Timothy Ferriss's Blog, page 66
July 5, 2018
Lessons from Richard Branson, Tony Robbins, Ray Dalio, and Other Icons (#325)
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“If you only master yourself and you don’t help anyone else, we’d call you happy, but nobody would define you as successful.” – Derek Sivers
This particular episode of The Tim Ferriss Radio Hour explores success, which can be a slippery and dangerous term. The particular guests selected for this episode represent not only achievement, but also appreciation and a well-rounded version of what I consider to be a successful human being.
This episode features:
CDBaby founder Derek Sivers on the importance of challenging your own definitions of success.
Performance coach Tony Robbins on best lessons learned from working with legendary investors.
Venture capitalist Chris Sacca on missed opportunities and the commonalities of successful people.
Legendary investor Ray Dalio on the three things that make up a successful life.
Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson on the best thing his parents taught him.
I hope you enjoy this episode of The Tim Ferriss Radio Hour!
Lessons from Richard Branson, Tony Robbins, Ray Dalio, and Other Icons
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Want to hear another podcast of The Tim Ferriss Radio Hour? — In this episode, we explore meditation and mindfulness with Chase Jarvis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Harris, and Rainn Wilson. (Stream below or right-click here to download):
The Tim Ferriss Radio Hour: Meditation, Mindset, and Masteryhttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/c5eafee8-47a6-4e8f-a36e-48c20f5dd928.mp3Download
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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Connect with Derek Sivers:
Connect with Tony Robbins:
Connect with Chris Sacca:
LOWERCASE capital | Twitter | Instagram
Connect with Ray Dalio:
Bridgewater Associates | Principles.com | Twitter | Facebook
Connect with Richard Branson:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman (check out Derek’s own notes on this highly recommended book here.)
Utopia by Thomas More
Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert (read Derek’s notes on this one here.)
Anthony Robbins’ Personal Power II: The Driving Force! by Anthony Robbins
Money — Master the Game: 7 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom by Tony Robbins
Contrarian Investing: Buy When There’s Blood in the Streets by Daniel Myers, Investopedia
Invest Like a MultiBillionaire: Asymmetric Risk Reward by Tony Robbins
A Few Possible Reasons Why Paul Tudor Jones Despises His Infamous Documentary, ‘Trader’ by Linette Lopez, Business Insider
Why Kyle Bass Acquired $1 Million Worth of Nickels by Simon Lack, In Pursuit of Value via Business Insider
Y Combinator
Chris Sacca’s 5 Biggest Misses by Olga V. Mack, Startup Grind
Fight Club
Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio
Finding My Virginity by Richard Branson
Screw It, Let’s Do It: Lessons In Life by Richard Branson
Reliving 16 Great PR Stunts From Richard Branson, Pressat
Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way by Richard Branson
The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth by Tim Flannery
Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
The Elders
SHOW NOTES
A cautious reminder that even our superheroes at the pinnacle of success are human, flaws and all. [04:21]
Introducing Derek Sivers. [06:48]
Who is the third person who comes to mind when Derek hears the word “successful” — and why? [07:45]
What Derek believes is the true goal of communication. [09:27]
Derek’s secret superpower. [10:15]
Does business need to be complicated? First, we need to define words like “complicated” versus “simple,” and “easy” versus “hard.” [11:29]
How can someone determine what their own utopia might look like? [14:12]
How does Derek define success? [16:01]
According to Derek, if you can do these four things, you can do anything. [18:09]
Introducing Tony Robbins. [19:05]
What Tony has learned about successful trading from working with legendary investors like Paul Tudor Jones and John Templeton. [20:05]
What a 50% investment loss actually means. [21:17]
What’s a nickel really worth? A lesson in riskless trade from Kyle Bass. [23:51]
Tony reiterates what Derek Sivers said about the “helping others” part of the success equation. [27:33]
Who said “losers react and winners anticipate?” [28:13]
