Extreme Self-Realization with Chris Duffin
Are you the victim or the hero of your life? Did you know that the choice is yours? You have the power to leave the past behind and construct your own world by extreme self-realization.
Today’s guest is Chris Duffin. He is known as “The Mad Scientist of Strength” and holds the world record for dead lifts. He is also an entrepreneur and the author of The Eagle and the Dragon: A Story of Strength and Reinvention.
Chris Duffin has one of the most brutal childhood stories you will ever hear. His life was full of poverty, hardship, and confusion. But Chris refused to let the past define him and is now living the life he purposely created for himself, doing what he loves and thriving with his family.
Listen to Chris Duffin’s story of extreme self-realization and how you can decide who you want to be and how you will leave your mark on the world.
Chris Duffin
Chris Duffin is the Co-founder and Chief Engineer at Kabuki Strength, an organization devoted to optimizing human performance and making the world a better place through strength. He previously worked as a corporate executive and has turned around automotive, aerospace, heavy equipment, and high-tech manufacturing industries.
Chris was previously ranked number one in the world in various powerlifting disciplines and has held numerous world records. Now retired, he is known for his industry-changing innovations and education in the strength and clinical worlds. He’s a leading speaker on topics related to strength and human movement, and performs insane feats of strength to help charities and organizations whose work he believes in.
It’s very important to understand that the things that happen to you are not who you are.—Chris Duffin
The Eagle and the Dragon
The world may know Chris Duffin as “The Mad Scientist of Strength,” but you wouldn’t have ever guessed that if you saw the scrawny kid skinning rattlesnakes and chasing dragonflies in the early ’80s. The story of his unconventional life will take you from gripping tales of murder, trauma, heartbreak, and survival deep in the Pacific Northwest wilderness all the way to an idealization of the self-made man–still flawed, but never broken.
In The Eagle and the Dragon, you’ll follow one man’s journey into the darkness of his own heart and witness the transformation of alcoholism, pain, and defeat into vision, character, and victory. Through Chris’s powerful self-realization, you’ll see how the human spirit can be either shackled by circumstance or freed from it.
What You’ll Learn
- Chris’s upbringing in a family of 7 living on $5,000 a year
- He was homeless half his life, living in the wilderness among shady people who avoided society like murderers, serial killers, and human traffickers.
- When Chris was in high school, they moved into a mobile home and he finally felt stability. It had no doors inside, and they had to cover the windows with plastic. When they moved out, the fire department burned it down because it was unlivable.
- His mom grew marijuana for a living.
- What it’s like reflecting back on his life and imaging his kids going through what he went through
- Why Chris would still not change anything about his life
- How Chris took custody of his three sisters while he was working through college
- His mother was one of the strongest people he knows. She taught him discipline, perseverance, and how to live by your own rules. She was abused when she was younger and distrusted society, so she made a life off the grid.
- Chris’s biological dad was a Mensa, intelligent and disturbed. He suffered major depression and alcoholism. They had a pen pal relationship.
- How Chris watched his father attempt suicide
- Chris’s stepfather was an artist, writer, and musician. He was a recovering heroin addict who got clean to be with Chris’s mom. Still, he had major mental health issues.
- The impact of both Chris’s fathers dying in similar ways and leaving absolutely nothing behind to show for their lives.
- When Chris realized he wanted to make his mark, to leave a legacy that he did good in the world
- Chris’s mom wanted to create her own world, and she did. Chris followed her footsteps and created his own world, except one in society. Either way, it’s still freedom.
- The stories we make up about ourselves take away our power. You’re the only one holding yourself back.
- How to forgive people for their faults and look for positive things
- The power of always looking to the future
- You are defined by your actions and your response to your environment.
- The story of the eagle—to break free from self-limitation and fly to the heights of what you can accomplish
- How to begin the purposeful reinvention of oneself
- Choosing who you are and taking the steps to become that version of yourself
- Don’t dwell in the past. The only reason to look back is for evaluation.
- Why you must understand your values before you set goals
- Chris’s hobby of building custom vehicles
- Why he doesn’t place job ads or look at resumes when hiring for his company
- How men get blunted in a disengaged life.
- Chris wants his children to know that they can form the world around them and shows this through his actions.
- Why stress should NOT be avoided.
- Strength is adapting to stress and makes us stronger and more resilient
- Seeking physical, mental, emotional challenges to grow stronger.
- Finding the balance to care for your children while teaching them strength and resilience
- The key to success is finding the people with the same values.
- Physical strength is the least important. Mental, emotional, and spiritual strength are the most valuable.
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