# Transcript: We can do more than we usually dare to admit ## Description Who is Abhejali Bernardová Abhejali Bernardová is a sports challenge enthusiast of all kinds who has been practicing meditation since she was eighteen. By profession, she is a translator at a publishing house, and you might find her running around the world with the Peace Run torch or organizing running races and the Six-Hour Swimming event. She enjoys sharing her experiences and lessons from swimming and exploration with others – and recently wrote a book about them called “Until the Water Ends.” ## Transcript **[00:00:00]** Here on site, I also greet everyone watching us live. **[00:00:28]** I specifically promised to greet Service Ball in Dobruška, **[00:00:33]** because there's a big event happening there today, so greetings to Dobruška, to Service Ball, **[00:00:37]** and to all the places, libraries, schools, and others where we are streaming live. **[00:00:42]** Another Brain & Breakfast is starting. **[00:00:45]** As you well know, during the streams you can still scan the QR code, **[00:00:52]** because that's how you sign up for our newsletter. **[00:00:55]** Sometimes it appears in the stream, so if you want to know more about Red Button, **[00:01:01]** here is the QR code. **[00:01:04]** Today, I want to thank the company SDRV very much, **[00:01:08]** where we are right now. **[00:01:12]** Those of you not here are missing out, because we had a lovely breakfast on the terrace today, **[00:01:17]** and it's really pleasant here, so thank you very much. **[00:01:21]** Well, that wasn't supposed to happen, but that's what I do. **[00:01:25]** A classic interactive breakfast. **[00:01:29]** Please take your mobile phones, **[00:01:33]** and go to www.slajdu.com **[00:01:38]** and enter the hashtag Brain **[00:01:42]** where the first question is waiting for you. **[00:01:47]** The first question is whether this is your first time at the breakfast, **[00:01:53]** or if someone, God forbid, has been here before and came again. **[00:01:59]** So far, 88% say this is their first time, **[00:02:05]** yes, I'm first time, that's 14, 16, so it's growing. **[00:02:10]** We'll leave it open a bit longer, so you can take your phones in hand, **[00:02:15]** because if you want to ask today's guest any question, it's best to do it, **[00:02:20]** and it will only work through this app. **[00:02:24]** So, I'll move on and won't keep you waiting, **[00:02:30]** because you didn't come here to listen to me, **[00:02:33]** but to listen to the guest, whom I really respect and appreciate, **[00:02:37]** who made the trip from Zlín, Bežali Bernakova. **[00:02:41]** And Bežali, hello! **[00:02:43]** Hello! **[00:02:49]** I won't introduce you formally because you'll introduce yourself anyway. **[00:02:54]** I'll just say that I am very excited here inside like a swimmer, **[00:03:00]** because today it will be a bit about swimming and I'm really looking forward to it. **[00:03:04]** So I hand over the imaginary baton to you. Thank you very much. **[00:03:09]** And Petil, please start the countdown for me. **[00:03:12]** Great. Thank you very much for meeting here in person and also remotely, **[00:03:19]** and I'll just say it won't be entirely about swimming, it will be on a swimming backdrop, **[00:03:25]** but it will be about some inner growth, the inner space that each of us has inside. **[00:03:32]** and that we might not use as much. **[00:03:34]** And since the breakfast is called brain and breakfast, I'll start right away by saying **[00:03:40]** that besides our head and brain, we have a heart, and that heart is often **[00:03:47]** suppressed by the brain and our mind. **[00:03:51]** My whole story actually began at eighteen, when I started practicing meditation. **[00:03:58]** If someone had told me back then that I would swim some ocean seven, **[00:04:01]** or run for six days, I would have tapped my forehead and said no way, **[00:04:04]** I'm not an athlete, I'm just a normal **[00:04:08]** young lady back then, now a woman, and I simply wouldn't do anything like that. **[00:04:13]** Meditation means calming the mind, quieting the thoughts, **[00:04:19]** because from the moment we wake up, our heads are full of thoughts. **[00:04:23]** Someone counted that it's about six thousand thoughts, **[00:04:27]** and if we wrote down everything that runs through our heads during the day, **[00:04:31]** we would realize that many of those thoughts are completely unnecessary, **[00:04:35]** and we don't have to be afraid **[00:04:39]** that calming the mind with meditation will suddenly make us stupid. It's about **[00:04:43]** finding the time and managing to quiet the noise of those thoughts that **[00:04:49]** rush at us from morning till night and are often not very encouraging. **[00:04:55]** I like to give an example when you decide, **[00:04:59]** or I decided, that I will meditate every morning. **[00:05:03]** You can decide to run, and then you set your alarm, **[00:05:07]** knowing you need to get up earlier to meditate or run, and the alarm rings, **[00:05:11]** and our first reaction, I think for all of us, is **[00:05:15]** oh no, I'm still tired, why is it ringing already, **[00:05:19]** I went to bed late yesterday, and the weather is bad or it's too hot outside, **[00:05:23]** and immediately our mind fills with thoughts **[00:05:27]** that we need more sleep and that we'll start tomorrow. **[00:05:31]** So we turn off the alarm and only get up when we really have to go to work or school, **[00:05:35]** and the same mind tells us, but didn't you want to go running? **[00:05:39]** It's just incapable. So our mind **[00:05:43]** tries different tricks on us, and in my opinion, **[00:05:47]** it's good to know those tricks or learn to work with it, **[00:05:51]** because it really tends to limit us, **[00:05:55]** it tends to judge, like this I like, **[00:05:59]** that person is too tall, too short, too fat, **[00:06:03]** not very pretty, it tends **[00:06:07]** to doubt us. It says, I told you you can't do it. **[00:06:23]** just meditate every day. So each of us **[00:06:27]** has these conversations here with our mind, with our head **[00:06:31]** and it's good to know first that **[00:06:35]** we can be the one who comes out of it victorious and that we can use the mind, **[00:06:39]** it is a good servant, because for all of us to meet here today, **[00:06:43]** we simply needed to set an alarm, **[00:06:47]** find the metro to get here, and so on, **[00:06:51]** but it's good when it is not the master of our life, when **[00:06:55]** we ourselves are the master, and it truly only serves us **[00:06:59]** and for me, quieting these thoughts means that I can **[00:07:03]** actually dive into the heart and in that heart **[00:07:07]** dwells, I call it, **[00:07:11]** my self, and our self is actually the same, **[00:07:15]** so it was simply like that when I was eighteen, **[00:07:19]** and in ten years, the feeling of that self will be the same, **[00:07:23]** our mind gains a lot of knowledge **[00:07:27]** and many experiences, then as we age, it forgets again, **[00:07:31]** but our sense of self remains the same, **[00:07:35]** so for me, quieting the mind **[00:07:39]** is also about trying to sense this self here **[00:07:43]** and to sense where I want to go in life. **[00:07:47]** It's not about, of course, like studying some school, **[00:07:51]** doing this or that, but the goal, where **[00:07:55]** I really want to head, is not something **[00:07:59]** I think I can figure out with my head, because the head says, well, do this **[00:08:03]** and then a moment later says, maybe not, maybe it's not the best idea, **[00:08:07]** just do something else here, and we are basically in a vicious circle like that, **[00:08:11]** and when we take our heart to help, we can **[00:08:15]** sense something that will be there. **[00:08:19]** And my meditation teacher, Shri Chinmoy, compares **[00:08:23]** meditation to diving to the bottom of the sea. **[00:08:27]** And when I first read that, it seemed like an interesting idea, **[00:08:31]** but now, really by swimming, one truly experiences it, **[00:08:35]** just to give you an idea, the swim starts like this, **[00:08:39]** actually on the shore, because the escort boat drops you off somewhere near the shore, **[00:08:43]** you swim, and then the swim begins. **[00:08:47]** During it, you must not touch the boat, no one can help you, **[00:08:51]** and you need to get to the other side by your own strength. **[00:08:55]** Well, when you swim to Hawaii, people go surfing there, **[00:08:59]** so there are big waves. And if you want to get safely **[00:09:03]** from that shore to the open sea so you can start swimming, **[00:09:07]** you really can't stay on the surface. On the surface, the waves **[00:09:11]** would just crush you. You actually have to dive under the wave, **[00:09:15]** swim underneath it, and reach the bottom where it's really calm. **[00:09:19]** That's how I also perceive it in my own mind, **[00:09:23]** when we're on the surface, there are lots of thoughts **[00:09:27]** and we can't focus or sense something deeper inside us. **[00:09:31]** But when we dive into the depths, **[00:09:35]** into the depths of our heart, there is silence. **[00:09:39]** But it's not an empty silence, **[00:09:43]** it's a silence that holds immense depth. **[00:09:47]** During our talk, we'll also try an exercise, **[00:09:51]** just so you get an idea of what I mean. **[00:09:55]** For me, this meditative introduction **[00:09:59]** is... **[00:10:00]** especially important in our rushed world **[00:10:04]** to find time for calming down. **[00:10:07]** In the morning, the alarm rings, **[00:10:10]** and we immediately rush into the hectic world. **[00:10:14]** For me, the foundation or anchor **[00:10:18]** is that before I run out, I spend five, ten, **[00:10:27]** really diving into my heart. **[00:10:30]** Because at that moment, even if the world around is a stormy sea, **[00:10:34]** you have something that holds you firmly. **[00:10:38]** And even if the wind is strong and things happen, pleasant **[00:10:43]** or less pleasant, you can always return faster **[00:10:47]** to your center. **[00:10:52]** This is basically a photo of my La Manche route, **[00:10:57]** which I swam again two years ago, **[00:11:01]** as part of a La Manche triathlon project **[00:11:05]** that I set for myself. It shows, up top is England, **[00:11:09]** and down here, it's not very visible, is France. **[00:11:13]** And I use it to show the need to have a goal, **[00:11:17]** where we want to get in life, because if we don't have a goal, **[00:11:22]** the current of life will just carry us around **[00:11:27]** and move us somewhere, but not necessarily **[00:11:31]** toward our goal. So when I was swimming, **[00:11:35]** my goal was to swim to France, **[00:11:39]** and if I just let myself be carried by the currents, **[00:11:43]** The currents flow upward for up to 6 hours and downward, **[00:11:47]** so I would end up either somewhere in the North Sea or the Atlantic. **[00:11:51]** So having the goal and knowing I want to swim to it, **[00:11:55]** sometimes it takes a long time, **[00:11:59]** I saw France for a very long time, but the currents wouldn't let us get there, **[00:12:03]** so then you need some patience and not to give up, **[00:12:07]** but always keep the vision of the goal, because eventually we will get there. **[00:12:11]** And again, it comes back to the fact **[00:12:15]** that we are the masters of our own lives. **[00:12:19]** Especially in countries like the Czech Republic, **[00:12:23]** we have free will, **[00:12:27]** we can do a lot of things, **[00:12:31]** and it's up to us which things we want to do, **[00:12:35]** how much we want to be the ones steering the rudder of our lives, **[00:12:39]** or if we just let the circumstances of our lives carry us, **[00:12:43]** because we simply don't find the time to stop **[00:12:47]** and clarify where we are actually heading. **[00:12:51]** And I know people sometimes argue **[00:12:55]** that finding time for yourself, **[00:12:59]** just five or ten minutes, **[00:13:03]** to focus on calming down, **[00:13:07]** but for me, that's the best investment **[00:13:11]** we can make not only for ourselves but also for our family, **[00:13:15]** because if we don't have that calm inside, **[00:13:19]** that closure, that strengthening, that grounding, **[00:13:23]** we can't give it. We can only give what we ourselves have. **[00:13:27]** So it's just, what is it, five or ten minutes. **[00:13:31]** So, I have a question here that you can vote on, **[00:13:35]** and there will be a moment of time again. **[00:13:39]** How long do you think my longest swim took? **[00:13:43]** The options are 14 hours, 9 hours, and 22 hours. **[00:13:47]** And meanwhile, I'll have a drink. **[00:13:51]** So you know you trust me that I swam for a very long time. **[00:13:55]** I might not say it yet because **[00:13:59]** I'll talk about it soon, so we'll get to it. **[00:14:03]** So please, feel free to keep voting. **[00:14:07]** 9 hours seems really short to me. **[00:14:11]** Okay, thank you. **[00:14:15]** Actually, when I started meditating, **[00:14:19]** I really realized that we have this free will **[00:14:23]** and that it simply depends on us what we do with our lives. **[00:14:27]** When we wake up in the morning, we actually have 24 hours available. **[00:14:31]** They say it's like the book of life. **[00:14:35]** We have a blank choice. **[00:14:39]** We have a choice that is being created. **[00:14:43]** In the book of life, we have a blank page. **[00:14:47]** It sounds like a cliché, but it's really true. **[00:14:51]** Today is June 22, 2023. **[00:14:55]** That day will never repeat, and it depends on us, **[00:14:59]** how we use it, what we write on that page, **[00:15:03]** because in the book of life, we can't tear out pages or cross out too much, **[00:15:07]** because once it's written, it's written. **[00:15:11]** For example, I really like, **[00:15:15]** one of my favorite races is the 24-hour running race. **[00:15:19]** It sounds crazy, but I'll tell you why right away. **[00:15:23]** It's because your goal in this race **[00:15:27]** is to use the entire day, 24 hours, **[00:15:31]** and your goal is to run as many kilometers as possible. **[00:15:35]** No one forbids you from sitting down or sleeping, **[00:15:39]** but of course, if you sleep many hours, **[00:15:43]** you won't run as many kilometers. **[00:15:47]** When you sit, the kilometers don't add up. **[00:15:51]** If, God forbid, there's a refreshment station, **[00:15:55]** and you forget something and have to go back, **[00:15:59]** those kilometers are subtracted. **[00:16:03]** So it's about not destroying or killing yourself, **[00:16:07]** because time really doesn't come back, time flies. **[00:16:11]** For me, the hours fly by that I have to keep track of. **[00:16:15]** So it's really about doing the things **[00:16:19]** we know we want to do, that we know **[00:16:23]** lead us to our goal. **[00:16:27]** And swimming is even specifically harder because **[00:16:31]** when you run for 24 hours, you can just stop, **[00:16:35]** and stand still. When you swim, there are currents, **[00:16:39]** so it can easily happen that while you stop **[00:16:43]** to refresh yourself, the current carries you back. **[00:16:47]** For example, when I swam Kukova Užina, **[00:16:51]** we were above some underwater canyon, **[00:16:55]** and every half hour, I refresh myself, **[00:16:59]** I swam about 200-300 meters, **[00:17:03]** maybe in two minutes during such a long effort. **[00:17:07]** Then I stopped to refresh myself, **[00:17:11]** and we sailed beautifully back to Wellington, where we started. **[00:17:15]** So it's something else that taught me, **[00:17:19]** of course, you mustn't stress about it, **[00:17:23]** like oh my god, the minutes are slipping away and I... **[00:17:27]** It's not about that, it's about needing balance in when we do things, **[00:17:31]** to have fun, **[00:17:35]** to do things that bring us joy, **[00:17:39]** but we need to know where that balance is. **[00:17:43]** And just like I said, nowadays, how rushed everything is, **[00:17:47]** and we feel like we can't keep up and have no time. **[00:17:51]** I sometimes say it too and try not to say it, that I have no time, **[00:17:55]** because when we learn priorities, **[00:17:59]** we simply find the time. We find time for what is important to us, **[00:18:03]** but again, sometimes we rush so much, **[00:18:07]** that we don't even have time to clarify those priorities. **[00:18:11]** And when I counted it in minutes, a day has 14,40 minutes, **[00:18:15]** and at that moment, if you say 5 minutes for meditation, **[00:18:19]** 5 minutes for this, I can find that time, it's nothing. **[00:18:23]** And since as a society we've gotten used to converting everything into money, **[00:18:27]** we can imagine that in the morning, **[00:18:31]** someone hands us 14,40 crowns and we know, **[00:18:35]** we have to spend it by evening. And now it depends on us, **[00:18:39]** what we spend it on, whether we just let it waste, **[00:18:43]** or if we are wise and use it for **[00:18:47]** what leads us to our