The reason a diversified portfolio is important for any investor no matter how smart they think they are. [28:43]
Introducing Chris Sacca. [32:43]
Commonalities between successful founders Chris knows. [33:15]
The rigged game of investing and the whales that got away. [35:17]
Introducing Ray Dalio. [41:00]
Why does Ray remember early failures more vividly than early successes — and what does this tell him about both? [41:32]
The three ingredients of a successful life. [45:12]
What makes intelligent people unhappy? [46:21]
Introducing Richard Branson. [47:45]
What would Richard recommend to someone looking to sharpen their tools of negotiation? [48:11]
In business as in life, your reputation is everything. [49:33]
Are there any business ideas Richard is glad he was talked out of or prevented from doing? [50:37]
What are Richard’s best practices for launching a new company? [52:00]
What prompted Richard to write Finding My Virginity? [54:21]
Books Richard recommends or gives to others most. [56:12]
In the last five years or so, what new behaviors, beliefs, or habits have improved Richard’s life? [57:12]
Key lessons learned from Nelson Mandela. [58:39]
PEOPLE MENTIONED
Derek Sivers
Tony Robbins
Chris Sacca
Ray Dalio
Richard Branson
Usain Bolt
Warren Buffett
Charlie Munger
Mona Lisa
Albert Einstein
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Daniel Kahneman
Richard Branson
Daniel Gilbert
Robin Williams
Philip Seymour Hoffman
William J. Clinton
Mikhail Gorbachev
Serena Williams
Leonardo DiCaprio
Oprah Winfrey
Paul Tudor Jones
Ray Dalio
Carl Icahn
David Swensen
Kyle Bass
John Templeton
John Bogle
Stanley Druckenmiller
George Soros
Charlie Rangel
Peter Thiel
Mark Twain
Evan Williams
Travis Kalanick
Matt Mullenweg
Matt Mazzeo
Drew Houston
Brian Chesky
Joe Gebbia
Nathan Blecharczyk
Edward Norton
Nick Woodman
Eric Schmidt
Evan Spiegel
Bobby Murphy
Reggie Brown
Steve Jobs
J.P. Morgan
Steve Fossett
Desmond Tutu
Nelson Mandela
Bill Gates
How to Undertake the Artist’s Journey
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Note from the editor: The following is a guest post by Steven Pressfield (@spressfield), the best-selling author of The Legend of Bagger Vance, Gates of Fire, The Afghan Campaign, and The Lion’s Gate, as well as the cult classics on creativity, The War of Art, Turning Pro, and Do the Work. His Wednesday column on stevenpressfield.com is one of the most popular series about writing on the web. You can also read his profile from Tribe of Mentors by clicking here.
The following is a sampler of chapters from Steve’s new book, The Artist’s Journey (coming out July 11th), and they comprise a mini-version of the full book.
Enjoy!
Enter Steven…
We are all artists—whether we realize it or not, whether we like it or not—and we are all on an “artist’s journey.”
What is the meaning of your life? You can assess it the same way you’d evaluate a writer’s life, or a musician’s or a filmmaker’s—by considering your “body of work.” What “material” have you generated in the past? And, more importantly, what will you bring forth in the future?
The artist’s life is defined by the works he or she produces. The artist has no choice in this. A calling from birth impels him. You have that same calling. Your life is unfolding according to the template of a “hero’s journey” that is unique to you. You can’t escape it. You can’t run away from it.
Whether you’re toiling in a cubicle or wheeling and dealing in high finance, you have an artist’s journey just like the filmmaker or the dancer or the novelist. Will you embrace this adventure consciously and morally, or will you deny it and reject it? Either way, that journey remains alive inside you. It will not sleep and it will not go away. It insists on being lived out.
THE ORDINARY WORLD AND THE EXTRAORDINARY WORLD
The artist has a subject, a voice, a point of view, a medium of expression, and a style.
But where do these come from?
How do we find our own?
In my experience the process is neither rational nor logical. It can’t be commanded. It can’t be rushed. It is not subject to the will or the ego.
We are born, I believe, with everything we are seeking—a subject, a voice, a point of view, a medium of expression, and a style.
But these reside in an area of the psyche outside the range of conventional consciousness.
The artist’s journey is like the hero’s journey in that you and I, the artist-in-embryo, must leave our zone of comfort (the conscious mind) and cross to alien shores (the unconscious) to find and acquire our golden fleece (the knowledge of, and access to, our gift.)
