remind you that you are loved, you are worthy, and you matter. And now it's time to go out there and do something great.