goal. **[00:18:51]** So just an example of how in practice you can get used **[00:18:55]** to time passing. **[00:18:59]** To aim for our goal, **[00:19:03]** one thing is important, and that is honesty. **[00:19:07]** Honesty with ourselves, which is the hardest, **[00:19:11]** in my opinion, type of honesty. **[00:19:15]** We can pretend in front of others **[00:19:19]** about everything we do and how good we are, **[00:19:23]** but we know ourselves, our conscience knows, **[00:19:27]** if we did what we could in preparation for a race, **[00:19:31]** if we did what we could in a personal or work project, **[00:19:35]** or if we just slacked off. **[00:19:39]** So it's honesty with ourselves. **[00:19:43]** Do I really need to hit the snooze button in the morning, **[00:19:47]** or is it just my laziness taking over? **[00:19:51]** It's about responsibility to ourselves, because it's our life, **[00:19:55]** we're not responsible to parents, partners, or children. **[00:20:00]** We are actually responsible to ourselves, and our wisdom—not our mind, but something deeper, **[00:20:06]** our wisdom must tell us if what we're doing is right. **[00:20:12]** And every day we make many decisions. **[00:20:18]** From what we wear to much bigger choices. **[00:20:24]** Often, the indicator of the right decision is that **[00:20:30]** the right choice is usually the harder one. **[00:20:34]** It simply requires energy from us to grow, **[00:20:38]** to climb uphill, to pursue progress, **[00:20:42]** so we need more energy. **[00:20:46]** I compare it here, and here is the answer to the question, **[00:20:50]** the swim took 22 hours. **[00:20:54]** Can I switch it here? **[00:20:58]** Yes, you are very clever. 62% of you guessed it was 22 hours. **[00:21:04]** La Manche took me 14 hours, and 9 hours was just randomly thrown in. **[00:21:10]** You probably realize that swimming for 22 hours isn't easy, **[00:21:18]** and sitting on the couch for 22 hours would definitely be easier. **[00:21:22]** But at the same time, you surely sense that what a person gains from it, **[00:21:26]** the feeling, the growth, the insight, **[00:21:30]** can't be compared at all. **[00:21:34]** For example, I didn't imagine the 22 hours was a swim to Hawaii, **[00:21:40]** and I thought it would be shorter, but even if I knew now, **[00:21:44]** even if I had known beforehand it would take that long, I would still do it, **[00:21:48]** because what a person learns from it, the experiences, the insight, **[00:21:52]** simply can't be replaced by anything. **[00:21:56]** And the good thing is that just setting out on the journey **[00:22:04]** toward our goal, taking those steps—sometimes bigger, **[00:22:10]** sometimes feeling like we're not moving—just by not hitting snooze in the morning **[00:22:16]** and actually standing up, we gain strength, and the next day it's easier, **[00:22:20]** and the third day even easier. **[00:22:22]** And just being on the path brings huge joy. **[00:22:29]** Of course, it's nice when, like on Hawaii, **[00:22:33]** after 22 hours I actually managed to swim all the way, **[00:22:36]** that feeling is amazing. **[00:22:38]** But I believe that the journey itself, when we give it our all, **[00:22:45]** when we bring our honesty and everything we want, **[00:22:49]** the journey is incredibly enriching. **[00:22:52]** And for me, it's important to have, in front of myself, **[00:22:58]** when I go to bed at night, a clear conscience, **[00:23:03]** that I really did what I wanted to do, **[00:23:06]** what I could do. **[00:23:08]** To forgive myself if something doesn't work out. **[00:23:12]** To be thankful for the day, to thank myself for **[00:23:16]** what I actually managed to accomplish. **[00:23:19]** And again, another time I meditate is in the evening. **[00:23:23]** Exactly so that one can give thanks, **[00:23:27]** can let things go, **[00:23:30]** because the day, the page is already written, we can't change it anymore. **[00:23:34]** We can really learn from it, we can be eternal **[00:23:38]** and then fall asleep and look forward to **[00:23:42]** what the next 24 hours will bring after **[00:23:46]** we wake up. **[00:23:48]** Now here is the second voting question **[00:23:52]** and when we have talks for schools, **[00:23:55]** we actually have three buckets with water at different temperatures **[00:23:58]** and the kids can test the water **[00:24:02]** and then they have to line up. **[00:24:04]** So, they can line up by which is the coldest, **[00:24:07]** but they have to match which water temperature **[00:24:10]** belongs to which strait. **[00:24:12]** So we have Kukův Strait, **[00:24:14]** which is in New Zealand, between the North and South Island. **[00:24:18]** We have La Manche, which is between England and France, as we all know, **[00:24:21]** and we have Robben Island, which is in South Africa, **[00:24:25]** and the task is to line up from coldest to warmest. **[00:24:29]** And you have three options on how to do it. **[00:24:35]** So you can vote. **[00:24:41]** Maybe we'll look at it in a moment. **[00:24:49]** Opportunities and challenges. **[00:24:51]** I never really had a dream to swim La Manche. **[00:24:57]** Some people just have that dream. **[00:24:59]** I swam as a child, but usually when you swim, **[00:25:03]** like most of us, the breaststroke is the style, **[00:25:05]** and even my fastest style was breaststroke. **[00:25:08]** If I compared myself here with Honza, **[00:25:10]** he would definitely outswim me many times. **[00:25:14]** So it was not my dream **[00:25:16]** and I was actually offered the opportunity to be part of a relay. **[00:25:22]** And of course, my mind immediately said, **[00:25:25]** wow, but no, that's for students, there are some water monsters there. **[00:25:29]** So why would you do it? **[00:25:31]** But I kind of knew the tricks, the mind **[00:25:33]** and I told myself I didn't want to say no automatically, by default. **[00:25:37]** So that's how I ended up in the relay **[00:25:40]** and we had very little time, **[00:25:42]** so I was freezing. **[00:25:45]** That's actually in that photo too. **[00:25:47]** Not that I was doing anything, I don't know, **[00:25:50]** but I was just warming up and trying to drink something. **[00:25:54]** Later, I even told my friends at home, **[00:25:58]** wow, I never want to swim solo. **[00:26:00]** Just never, really. **[00:26:02]** You have to be good friends, **[00:26:04]** and if I want to swim solo, **[00:26:06]** you have to tell me no, that it's for students. **[00:26:10]** Only that the motto of our sports club, **[00:26:13]** which, well, the name should have warned me, **[00:26:16]** is Šričín, my marathon team, **[00:26:18]** so the club's motto is self-overcoming. **[00:26:20]** And since I had been in the club for some time **[00:26:23]** and had been running long runs and so on, **[00:26:26]** I guess I couldn't resist. **[00:26:28]** And two years later, I was standing **[00:26:31]** on the shore of England, ready to swim solo. **[00:26:34]** My friends were good friends **[00:26:36]** and they told me, remember what you told us, **[00:26:39]** but I just wouldn't listen. **[00:26:41]** Again, my mind was screaming, **[00:26:43]** no way, the relay isn't enough for me, **[00:26:46]** you already swam it, you already tried it, **[00:26:49]** why would you do it? **[00:26:51]** But I didn't give in, **[00:26:54]** and it was an interesting experience, **[00:26:58]** nice, cold, **[00:27:01]** but when you train, you get used to it, **[00:27:04]** I endured it, **[00:27:07]** and I pushed myself and did everything, **[00:27:10]** what a person needs to actually be able to do it. **[00:27:13]** And then I thought I was done, **[00:27:16]** but then I found out there are actually more swims **[00:27:20]** like the Catalina Channel in America, **[00:27:25]** but there are sharks there, so that was automatically a no. **[00:27:28]** I don't know, you are probably all a bit younger than me, **[00:27:31]** but when I was about 15-16, **[00:27:34]** I saw the movie Jaws **[00:27:37]** and at that moment, you know, I decided I'd never swim in the sea **[00:27:40]** where there are sharks, right. **[00:27:43]** So I just told myself no. **[00:27:46]** And then in the seven oceans, there's also the North Channel, **[00:27:50]** which is between Scotland and Ireland, **[00:27:53]** and it's like a colder version of the English Channel, **[00:27:56]** so I thought the seven oceans sounded nice, **[00:27:59]** but that it's for someone else, **[00:28:02]** that I was really happy, **[00:28:05]** so it wasn't for me. **[00:28:08]** But then the photo on the top