The process, like the hero’s journey, involves time.
It involves suffering.
It involves folly.
Its crisis takes the form of an All Is Lost moment.
Once you have given up the ghost [wrote Henry Miller], everything follows with dead certainty, even in the midst of chaos.
The ghost that we give up is the ego. The illusion of control.
The “everything” that follows is our artist’s power—our subject, our voice, our point of view, our medium of expression, and our style.
THE SHAPE OF THE ARTIST’S JOURNEY
Consider the course and contour of this artist’s journey:
Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.
The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle
Born to Run
Darkness on the Edge of Town
The River
Nebraska
Born in the U.S.A.
Tunnel of Love
Human Touch
Lucky Town
The Ghost of Tom Joad
Working on a Dream
Wrecking Ball
High Hopes
Or this artist’s:
Goodbye, Columbus
Portnoy’s Complaint
The Great American Novel
My Life as a Man
The Professor of Desire
Zuckerman Unbound
The Anatomy Lesson
The Counterlife
Sabbath’s Theater
American Pastoral
The Human Stain
The Plot Against America
Indignation
Nemesis
Clearly there is a unity (of theme, of voice, of intention) to each of these writers’ bodies of work.
There’s a progression too, isn’t there? The works, considered in sequence, feel like a journey that is moving in a specific direction.
Bob Dylan
The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
The Times They Are a-Changin’
Highway 61 Revisited
Blonde on Blonde
Bringing It All Back Home
Blood on the Tracks
Desire
John Wesley Harding
Street-legal
Nashville Skyline
Slow Train Coming
Hard Rain
Time Out of Mind
Tempest
Shadows in the Night
You too possess an artist’s journey.
Even if you have never yet written a song or completed a short story, that body of work lies dormant inside you.
It is percolating. It is exerting pressure—whether you feel it or not, whether you believe it or not.
Like the hero’s journey, the artist’s journey demands to be lived out. It demands to be expressed.
WHAT IS THE ARTIST’S JOURNEY?
The thesis of this book is that the artist’s journey, which follows the hero’s journey chronologically, comprises the true work, the actual production, of the artist’s life.
From that moment, the hero is no longer a free-range individual.
She has become an artist.
As Rosanne Cash declared in her memoir, Composed:
I had awakened from the morphine sleep of success into the life of an artist.
Everything in her life that is not-artist now falls away.
On the surface her new life may look ordinary, even boring. No more catastrophic romances. No more self-destructive binges. No more squandering or disrespecting her gift, her voice, her talent.
She is on a mission now.
Her life has acquired a purpose.
What is the artist’s life about now?
It’s about following the Muse.
It’s about finding her true voice.
It’s about becoming who she really is.
On her artist’s journey, she will produce the works she was born to bring into being.
She will be on that journey for the rest of her life.
What, then, are the characteristics of the Artist’s Journey?
THE ARTIST’S JOURNEY IS INTERNAL
I used to write at a desk that faced a wall. My friends would ask, “Why don’t you turn the desk around so you have a view outside?”
I don’t care about the view outside.
My focus is interior.
The book or movie I’m writing is playing inside my head.
Dalton Trumbo wrote in the bathtub.
Marcel Proust never got out of bed.
Why should they?
The journey they were on was inside themselves.
THE ARTIST’S JOURNEY IS PERSONAL
The novels of Philip Roth are completely different from those of Jonathan Franzen.
Neither author, gifted as he may be, can do what the other does.
In fact, neither can write anything except what his own gift authorizes, that which is unique to him alone.
THE ARTIST’S JOURNEY IS UNIVERSAL
And yet millions of people can read Philip Roth and Jonathan Franzen and be touched and moved and illuminated.
What is personal to the artist is universal to the rest of us.
THE ARTIST’S JOURNEY IS SOLITARY
Yes, artists collaborate. And yeah, there is such a thing as “the writers’ room.”
But the work of the artist takes place not on the page or in conversation or debate, but inside her head.
You, the artist, are alone in that space.
There is no one in there but you.
