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Experiences, stories & reflections

LET'S TALK WITH... GIANLUCA GOTTO

11/29/2020

 
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#LETSTALK

GIANLUCA GOTTO
Writer & Blogger
​​[...]
I was lucky enough to discover MANGIA, VIVI, VIAGGIA and I immediately read his fantastic book, LE COORDINATE DELLA FELICITA’: the story of extraordinary travels and adventures and personal growth.
Gianluca Gotto is a guy who has decided to drop everything and make his dreams come true, to be happy and share all this through his books and his blog.
His words perfectly reflect my soul and my way of thinking and living and, believe me, reading them, I learned a lot.
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​Some time ago, I wrote to him and what I discovered about him through the messages we exchanged is that he is really the person you can discover in his books ... as he defines himself, an incredible dreamer who loves life.
​I am really happy to share my interview with Gianluca with you ...
Ciao Gianluca!
Would you mind to share with us something about the moment when you decided it was the right time to take the step to start to do your best to realize your dreams?
One day, at university, while the professor was reciting the lesson by heart and none of those present were in the least interested, I realized that I had not chosen that life path, I had simply let myself be carried away by the strongest current, in other words, the most common way of life. Today I can say that at the time I experienced an awakening of awareness: is this the life I want? I was wondering and imagining myself, ten years later, leading a life that didn't make me happy. I left university, I left for Australia and began my journey towards the coordinates of happiness.
We are in the era of "everything is connected" but we are more disconnected than ever with Mother Nature. What do you think about it? Do you think it is right to live more in contact with Mother Nature?
I think that rediscovering that primordial contact with Nature is essential to eliminate many of the sufferings typical of Western man. When you observe any uncontaminated natural process, you realize the place, the role you occupy in the world: you are just passing through, while Nature will always be here, with its indefinite but very strong and evident presence. This takes a lot of weight off your soul, a lot of fear from your mind. It makes you feel small, but also grateful to be part of this masterpiece.
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Mother Nature has been the set for who knows how many incredible experiences in your travels. What is the naturalistic place where you got most excited and what did you feel?
For years now, I have preferred destinations where Nature is dominant over those where concrete is everywhere. There are several places I have visited where I felt small in front of Mother Nature. It happened to me in Vancouver Island, Australia and more recently on the island of Koh Chang, where heavy rains made the vegetation all around me alive and pulsating.
My mission is to fight for the freedom of cetaceans, for the dolphinaria to close and for these animals to live and thrive in the open sea. What’s freedom for you?
It is a mission that I fully embrace! Congratulations, there is really a need. I have always thought that there is nothing worse than an animal made to swim for miles and miles every day locked in a tank. Animals can teach us a lot about freedom, which isn't just a physical condition - it's what we're made for. I talked about it in my TEDx: planes are made to fly, what are we made for? You exercise true freedom when you find the answer to this question.
How to be happy everyday - Gianluca Gotto at TEDx di Rovigo
As you know, I study dolphins and whales… In your book I read about a breathtaking encounter with these free & wild animals. Could you tell us what it felt like when you saw these animals in their natural environment for the first time?
It was one of the most important moments of my life. I quote directly from my book "Le coordinate della felicità":
"Then, suddenly, on the horizon a dolphin appeared out of nowhere. He made a leap that took him several meters above the water, for an endless second, he remained suspended in front of the sun, then fell into the sea and disappeared forever. It was a moment of absolute beauty that left me speechless. I was shocked by all that wonder, but not only that: that image provided me with a series of answers. All together, all at once.
Maybe I didn't have to pursue happiness, maybe I had to pursue freedom. To be free to live as I wished, just like that dolphin. For him there were no visas or borders, he could swim wherever he wanted. I wanted to be like that, free”. 

As soon as the cover of your book opens, there is a sentence: "crederci, crederci sempre”. Few words with a great power, even hard to correctly translate into English. I guess I can say “have faith in yourself, always". Easy to say, many people could think ... In your opinion, what to do to light the fire of passion in each one of us?
My suggestion is to go and see the sunset every day. We realize that we are nothing but grains of sand in the wind. Nature destroys our ego and thus takes a lot of weight off from our mind and heart. When you are afraid of failure, go and watch the sunset: you will understand that the sun disappears, but only to return. So, what are you so worried about? Even if it goes wrong, tomorrow the sun will rise anyway. What is more important and precious? We might as well try and have faith in ourselves, always.
I would like to ask you for tips, advices on how to find our coordinates of happiness in everyday life. In short, what can we do to live our normal life, in the office, at work, with happiness?
I believe that a happy life is a life in which you reflect yourself in it. The Japanese have a concept, Ikigai, which is simply the answer to a question: why do you get up every morning? If your answer is only about work and money, it means you are not living, but surviving. And this is not an economic question: it is that life is also magic, passion, dreams, ambitions. Whoever has none of this has nothing. I don't think there is the meaning of life, but only because each of us can find their own. Some in a wonderful mission like yours, some in the family, some in freedom. The important thing is to find a valid and overwhelming reason to get up every morning.

During my university years, I shared the possibilities of the Erasmus Plus Programme with hundreds of young people to make them discover a wonderful world, where they can grow and discover themselves. Many times, however, many young people have not been able to get out of their comfort zone. Why do you think we should have the courage to take this important step?
First of all, I would like to point out that there are many different ways to get out of the comfort zone. Travelling is certainly one of these and maybe it’s the most complete and satisfying, but it is not the only one. Getting out of the comfort zone means doing something different from what you've always done, every day. Break the routine and challenge yourself in an unfamiliar context. If you are a lazy person, it means getting up every morning and doing half an hour of physical activity. If you are a hyper-active person, it means getting up in the morning and meditating for half an hour. No matter what you do, the important thing is to find the courage and strength to get away from what you know. Because the answers you are looking for often lie just outside your safety bubble. And in any case, even if you don't find them, by taking that step outside you begin a fundamental path of personal growth.
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Thanks to you I discovered “minimalism” and I felt in love with it. What is it and why can it change our life?
Minimalism is the answer to a world that is increasingly crowded, noisy and without living space. Today there are so many objects and so easily replaceable that they end up possessing us. There was a time when we care for objects and they were made to last. Today it is quite the opposite: we consume them easily, thinking that we can replace them without any problems. This mentality has also become the normality in interpersonal relationships: we no longer fight for a relationship, we immediately move on to something else. I believe that this superficiality and this abundance of objects are the cause of many forms of suffering. The superfluous hide a whole series of concerns that we can do very well without. Living with the essential means having more space, physically and mentally.

Gianluca … Would you like to share with us what your next destination is and what are your next goals?
For now, I can only say that the next destination will be a country that really cares about environment preservation. I wait to say what it is because I am superstitious and I do not know yet if we will be able to go there. My goals, on the other hand, are few and simple: to continue living consciously without betraying myself, to share my message with as many people as possible and to preserve a great attention towards the people I love.
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​Thank you so much Gianluca!
ENJOY HIS ADVENTURES ON HIS SOCIAL MEDIA  
& STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT #LETSTALK!

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