right is from **[00:28:11]** the Robben Island swim, **[00:28:14]** and that partly answers your previous question. **[00:28:17]** When it comes to the water, it sounds like South Africa, **[00:28:20]** like it's warm there. **[00:28:23]** Yes, it's warm outside, **[00:28:26]** but the water isn't that far from Antarctica, **[00:28:29]** and there's a phenomenon that brings up cold water from below. **[00:28:32]** So I wanted to do this swim **[00:28:35]** in honor of Nelson Mandela, **[00:28:38]** and I knew it was cold, **[00:28:41]** but it was short, about 7.5 km, **[00:28:44]** and I could manage it. **[00:28:47]** But the water was extremely cold. **[00:28:50]** The water was so cold, about 9 degrees Celsius. **[00:28:53]** When I went swimming here in Prague as a cold water swimmer on St. Stephen's Day, **[00:28:56]** the water was 6.5 or so. **[00:28:59]** And I thought that was cold, **[00:29:02]** so I only swam 100 meters. **[00:29:05]** And then here it was 3 degrees warmer and it was 7,500 meters. **[00:29:08]** So at that moment I thought, **[00:29:11]** maybe this is a sign, **[00:29:14]** that I shouldn't be afraid of the English Channel **[00:29:17]** and I just went down the whole seven-mile stretch. **[00:29:20]** And regarding sharks, **[00:29:23]** besides studying a lot about sharks, **[00:29:27]** my mind is actually very strong, **[00:29:30]** so at the same time, **[00:29:33]** besides studying, you know the mortality rate, **[00:29:36]** the probability that **[00:29:39]** a shark might attack you. **[00:29:42]** And I thought, just like I'm not afraid to leave the house, **[00:29:45]** because accidents can happen, things just happen. **[00:29:48]** So it seemed a shame to me **[00:29:51]** not to do what I really love and what fulfills me, **[00:29:54]** just because there's some shark out there, **[00:29:57]** which doesn't care about me at all. **[00:30:00]** So to answer, if we go back to the slide, **[00:30:05]** the coldest one is Robben Island. **[00:30:10]** Second was La Manche and third Kukův Průliv. **[00:30:14]** So those who voted for B have the correct answer. **[00:30:20]** But I have to say, even the kids all got it wrong, **[00:30:23]** it's really a tricky question, so I apologize for that, **[00:30:27]** but this gives you some idea. **[00:30:30]** So when we switch back, **[00:30:33]** the bottom photo is training in Scotland for the English Channel, **[00:30:38]** where a seal trained with me, and it wasn't cold at all for him. **[00:30:42]** And I was shaking terribly, and it's a huge training **[00:30:49]** of willpower and how you can reach your goal, **[00:30:52]** because I had a friend on the shore, **[00:30:55]** I went out every half hour to refresh myself, **[00:30:58]** and I was really shaking, **[00:31:00]** because the water was 11 degrees during that training. **[00:31:03]** But you know, if you want to swim the channel, **[00:31:07]** you can't stay out, you have to turn around, **[00:31:11]** gather all your willpower and go back into the water. **[00:31:14]** So don't automatically say no, to sum it up. **[00:31:19]** And actually, fear of the unknown, fear of something **[00:31:25]** we haven't tried yet, that fear beyond **[00:31:27]** the comfort zone is normal **[00:31:30]** and it's some kind of our natural self-preservation. **[00:31:34]** Often our mind interferes as well, **[00:31:36]** because it tells us, but you can't do it and why would you even try. **[00:31:41]** So don't let that fear limit you, **[00:31:45]** because I think we really regret more what we didn't do than what we did. **[00:31:48]** And simply the experiences, what I get from them, **[00:31:51]** even though they weren't always pleasant, **[00:31:55]** they simply can't be paid for or replaced by anything. **[00:31:58]** As for preparation, I'll actually talk about swimming, **[00:32:07]** but it applies to everything we do. **[00:32:12]** If we want to do a project, **[00:32:14]** we need to prepare for it. **[00:32:17]** We need to study what needs to be done **[00:32:19]** and then take the steps to achieve it. **[00:32:23]** So in swimming, for example, I divide preparation into needing to gain courage and gain weight, **[00:32:26]** I need to swim some kilometers and have some speed, **[00:32:30]** but at the same time, I need to be truly prepared internally, **[00:32:33]** mentally, emotionally, spiritually. **[00:32:40]** Just be ready that if I get cold, **[00:32:44]** I know there is a limit somewhere, **[00:32:47]** when it becomes dangerous and I'm too cold, **[00:32:51]** but I can prepare for it **[00:32:55]** and I can set it in my mind so that **[00:32:57]** until I reach that limit, I won't get out of the water. **[00:33:00]** And actually, they say, **[00:33:03]** especially in endurance sports, **[00:33:08]** but I think it works in our life too, **[00:33:12]** maybe just with different percentages, **[00:33:14]** that 80% is mental. **[00:33:17]** And I remember my first, **[00:33:20]** my first solo swim across the English Channel, **[00:33:23]** it looked like it would be a beautiful day, **[00:33:25]** they always wait for the wind to be light **[00:33:29]** and the waves not too big, **[00:33:31]** so the day seemed favorable, **[00:33:34]** there are two swimming associations, **[00:33:36]** so they all took their boats, **[00:33:38]** because during the swim you have a support boat beside you, **[00:33:41]** and 13 swimmers set off together, **[00:33:44]** and only four of us made it to France. **[00:33:53]** And that day wasn't as good as it seemed, **[00:33:57]** but that doesn't mean you have to give up. **[00:34:02]** It was cold, but not terribly so, **[00:34:06]** and I don't think the conditions in the channel were much different, **[00:34:10]** but I just had it set in my mind, **[00:34:14]** that as long as I could, I would keep swimming. **[00:34:17]** And even though after about 50 minutes I got seasick, **[00:34:22]** and basically couldn't eat anything, **[00:34:24]** one of my friends who advised me, **[00:34:27]** and had swum the channel several times, **[00:34:29]** gave me one of his last pieces of advice: when you get seasick, **[00:34:32]** it doesn't matter, it usually passes after six hours at most. **[00:34:37]** I kind of registered that, **[00:34:39]** but I had never felt sick before, so I thought, **[00:34:41]** I wouldn't get sick. Anyway, I did start feeling sick, **[00:34:45]** but if you've just started swimming, you can't eat, **[00:34:49]** if it lasted forever, that would be a problem, **[00:34:53]** but I told myself I had no reason to get on the boat and give up yet. **[00:34:57]** And indeed, after about five hours it passed, **[00:35:00]** so I caught up on sleep and we actually swam to France, **[00:35:04]** the sun was setting, **[00:35:06]** but I really think I didn't have enough internal training. **[00:35:11]** I decided in the fall and swam in July, **[00:35:15]** but by then I had been practicing meditation for about 15 years, **[00:35:18]** so the internal training and running long distances, **[00:35:22]** meant I knew that when your mind says, **[00:35:25]** you can't go on, what are you doing here, you just can't listen to it, **[00:35:30]** and at that moment it's good to dive into your heart. **[00:35:36]** So again, I think this applies not only to swimming, **[00:35:43]** but often our mind tells us, **[00:35:46]** this project is taking too long, **[00:35:49]** you probably shouldn't do it, or you can't do it. **[00:35:52]** We want things immediately and lack the patience **[00:35:56]** to just get through it, **[00:36:00]** but some things take time, **[00:36:04]** and then we appreciate them because they took so long. **[00:36:09]** So I really think the challenge is an opportunity, **[00:36:14]** and that opportunities don't come the same every day, **[00:36:20]** and it's good maybe just to know, **[00:36:23]** that when something comes that scares you at first, **[00:36:27]** so to stop and not say no, **[00:36:30]** but to let it settle inside you, not just in your head, **[00:36:34]** but also in your heart, **[00:36:36]** because these challenges bring a lot of interesting things, **[00:36:42]** we learn a lot of interesting things about ourselves, **[00:36:45]** and I think we grow because of them, **[00:36:47]** because if we stay only in a zone where we know everything, **[00:36:51]** just going to work, doing the same thing, **[00:36:54]** being with familiar people and so on, **[00:36:57]** then the stimulus for growth is simply missing. **[00:37:02]** This photo is from the North Channel, **[00:37:05]** where it was really cold, **[00:37:09]** and we were