THE ARTIST’S JOURNEY IS ABOUT SELF-DISCOVERY
I’ve read many times that art is self-expression. I don’t believe it.
I don’t believe the artist knows what he or she wishes to express.
The artist is being driven from a far deeper and more primal source than the conscious intellect. It is not an overstatement, in my view, to declare that the artist has no idea what he’s doing.
As Socrates famously declared in Plato’s Phaedrus:
… if a man comes to the door of poetry untouched by the madness of the Muses, believing that technique alone will make him a good poet, he and his sane compositions never reach perfection, but are utterly eclipsed by the performances of the inspired madman.
The artist is not expressing himself, he is discovering himself.
THE ARTIST’S JOURNEY IS DANGEROUS
The artist, like the mystic and the renunciant, does her work within an altered sphere of consciousness.
Seeking herself, her voice, her source, she enters the dark forest. She is alone. No friend or lover knows where her path has taken her.
Rules are different within this wilderness. Hatters are mad and principles inverted.
The artist has entered this sphere of her own free will. She has deliberately unmoored herself from conventional consciousness. This is her calling. This is what she was born to do.
Will she come out safely?
A BODY OF WORK
This is my nineteenth book.
Looking back, here’s the Big Takeaway:
I never had any idea, before I wrote a book, that I was going to write it. Or, perhaps more accurately, that I was going to write that specific book. The book always came out of nowhere and always took me by surprise.
Let me express this a different way.
No matter what a writer or artist may tell you, they have no clue what they’re doing before they do it—and, for the most part, while they’re doing it.
Or another way:
Everything we produce as artists comes from a source beyond our conscious awareness.
Jackson Browne once said that he writes to find out what he thinks. (Wait, it was Joan Didion who said that … no, Stephen King said it too.)
I do the same, and you do too, whether you realize it or not.
The key pronoun here is you.
Who is this “you?”
The second and third theses of this book are:
“You,” meaning the writer of your books, is not you. Not the “you” you think of as yourself.
This “second you” is smarter than you are. A lot smarter. This second “you” is the real you.
WHERE DO BOOKS/SONGS/MOVIES COME FROM?
My long-held belief is that an artist’s identity is revealed by the work she or he produces.
Writers write to discover themselves. (Again, whether they realize it or not.)
But who is this self they seek to discover?
It is none other than that “second you”—that wiser “you,” that true, pure, waterproof, self-propelled, self-contained “you.”
Every work we produce as artists comes from this second “you.”
This “you” is the real you.
THE WORLD THE ARTIST LIVES IN
Here’s my model of the universe in a nutshell:
The universe exists on at least two levels. (It may exist on an infinite number, but certainly it manifests itself on two.)
The first is the material world, the visible physical sphere in which you and I dwell.
Then there’s the second level. The higher level.
The second level exists “above” the first but permeates the first at all times and in all instances. This second level is the invisible world, the plane of the as-yet-unmanifested, the sphere of pure potentiality.
Upon this level dwells that which will be, but is not yet.
Call this level the Unconscious, the Soul, the Self, the Superconscious.
THE ARTIST’S SKILL
What exactly does an artist do?
The writer, the dancer, the filmmaker … what, precisely, does their work consist of?
They shuttle from Level #1 to Level #2 and back again.
That’s it.
That’s their skill.
Twyla Tharp in her dance studio, Quentin Tarantino at his keyboard, Bob Dylan when he picks up a guitar or sits down at a piano. They perform this simple but miraculous act a thousand, ten thousand times a day.
They enter the Second World and come back to the First with something that had never existed in the First World before.
A machine can’t do that. A supercomputer packed with the most powerful A.I. system can’t do that. A dolphin or a whale, even an elephant or a great ape, no matter how advanced their cerebral capacities may be, can’t do that.
In all of Creation, only two creatures can do that.
Gods.
And you and I.
THE MATTER OF FACT PLANE OF THE ARTIST’S JOURNEY
In the sphere we call the artist’s journey, we “get down to business.” Crazy-time is over. We have wasted enough years avoiding our calling.
Our aim now is to discover our gift, our voice, our subject. We know now that we have one—and we are driven passionately to identify it and to bring it forth in the real world with optimum wallop.
