—Systemic change begins with personal change—
Cassiano Rodrigues Laureano is a MMA fighter from Brazil living in Singapore. He set the world record for most burpees in an hour, certified by Guinness at 951.
In his words:
Nothing comes without sacrifice, lots of it! The real grinding is done when no one is watching. Hold yourself to high standards, discover what you are good at and explore it as much as you can, be confident on your abilities.
Be willing to sacrifice everything and do whatever you need to achieve what you set out to accomplish. Be strong mentally, conquer. Stand out. Discipline!
If you always do your best I guarantee you that when you look back at your life you won't have any regrets. We only really regret the things we haven't done. The rest are all lessons.
Stop complaining, take actions and change whatever you need to change NOW because the time will never go backwards!
Cassiano's first episode led to more listener comments than most. People loved his enthusiasm. I find guys who know martial arts tend to speak with a security. The opposite of insecure or desperate. So I think people found him accessible and engaging. I think you'll find him more so this episode. Of course, we talk a bit about his world record for burpees. As you can tell from this episode's title, he fulfilled his commitment by buying a bonzai tree. He loved it! He shares his experience buying it, caring for it, and designing it, or grooming it. I'm not sure the right word. Sadly, I lost the video of the tree, but you can hear him describing it. You may remember from his first episode that he saw a missing connection to nature for humans in cities. I think you'll agree that the tree's value and effect on Cassiano transcends just something he takes care of. We talk about values and how to enjoy life.
When I read about Cassiano setting the world record for most burpees in an hour--951---I knew I had to meet him. Though I've maxed out at a mere 370 in a day, I did most of them in under three hours. Still dramatically slower than Cassiano, but I've kept my streak unbroken for about ten years. I had to learn his motivation, his obstacles, how he overcame the obstacles, his training, how the event felt, and all of what goes into setting that record. He wasn't doing it for the money and even the motivation to raise funds for his niece's health wouldn't necessarily keep him motivated. He shares his motivation, perspective, beliefs, and how he handled injury. Anyone can challenge themselves as much to live by their values. Then you'll hear his environmental values stemming from growing up poor in Brazil, coming to America and struggling, then making it here. How he acts on his values is so simple, affordable, and rewarding, anyone can do it. I predict hearing him will make his actions sound attractive. I recommend listening and emulating. I can't wait to hear how his commitment goes and I bet you won't be able to either.