almost in Scotland and a storm was approaching, **[00:37:12]** and I was really praying for the storm to pass us by, **[00:37:16]** because you said, I don't want to swim again. **[00:37:19]** It rained, but the storm was somewhere else. **[00:37:22]** But I really like to compare it to what life brings, **[00:37:28]** because sometimes life just throws a storm at us, **[00:37:33]** and we feel like we have nowhere to hide. **[00:37:37]** Waves just crash over us, this is actually from Hawaii, **[00:37:40]** as I mentioned about the sea day and ducking under the waves, **[00:37:44]** here we really enjoyed it. **[00:37:46]** So sometimes waves just overwhelm us. **[00:37:50]** Sometimes different creatures lurk around us, **[00:37:55]** and often our fear of them **[00:37:57]** paralyzes us more than the actual danger itself. **[00:38:07]** So there are obstacles that exist, **[00:38:10]** but if we face them, don't curl up, **[00:38:16]** don't run away somewhere, then at that moment we can overcome them. **[00:38:21]** This photo would like to do an exercise together, **[00:38:27]** a meditation exercise, which I do in a shortened version, **[00:38:32]** when I swim to the start and imagine, **[00:38:37]** that you jumped from the boat, you are in the water, **[00:38:41]** and now you are standing on the shore, **[00:38:45]** and maybe you can't even see France or the other shore, **[00:38:49]** so even if you trained, there is some fear, **[00:38:53]** there are some worries, but at the same time I know at that moment, **[00:38:57]** that having those worries won't help me, having that fear won't help me. **[00:39:01]** I did what I could at that moment, **[00:39:03]** in the training, in everything, just in what I ate, **[00:39:07]** how I rested, which team I chose **[00:39:11]** and now it's actually no longer in my control, **[00:39:13]** so being afraid or worried won't help me, **[00:39:16]** so I do this simple breathing exercise, **[00:39:20]** which we will try now, and I ask everyone, **[00:39:23]** if we can close our eyes. **[00:39:27]** You can imagine either that you are on the shore **[00:39:29]** or that you are facing a project **[00:39:32]** that you feel some fear or worry about, **[00:39:36]** and imagine that you are exhaling all those fears and worries. **[00:39:44]** So we breathe in calm, peace, and silence, **[00:39:53]** and exhale our fear, worries, and concerns. **[00:40:00]** So everything we don't want, we breathe out, **[00:40:05]** and breathe in what we feel we are missing. **[00:40:10]** It can be certainty, **[00:40:15]** it can be self-confidence, **[00:40:20]** it can be just belief, **[00:40:25]** it can be certainty, **[00:40:30]** it can be simply calm, balance. **[00:40:39]** So three more inhales and three exhales. **[00:40:52]** And you can open your eyes. Thank you. **[00:41:00]** I said we can have different projects in life, **[00:41:05]** but our main project is life itself and how we live it. **[00:41:10]** And sometimes we really feel, **[00:41:15]** that we don't know which way to go. **[00:41:20]** This is from a night crossing, so we feel, **[00:41:25]** that we can't see the way. Sometimes the waves overwhelm us. **[00:41:30]** When I'm not the person in the kayak, **[00:41:35]** I'm the hand that sometimes moves on the left side of the kayak. **[00:41:40]** So you never really know which way to go, **[00:41:45]** but you can give up or you can persist, **[00:41:50]** as long as you have the strength. **[00:41:55]** For me, during this crossing, **[00:42:00]** which lasted 21 hours and 52 minutes, **[00:42:05]** there were a lot of complications. **[00:42:10]** This crossing is the longest of all the crossings, **[00:42:15]** and even when we went to the start, **[00:42:20]** there were huge waves, you travel three or four hours by boat to the start, **[00:42:25]** and then your mind just runs free, **[00:42:30]** and there are sharks here. **[00:42:35]** It really has a free rein at the site. **[00:42:40]** And at that moment, you must not allow it, **[00:42:45]** because you wouldn't even jump into the water. **[00:42:50]** So there are just things that happen, **[00:42:55]** but we must not give up. **[00:43:00]** When we were crossing Hawaii, **[00:43:05]** because we set off around five in the evening, **[00:43:10]** it got dark at six and I started feeling seasick, **[00:43:15]** which lasted for almost twelve hours. **[00:43:20]** So we were actually swimming earlier than our scheduled time, **[00:43:25]** so we weren't used to swimming continuously. **[00:43:30]** But I felt like I still had some energy left, **[00:43:35]** so I didn't want to give up completely. **[00:43:40]** And at that moment, what helped me **[00:43:45]** was not focusing on feeling sorry for myself, **[00:43:50]** feeling sick, or wishing for better weather. **[00:43:55]** And when I realized I couldn't go on and had given it my all, **[00:44:00]** then it felt okay. **[00:44:05]** But focusing on the positive and what I can influence, **[00:44:10]** and not on the negative, **[00:44:15]** and just complaining, that doesn't make sense. **[00:44:20]** And again, it's what we practiced during the exercise, **[00:44:25]** that all the extra weight, the worries and fears, **[00:44:30]** are like carrying a backpack full of stones on your back. **[00:44:35]** It's something that doesn't help us, but somehow **[00:44:40]** we like to hold on to that backpack and burden ourselves. **[00:44:45]** So it's really a big lesson to focus on what I can **[00:44:50]** and to be here and now, because there's no point in worrying **[00:44:55]** about what will happen in an hour, five hours, or when we arrive. **[00:45:00]** Right now, we tried to figure out what food to give me so I could eat, **[00:45:05]** and what to do so I could keep swimming. **[00:45:10]** To devote energy to what we said, what I can influence and what I can't. **[00:45:15]** I can't influence the fact that there are huge waves, as I would like. **[00:45:20]** I'm still waiting for a crossing with calm seas, **[00:45:25]** where the surface is smooth. **[00:45:30]** I would wish for that, but when it's like you saw, **[00:45:34]** I have to accept it. **[00:45:39]** Devote energy to getting closer to my goal. **[00:45:42]** Overall in life, what we devote energy to grows. **[00:45:52]** That means, if we focus on the positive, on what moves us forward, **[00:45:56]** it grows. **[00:45:59]** If we get stuck thinking that I'm just unlucky and it's fate, **[00:46:03]** and why is this happening to me, then that negative mindset grows. **[00:46:08]** So really be careful about what we give our energy to, **[00:46:13]** what we dedicate those 1440 minutes of our life to. **[00:46:18]** And be fit not only physically, but definitely also internally and spiritually, **[00:46:23]** develop patience, develop honesty, develop some kindness **[00:46:28]** towards ourselves and also towards those around us. **[00:46:33]** Because all these qualities are what a person needs. **[00:46:38]** It's very easy to say that it takes too long. **[00:46:43]** And I just want to be there already. **[00:46:47]** Like just give up. **[00:46:52]** But the one who reaches the goal is simply the one who doesn't give up. **[00:46:57]** And I need all my good qualities for that. **[00:47:02]** Pay attention to the thoughts we have. **[00:47:07]** Often, I think we all know, that the boss makes us angry, **[00:47:12]** our partner, children, anyone. **[00:47:17]** And then gather the energy to deal with it, **[00:47:22]** because it's easier not to deal with it, so we just sweep it under the rug. **[00:47:27]** These negative emotions, negative thoughts. **[00:47:32]** And we can sweep it for a while, but after some time it bursts out at us with even greater force. **[00:47:37]** So really, what thought do I have when I walk down the street, **[00:47:42]** at home, at work, no one sees it, but we see it. **[00:47:47]** Right now we are internally angry at someone and just let it clear out. **[00:47:52]** And it then reflects in how we feel. **[00:47:57]** The next day we might forget that something like that happened. **[00:48:02]** But we know a little bit of our inner happiness has decreased. **[00:48:07]** So really pay attention to what we have in our head. **[00:48:12]** And inner strength definitely recommends it. **[00:48:17]** I definitely recommend discovering this source, because we all have that source, **[00:48:22]** but school doesn't teach us how to use it, school teaches us all those things, **[00:48:27]** which we then forget, but the strength is simply inside us **[00:48:32]** and when we start sensing and using