THE BLANK PAGE
We hear (and we know, ourselves) of the terror that writers experience when confronting the blank page.
Rather than face this, they will delay, dilate, demur, procrastinate, rationalize, cop out, self-justify, self-exonerate, not to mention become drunks and drug addicts, cheat on their spouses, lose themselves on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and in general destroy not only their bodies and minds but their souls as well.
Why?
What’s so scary about an 8 1/2 X 11 sheet of uncoated bond?
ENCOUNTER WITH THE UNCONSCIOUS
What’s scary is that, in order to write (or paint or compose or shoot film), we have two choices:
We can work from our ego-minds, in which case we will burst blood vessels and suffer cerebral hernias, straining only to produce tedious, mediocre, derivative crap.
We can shift our platform of effort from our conscious mind to our unconscious.
Can you guess which one we’re most terrified of?
THE MISNOMER OF THE UNCONSCIOUS
The Unconscious (to use the term as Freud originally defined it) is unconscious only to us.
We are unconscious of its contents.
But the Unconscious mind is not unconscious to itself or of itself.
The Unconscious is wide awake.
It knows exactly what it’s doing.
(And it’s pretty pissed off at being called “the Unconscious.”
THE AMAZON MIND
In Last of the Amazons, I tried to imagine on the page the ancient race of female warriors.
Here’s a description of the Amazon mode of thinking, offered by one of the characters in the book, a young Athenian who has traveled to the Amazon homeland near the Black Sea and lived for a time among this legendary all-female culture.
The Amazons have no word for “I.” The notion of the autonomous individual has no place in their conception of the universe. Their thinking, if one could call it that, is entirely instinctual and collective. They think like a herd of horses or a flock of swallows, which seem to apprehend and respond with one mind, acting intuitively and instantaneously in the moment.
When an Amazon speaks, she will pause frequently, often for long moments. She is seeking the right word. But she does not consciously search for this, as you or I might, rummaging within the catalog of our mind. Rather she is waiting, as a hunter might at the burrow of her quarry, until the correct word arises of itself as from some primal spring of consciousness. The process, it seems, is more akin to dreaming than to waking awareness.
To our Greek eyes, this habit of pausing and waiting makes the speaker appear dull-witted, even dense, and many among our compatriots have lost patience in the event or, concluding that these horsewomen of the plains are a race of savages, have given up entirely on attempting to communicate with them.
To the Amazons, of course, it is we Hellenes who are the witless ones, whose “civilized” consciousness has lost access to the well of wisdom and sense upon which the plainswoman readily draws, and who as a result are cut off from the immediate apprehension of the moment, immured within our own narrow, fearful, greedy, self-infatuated minds.
The Amazon mind as imagined in this passage is not far off from the artist’s mind when she is at work.
THE ARTIST BELIEVES IN A DIFFERENT REALITY
Did you ever see the Meg Ryan-Nicholas Cage movie, City of Angels?
In City of Angels (screenplay by Dana Stevens), human characters go about their lives, oblivious of the cohort of angels—all handsome, male and female, dressed in stylish, duster-length coats—who attend upon them and are present about them at all times, often standing invisibly directly at their shoulders.
That’s my world.
That’s what I see.
Everything I do is based upon that reality.
THE SURPRISE OF FINDING OUR VOICE
I have a recurring dream.
A good dream.
In the dream I’m in my house (or some place that I recognize as my house even though technically it doesn’t look exactly like my actual house) when I realize that I’m occupying a room that I had never realized was part of the edifice. An additional room. An expanded room.
Sometimes it’s an entire floor. I’ll be standing there, looking at crystal chandeliers and rows of pool tables extending for half a block, with music playing and people partying, and I’ll think to myself, “Wow, I had no idea this part of the house even existed. How could I have missed it all this time?”
That house is my psyche. The new rooms are parts of me I have never, till I dreamt them, been aware of.
We find our voice that same way. Project by project. Subject by subject. Observing in happy amazement as a new “us” pops out each time.
THE HERO’S JOURNEY OF THE HUMAN RACE
If the individual has a hero’s journey, does the race collectively possess one as well?
If it does, what is our “call?”
What “threshold” do we seek to cross?
What “home” will we return to?
What “gift” shall we bring?
Here’s what I think:
I think the race’s journey began in the Garden of Eden (which is of course a myth, but a myth common in one form or another to all humanity.)
Our inciting incident was a crime, the eating of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge.
Act One ended with the Almighty casting us out of the garden.
We entered the Inverted World then, humankind’s collective Act Two, and we’ve been there ever since, suffering trials, undergoing initiations, encountering creatures of wonder, while our hearts, as Homer wrote of Odysseus through all the seafaring, ached with an agony to redeem [ourselves] and bring [our] company safe home.
Safe home to the Garden, that’s the return we seek. That alone will complete the circle and make mankind whole.
The artist is the herald and the medium of this passage.
THE SOUL’S CODE
Have you read The Soul’s Code by James Hillman? I highly recommend it.
In The Soul’s Code, Mr. Hillman introduces the concept of the daimon. Daimon is a Greek word. The equivalent term in Latin is genius.
Both words refer to an inhering spirit. We are born, each of us, (says James Hillman) with our own individual daimon. The daimon is our guardian. It knows our destiny. It kens our calling.
James Hillman makes an analogy to an acorn. The totality of the full-grown oak is contained—every leaf and every branch—already within the acorn.
THE DAIMON IN ACTION
My friend Hermes Melissanidis won the gold medal at the ‘96 Atlanta Olympics in the floor exercise of men’s gymnastics. Here’s a story of his daimon.
When Hermes was eight, he saw gymnastics for the first time on TV. He knew instantly that this was what he wanted to do. He went to his parents and asked them to arrange for a trainer so he could study gymnastics and compete for Greece on the Olympic team.
Hermes’ family is a family of doctors. His mom is a doctor. His dad is a doctor. They’re all doctors in Hermes’ family. They were horrified when they heard their son’s passionate conviction that he wanted to be a gymnast. “Absolutely not!” The family would never condone Hermes wasting his youth on this preposterous endeavor.
Hermes went on a hunger strike.
For four days he ate nothing.
Finally his distraught parents agreed to discuss the issue. The family and eight-year-old Hermes came to a compromise. Hermes would be allowed to study gymnastics full time. His parents would arrange it and pay for it. But Hermes must promise that he would also become a doctor. He agreed. And in fact he did graduate from medical school along with becoming an Olympic gold medalist. Today he’s an actor, by the way.
Do you see Hermes’ daimon in this story? The daimon knew Hermes’ gymnastic destiny. It seized him. It compelled him to act. Why else would an eight-year-old boy go on a hunger strike? The daimon knew.
We could easily cite a thousand other such stories—Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackson Pollock, Colette, Hemingway, on and on—of individuals whose sense of their own destiny was so strong in them that nothing including their own fear and self-doubt and even their common sense could stop them from living it out.
DO YOU HAVE A DAIMON?
It took me nineteen years to earn my first dollar as a pure creative writer and twenty-eight years to get my first novel published.
I had jobs in advertising. I had work in other fields. I always quit to write. Bosses, with the best of intentions, would call me into their offices and urge me to listen to reason: stay here, you’ve got a future with us, don’t throw your life away on a dream that’s never going to come true.
Every time I would agonize. Am I crazy? How can I go off again to write another novel that nobody will want to read and that no publishing house will want to publish?
But I always left the job. I always went off to write.
That’s the daimon.
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE DAIMON
What follows is founded upon no science. I can cite no studies; I have no evidence. These suppositions are purely idiosyncratic, based only on my own experience:
The daimon is immortal.
I can’t prove it. I just feel it. When you and I shuffle off this mortal coil, our daimons will step down to the shoulder of the highway as lightly as a hitchhiker being left off at the end of a ride. Our daimon will trot off into the underbrush, like the Bengal tiger in Life of Pi, without a backward glance. It will pick up the next iteration of “you” and “me” and move on.
The daimon is divine.
The daimon arises from and dwells upon a level beyond the material. It is governed not by the laws of the physical plane, but by the precepts of heaven.
The daimon is inhuman.