it, **[00:48:37]** it can enrich our life a lot **[00:48:42]** and help us with what we can achieve. **[00:48:47]** We can succeed, if I simply didn't get into the water, **[00:48:52]** I can't emerge on the other side. **[00:48:57]** When it works out, of course, it's great, **[00:49:02]** and if it doesn't, we know we at least tried. **[00:49:07]** So don't be afraid of the things ahead of us. **[00:49:12]** It's not that any challenge will come now, **[00:49:17]** but it's a process through which we grow, **[00:49:22]** and challenges then come at different levels and in different ways, **[00:49:27]** but it's worth it, I have to say. **[00:49:32]** Don't be afraid of the comfort zone, because really in that zone **[00:49:37]** we create those boundaries with our own mind. **[00:49:42]** Here it's still comfortable, here I'll try, and here no longer. **[00:49:47]** They aren't fixed, they're actually very flexible. **[00:49:52]** And by stepping out of that zone, stepping out of those boundaries, **[00:49:57]** we expand and enlarge them, and at that moment... **[00:50:00]** we grow again as a person, so really don't be afraid of that. **[00:50:04]** About self-overcoming, I said those boundaries **[00:50:11]** are flexible also in the sense that if I can't do something today, **[00:50:15]** it doesn't mean I can't train or learn those things **[00:50:20]** to be able to do them tomorrow, the day after, or in five years. **[00:50:24]** So I believe that our goals, **[00:50:29]** whether sports or any other, must scare us a little, **[00:50:35]** because if they don't scare us, they don't push us beyond the comfort zone, **[00:50:40]** and at that moment we must grow and become a person **[00:50:45]** who will no longer be afraid, who can overcome. **[00:50:52]** Being like a child is something we use very little, **[00:50:57]** that thing, because a child looks forward to each day. **[00:51:03]** We just say, oh god, another Thursday, **[00:51:06]** can't wait for the weekend, there have been so many Thursdays already, **[00:51:10]** and we feel that monotony and routine, **[00:51:13]** but for a child, many things are new, **[00:51:18]** but that doesn't mean those things can't be new for us too. **[00:51:22]** It doesn't have to be that we constantly travel to new places, **[00:51:25]** but as we grow as people, we see things **[00:51:28]** from a different branch of life, **[00:51:32]** and we can simply do better. **[00:51:35]** We can be kinder, we can be braver. **[00:51:42]** So that child, I often tell myself, **[00:51:45]** if we adults learned to walk, **[00:51:47]** would we even learn to walk? **[00:51:49]** A child just falls and falls and falls, **[00:51:52]** but their mind doesn't work in the way that **[00:51:55]** you probably won't learn, you're just falling all the time. **[00:51:59]** And exactly why not have that attitude here, **[00:52:02]** that I actually look forward to what the day will bring **[00:52:07]** and who I might meet, and today is a nice day, **[00:52:11]** I'm meeting a lot of wonderful people. **[00:52:13]** But the mind pulls us back into those stereotypical tracks **[00:52:19]** and just thinks it's boring and I'm back in the rut. **[00:52:23]** But the child just sees a puddle and jumps right in, **[00:52:28]** because there's water and it's great and refreshing. **[00:52:30]** So being like a child in that sense, seeking that kind of enthusiasm **[00:52:37]** and things we haven't done yet, and doing them in new ways, **[00:52:42]** just looking at the world with new eyes. **[00:52:48]** Having a goal is definitely a great thing. **[00:52:53]** It can be an external goal, like swimming across the English Channel, **[00:52:57]** or any internal goal, any other project. **[00:53:02]** For me, it really helps so that in the morning you don't just slam the alarm clock. **[00:53:06]** You know, like, to get to France, **[00:53:11]** I have to go to the pool, I have to go to training. **[00:53:15]** And it works like that in everything we do. **[00:53:20]** Patience is definitely a big lesson when you go to train. **[00:53:25]** When at the start of the season, sometimes in April or May, we went to train, **[00:53:32]** I was freezing because it was the start of the season **[00:53:36]** and you’re not used to cold water at all. **[00:53:38]** And you feel like the minutes pass incredibly slowly. **[00:53:41]** You might plan to swim four or five hours in training, **[00:53:46]** but you can't speed up time **[00:53:49]** just by wishing it really hard. **[00:53:52]** The minutes will pass at the same speed, **[00:53:56]** whether we are happy or unhappy, **[00:53:58]** so it's good to have the right attitude and gratitude. **[00:54:05]** We touched on that a bit earlier. **[00:54:08]** In the evening, there's no point in worrying about what happened or didn't happen, **[00:54:14]** just thank yourself, thank the universe **[00:54:20]** for what happened and what didn’t, **[00:54:25]** because I believe things happen for a reason, **[00:54:29]** that we are supposed to learn something from them, to grow from them. **[00:54:32]** And even if we don’t see it at the moment, **[00:54:35]** when we look back years later, **[00:54:37]** we know that experience moved us forward. **[00:54:40]** So gratitude for what we have, listen to your heart a lot, not just your mind. **[00:54:46]** You probably sense that from the earlier talk. **[00:54:49]** And Řečen Moj once said, **[00:54:53]** so that we have the mindset that today is our last day. **[00:54:58]** Not in a sad or negative way, **[00:55:03]** but in the sense that, first of all, we don't know which day will be our last. **[00:55:07]** I simply believe that this is not anyone's last day, **[00:55:12]** but if we knew when our last day would be, **[00:55:15]** we would try to live it as best as we can. **[00:55:21]** And if we could live each day with joy like that, **[00:55:27]** with such intensity and inner experience, **[00:55:31]** truly telling people what we want to say, that we love them, **[00:55:35]** not missing even a single minute, **[00:55:39]** then for me, that's a beautiful idea, which is not easy at all, **[00:55:47]** but it's good to remind ourselves sometimes that having such a perspective **[00:55:50]** is actually really valuable. **[00:55:53]** What helps me practically? **[00:55:56]** A strong focus before starting something. **[00:56:00]** For example, when I went to those trainings, **[00:56:02]** you can either jump into the pool or lake, **[00:56:08]** or you can pause for a moment, maybe 10 seconds, and say, **[00:56:12]** okay, now I'm going into this water because I want to get to France. **[00:56:18]** And just knowing that we have this intention, **[00:56:21]** this purpose in mind, **[00:56:25]** our training, what we do, gains enormous power within. **[00:56:31]** Using imagination. For example, I imagined **[00:56:34]** climbing out on the shore in France, having swum across, **[00:56:39]** and the feeling that I succeeded. **[00:56:42]** And the imagination and telling myself this, I also prefer to tell all my direct, **[00:56:46]** specifically swimmers during breaks, saying, I can do it, I already did it. **[00:56:51]** On the other hand, sometimes we have thoughts and beliefs like, **[00:56:54]** oh God, I can't do it, the complete opposite. **[00:56:58]** So really telling yourself, yes, I can do it. **[00:57:02]** Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but if it's that important to me, **[00:57:07]** and I give it my energy, then I can do it. **[00:57:12]** And making time for yourself often, because it doesn't work on its own, **[00:57:17]** it requires our energy. **[00:57:18]** And at the same time, although this somewhat contradicts what we said earlier, **[00:57:25]** that today is our last day, we also know **[00:57:28]** that whatever we achieved today, we can pat ourselves on the back, **[00:57:33]** but it's really just the start of the next day, the next step. **[00:57:40]** And we need to avoid resting on our laurels, and at the same time, **[00:57:43]** if something didn't go well, we say to ourselves, **[00:57:45]** So tomorrow morning, I just won't hit that little point, I'll just be able to do it. **[00:57:50]** So tomorrow is another day. **[00:57:54]** Trying to be better than yesterday, when it comes to some sports performance, **[00:57:59]** it's easy to measure, **[00:58:03]** but it's really about being a bit kinder, **[00:58:09]** a bit nicer, a bit braver, a bit more honest. **[00:58:14]** And we ourselves are the ones who recognize it, **[00:58:18]** and sometimes it's hard to notice because the changes day to day are tiny. **[00:58:24]** But when you look back a year, two, ten, **[00:58:28]** you know that if you keep going on that path, **[00:58:31]** you are making progress. **[00:58:35]** And aiming to know where we want to reach today, **[00:58:37]** so that we have to grow into the person who will get there. **[00:58:46]** And when I thought about it, **[00:58:50]** when I become an old grandmother, **[00:58:55]** and I reflect, **[00:58:57]** or have a moment of recap, **[00:59:02]** and flip through the book of my life, **[00:59:03]** what's important to me is, **[00:59:07]** that the book is full, **[00:59:10]** that it radiates the best version of myself. **[00:59:18]** And what I think is important, **[00:59:23]** is that our society right now is very focused on performance, **[00:59:30]** on having more, and companies should just have bigger turnovers, **[00:59:34]** and we should have bigger salaries. **[00:59:36]** And we forget that, **[00:59:41]** having a bigger salary, **[00:59:44]** doesn't mean you'll be happier. **[00:59:46]** At a certain salary level, it no longer satisfies me, **[00:59:53]** and buying a new handbag or new shoes, **[00:59:59]** feels superficial. **[01:00:00]** For me, the sign that I'm going the right way and doing what I should, **[01:00:06]** is the feeling of inner happiness. And you feel that inner happiness **[01:00:12]** when your self is happy. That you do what you should, which doesn't mean, **[01:00:18]** I have to be president, I have to be someone famous, **[01:00:22]** I can be a taxi driver here. And if I do what I should **[01:00:28]** and do it right and with the right attitude, **[01:00:32]** then I will have that feeling of inner happiness. **[01:00:36]** So of course money is important, we need it, **[01:00:40]** to live, but I think that at 60, 70 **[01:00:46]** we don't need to have millions in the bank, **[01:00:51]** but we need to have that peace of mind inside ourselves **[01:00:56]** and that inner contentment. **[01:00:59]** And we won't get that by chasing external things. **[01:01:04]** I think we really need to tune into ourselves **[01:01:08]** and our own self-awareness. **[01:01:11]** And it says there a kilo of peace, which means, **[01:01:15]** we can't just go to a store and say, **[01:01:18]** even if we offered millions, **[01:01:21]** we would get a kilo of peace, a kilo of happiness, and three kilos of joy. **[01:01:25]** Simply, those things can't be bought, **[01:01:28]** which is what we actually work for with external money. **[01:01:33]** We have to work on that inner wealth, **[01:01:37]** we have to find the time, we have to do the right things, **[01:01:41]** and then that inner happiness will be there. **[01:01:45]** And I'll finish with whether it's easy, **[01:01:49]** you probably guess it's not exactly easy and that it's not like, **[01:01:53]** after years of meditation, the alarm rings every morning, **[01:01:57]** or even before the alarm rings, I jump up **[01:02:00]** and start rejoicing that it's a new Thursday. **[01:02:03]** Some days it is like that, but most days it's just not, **[01:02:08]** and people don't feel like it, and by nature we're comfortable and lazy, **[01:02:14]** and we'd rather do nothing, **[01:02:18]** but really, by working on yourself **[01:02:22]** and gradually moving forward, the good thing is, **[01:02:26]** that the journey itself is incredibly enriching **[01:02:31]** and I don't have to wait until I swim to France, **[01:02:35]** I can already enjoy the journey itself. **[01:02:42]** So for me, that's how it is. We still have one more slide here **[01:02:46]** and it's about a book, but I think we'll talk about it later. **[01:02:50]** When we were thinking, a book actually came out that was needed, **[01:02:54]** when we were thinking about what to call it, one piece of advice, **[01:02:59]** which I got right before the first Lamanche, **[01:03:03]** was from the mother of the then queen of Lamanche, **[01:03:07]** she swam the Lamanche about 34 times and she said, **[01:03:11]** don't look ahead, just swim until the water ends. **[01:03:15]** And we often do that, we want to be at the finish, **[01:03:19]** we want to complete the project here, but the only thing **[01:03:27]** Set pace after pace, and the same goes for life **[01:03:31]** We can either just survive or live life to the fullest **[01:03:35]** until the water of our life runs out. **[01:03:39]** So I’ll end this talking part here **[01:03:43]** and if you have any questions, please write them in the app again. **[01:03:47]** I’ll gladly answer whatever I can. **[01:04:05]** So, we came up with a little something for you. **[01:04:09]** If you take the slide now, **[01:04:13]** just before we get to the questions, **[01:04:17]** because I will ask one, we have a question there **[01:04:21]** in this service, which was created by this service, **[01:04:25]** which was created by this service, **[01:04:29]** which was created by this service, **[01:04:33]** we have a question there about what you would like to overcome. **[01:04:37]** Feel free to write it there, we’ll keep it there **[01:04:41]** for a long time and then we’ll cut it off again. **[01:04:45]** It will be there for a while and then we won’t show it anymore. **[01:04:49]** It’s just for you, maybe we’ll make some one-cloud out of it, **[01:04:53]** maybe we’ll see what we actually do with it, but it’s more a question for you than for us. **[01:04:57]** And now I’ll ask you. **[01:05:01]** You actually started your story with **[01:05:05]** me running a 24-hour marathon, **[01:05:09]** then I started swimming across this water here, **[01:05:13]** and I’m actually curious, and I think the viewers are too, **[01:05:17]** because there are a few questions about your very first steps, **[01:05:21]** how you even got into it and how it all happened. **[01:05:25]** Take your time, because I think this is **[01:05:29]** very important for people and for me personally as well, because when we see those performances, **[01:05:33]** it often feels like, I could never do that, **[01:05:37]** but how did your first laps start? **[01:05:41]** I really think I’m normal. **[01:05:45]** I know you’ll laugh at this, but I’m just normal **[01:05:49]** and what I achieved, if you decided you wanted to achieve it **[01:05:53]** and put your energy into it, most of you could do it. **[01:05:57]** I actually started with my first run, **[01:06:01]** we lived in a house with my parents, **[01:06:05]** there’s a church nearby, and when I started meditating, **[01:06:09]** my teacher said, and it’s what we know from the saying, **[01:06:13]** a healthy mind in a healthy body, it’s hard to meditate **[01:06:17]** if you have a headache or your body hurts. **[01:06:21]** So he recommended that we move somehow. **[01:06:25]** And I was that church. It was about five minutes, and I was again very proud **[01:06:29]** that I started running. And then I just ran for about ten minutes **[01:06:35]** and then we organized just a small club race for three kilometers, **[01:06:41]** so I simply ran three kilometers and then ten kilometers. **[01:06:45]** And actually, it's exactly that at the beginning, the idea **[01:06:49]** that you would go running, it was, please, 27 years ago or so. **[01:06:53]** So nowadays people go running, but back then people didn't run. **[01:06:57]** So the idea that you would run was just strange, but then you realize **[01:07:01]** that you can still do it, and you can still do it. Then our club started organizing **[01:07:07]** a running race for six hours. So I thought, **[01:07:11]** I'll try it out, see what we are putting people through. **[01:07:15]** Then we organized a twelve-hour race, a hundred kilometers. **[01:07:19]** And in between, I also ran a marathon here, so it wouldn't be too much. **[01:07:23]** But basically, first of all, you really have to admit to yourself **[01:07:27]** that you can do it, because a marathon, even if we were in Zoli sneakers now, **[01:07:33]** you would probably suffer a lot, but we would run the marathon. **[01:07:38]** But of course, it's good to train. So set it in your mind **[01:07:43]** that you can do it, that it's possible, that you can endure it. **[01:07:47]** The body has an enormous memory and it's just amazing. **[01:07:52]** So even the hardest swims, the hardest part is always the first one, **[01:07:56]** because your muscles remember that you swam that far. **[01:08:01]** But for me, really without any false modesty, I don't think **[01:08:07]** I'm exceptional. Kids in the pool swim past me. **[01:08:12]** Really, as I said, Honza, when he told me how he trains, how fast he swims, **[01:08:16]** he just swims past me. When I run, many runners pass me. **[01:08:21]** But that's not necessarily what it's about. Unfortunately, I won't make it to the Olympics. **[01:08:27]** There would have to be some six-day run for me to maybe have a chance. **[01:08:31]** But that doesn't mean it can't bring us joy and that we can't **[01:08:37]** improve and grow because of it. Not just the muscles, but internally. **[01:08:43]** Thank you. Here's a question. **[01:08:49]** What was the first impulse and reason in your life to start meditating at all? **[01:08:54]** Did it come right away or did you have to work your way to it? **[01:08:58]** To be honest, I didn't really know what meditation was, **[01:09:03]** but somehow there had to be some kind of searching for something in me, **[01:09:09]** because I was actually at a course where at the end you walked on hot coals. **[01:09:16]** And I'm a bit of a mathematician, so for my mind it was very interesting to see **[01:09:23]** that something that it couldn't explain actually exists. **[01:09:27]** Then I saw a poster for a meditation course and it just caught my interest, **[01:09:32]** wondering what meditation actually is. Again, this was a long time ago. **[01:09:37]** And I know I definitely didn't succeed in meditating at the beginning, **[01:09:42]** because meditation is really about quieting the mind. **[01:09:45]** Anyone who has tried knows it's not easy **[01:09:49]** and it doesn't just happen with a snap of the fingers. **[01:09:52]** But what inspired me the most were the people leading the meditation course, **[01:09:58]** when I felt from them some kind of... **[01:10:00]** and that joy or balance, I thought, **[01:10:04]** that's what I want to have. **[01:10:08]** And again, when we try something right away, **[01:10:12]** it rarely works, but through practice **[01:10:16]** you learn it, and then it's a big advantage **[01:10:20]** for example during long swims, because when you try **[01:10:24]** and practice meditation calmly, in the morning, while sitting, **[01:10:28]** then you summon that silence in your head, **[01:10:32]** when your thoughts tell you to get out, **[01:10:36]** and that you're cold, and you feel bad, and what are you doing here. **[01:10:40]** So it's a great help even in everyday life. **[01:10:44]** Katka asks, I am a mother of two small children, **[01:10:48]** I love them with all my heart, but I feel tied down, **[01:10:52]** you have children, how do you manage your path with them? **[01:10:56]** I don't have children, so it's definitely **[01:11:00]** easier in that regard, but I believe **[01:11:04]** that things come to us at the right time, **[01:11:08]** when they are meant to come, so if someone has children at that moment, **[01:11:12]** there's a reason for it, and you don't have to meditate **[01:11:16]** for 10 minutes, you can meditate for 2 minutes, **[01:11:20]** or whatever time you have, and again, **[01:11:24]** there's no one judging, only our own honesty **[01:11:28]** tells us if we used the time we had. **[01:11:32]** And even if there wasn't a minute that day, because **[01:11:36]** you're serving those children, taking care of them, our hearts can **[01:11:40]** grow enormously when we do that, **[01:11:44]** one must not, **[01:11:48]** not that Katka necessarily does, but one shouldn't say, **[01:11:52]** oh, I'm just sad I can't do this or that. **[01:11:56]** Just accept it as it is **[01:12:00]** and do the best you can in that situation. **[01:12:04]** And at that moment, I think one finds the way **[01:12:08]** and the satisfaction one is looking for. **[01:12:12]** What have you given up in life and does it bother you? **[01:12:20]** I gave up on a 24-hour race **[01:12:24]** and I gave up in a way **[01:12:28]** that I definitely didn't have to. **[01:12:32]** It was some race, **[01:12:36]** which I write about in detail in the book, **[01:12:40]** it was a race, actually a championship in 24-hour running, **[01:12:44]** and I really didn't want to do it, and there were various things, **[01:12:48]** right here my mind already had some fuel, I didn't want to, **[01:12:52]** we found out late, there was some music playing, **[01:12:56]** which didn't suit us, and I just didn't want to. **[01:13:00]** And instead of working with my mind and clarifying **[01:13:04]** what was going on and finding the right attitude, **[01:13:08]** I gave up the race. **[01:13:12]** I remember it to this day because I know I didn't give my all. **[01:13:16]** And I think it's OK to give up something when you just can't go on. **[01:13:20]** There are simply moments when it happens, and again it's an experience **[01:13:24]** that doesn't have to be bad at all. **[01:13:28]** And I think this experience taught me a lot, **[01:13:32]** because you know you don't feel good afterwards **[01:13:36]** when you give up when you didn't have to. **[01:13:40]** So our whole life is like that, **[01:13:44]** so I'll end it here. **[01:13:48]** And thank you very much for sharing with us. **[01:13:52]** So now I should write, so thanks and bye. **[01:13:56]** Thank you very much. **[01:14:04]** May I ask if we can advance the presentation? **[01:14:08]** Great. **[01:14:12]** So. Let's go. **[01:14:16]** In the slide, you'll now find **[01:14:20]** feedback. We'll leave it there for a while, **[01:14:24]** but then we'll switch back to overcoming yourself, **[01:14:28]** if you'd like to write it down, but definitely write it in your main notebook or anywhere else. **[01:14:32]** So we'd appreciate it if you share how you liked the breakfast, **[01:14:36]** also any word that came to your mind about the breakfast. **[01:14:40]** That would be very nice, so thank you for that. **[01:14:44]** So. **[01:14:48]** We'd be very glad, **[01:14:52]** if you who are watching us live, **[01:14:56]** or even you here, when you think about it, **[01:15:00]** and ideally not alone, **[01:15:04]** but maybe you discuss the matter with someone, some kind of **[01:15:08]** aha moments, what it gave you. Reflection is actually nice **[01:15:12]** and the sharing that we encourage. If you are watching us **[01:15:16]** on Red Button Edu, these options **[01:15:20]** are under the stream and you should definitely use them. **[01:15:24]** So reflection is important. Of course, we **[01:15:28]** on 11.7., and this is the promise, **[01:15:32]** will do the reflection too and do it together, **[01:15:36]** maybe answer some questions, so if you **[01:15:40]** want to be part of it, be sure to sign up on Red Button Edu. **[01:15:44]** I will invite a few Ironmen **[01:15:48]** and athletes to chat about these performances **[01:15:52]** and somehow connect it all, but it won’t be about something completely different. **[01:15:56]** So on 11.7. I invite you to this sharing. **[01:16:00]** And here is the mentioned book. I **[01:16:04]** am lucky to have brought mine today, **[01:16:08]** so it’s signed. We arranged **[01:16:12]** with the company Punktů for July, **[01:16:16]** if you enter the password Red Button, this book, **[01:16:20]** Until the Water Ends, will be 30% off, so **[01:16:24]** definitely take advantage of this. It’s valid today. **[01:16:28]** Otherwise, the book of June is The Kind Ones, **[01:16:32]** so if you go to www.rbkniha.cz, you’ll find everything there. **[01:16:36]** No need to take a photo now, because it will be. **[01:16:40]** Be sure to follow other events we have on Red Button.edu, **[01:16:44]** and in the communities, or other shows, of which there are already over 30, **[01:16:48]** more are coming, so we’ll be very happy about that. **[01:16:52]** And Brain&Breakfast, you know, doesn’t stop. **[01:16:56]** We all keep going with Brain&Breakfast. We’ve been running 10 years **[01:17:00]** non-stop, so here’s a kind of summer teaser. **[01:17:04]** In July and August we will focus on, **[01:17:08]** I thought it would be good to do some first aid. **[01:17:12]** Because summer is a time **[01:17:16]** when we spend more time with our loved ones **[01:17:20]** and will be together a lot, so psychological first aid **[01:17:24]** can sometimes be needed, so Eliška Remaševa will come **[01:17:28]** on 22.7. to talk about psychological first aid. **[01:17:32]** And on 24.8. you can look forward to Honza, **[01:17:36]** who will take it from the other side **[01:17:40]** and it will be about physical first aid, so that will be interesting too. **[01:17:44]** So we will definitely continue during the holidays. **[01:17:48]** As I said, Eliška is starting. Thank you all very much, **[01:17:52]** for coming, thank you all for watching, **[01:17:56]** and for being with us. Thank you very much.