Mother Teresa had a daimon. Martin Luther King had one. But so did Hitler. So did Stalin. And so do you.
There’s a reason why daimon looks a lot like demon. The concepts of right and wrong are foreign to the daimon. The daimon operates by higher laws. The daimon is nature. An oak will grow through solid concrete. A butterfly will cross hundreds of miles of open ocean.
The daimon is monstrous.
The human race lost something, I believe, when it passed from the ancient world to the modern. The ancients understood the monstrous. They were not appalled by it, as we are. The legends of the ancient world are packed with monsters—Medusa, Cerberus, the Minotaur. Even the human characters—Medea, Agamemnon, Ajax, Clytemnestra—often embody the monstrous.
The ancients recognized that nature herself contains the monstrous. The world as the Almighty designed it is populated by monsters.
The daimon is creative.
The daimon’s role is to carry the new. It is the Big Bang. It bears the future.
Your daimon is closer to you than anything or anyone in your life.
Your daimon shields you, protects you, counsels you. It kicks your ass. It will drive you crazy if you ignore it, and yet it is inseparable from you. Nothing in your life is as loyal. It will never leave you, never betray you, never abandon you.
No creature of humankind—not your spouse, your mother, your sainted aunt—understands you like your daimon.
You will never understand yourself to the depth that your daimon understands you.
You are not your daimon.
And yet you are not your daimon, and your daimon is not you. You are the vessel for your daimon. You are the latest edition in a long line. You are the raw material with which the daimon works.
Ignore the daimon and it will kill you.
Are we nobler than our daimons? Are we “kinder”? “Better”? Perhaps. But our daimon is far more powerful.
The meaning of your life is contained in your daimon
PUT YOUR ASS WHERE YOUR HEART WANTS TO BE
The great secret that every artist and mystic knows is that the profound can be reached best by concentrating upon the mundane.
Do you want to write? Sit down at the keyboard.
Wanna paint? Stand before an easel.
Wanna dance? Get your butt into the studio.
Want the goddess to show up for you? Show up for her.
WHO YOU ARE IS WHAT YOU WRITE
The artist discovers herself by the work she produces.
Who are you?
Dance and find out.
Sing and find out.
Write and find out.
Writing, like life itself, [Henry Miller again] is a voyage of discovery. The adventure is a metaphysical one: it is a way of approaching life indirectly, of acquiring a total rather than a partial view of the universe. The writer lives between the upper and lower worlds: he takes the path in order eventually to become that path himself …
From the very beginning almost I was deeply aware that there is no goal. I never hope to embrace the whole, but merely to give in each separate fragment, each work, the feeling of the whole as I go on, because I am digging deeper and deeper into life, digging deeper and deeper into past and future. With the endless burrowing a certitude develops which is greater than faith or belief. I become more and more indifferent to my fate, as writer, and more and more certain of my destiny as a man.
There is a dimension of reality above (or below) the material dimension we live in.
If you’re an artist, the search for that dimension is your life.
THE ARTIST’S JOURNEY IS THE HERO’S JOURNEY OF THE HUMAN RACE
You may wonder as you sit in your cubicle designing a gundown scene for Call of Duty Black Ops IV if you’re really advancing the cause of humanity.
You are.
Your artist’s journey is unique to you. You alone are on your path. Your job is only to follow it and be true to it.
Who knows what heights it may eventually bear you to?
You’re an artist. Your journey—however humble, however fraught, however beset with thorns and thistles—is part of a noble, cosmic cause. It is not meaningless. It is not in vain.
It is a portion of a grand adventure.
The artist’s journey is the hero’s journey of the human race.
THE GREAT ADVENTURE
What is “the benign, protecting power of destiny,” if indeed there is such a thing?
I think it’s the evolutionary pull of all humankind, which seeks, like the hero, to return to the start of its journey—in other words, the great-circle trajectory of the race arcing home to Eden.
If mankind is indeed on a collective hero’s journey, then Creation itself is on our side.
The Ego is the enemy.
Resistance is the force that it uses against us.
These foes are mighty indeed. But opposed to them always, and equal if not greater, is this great-circle “destiny,” to use Joseph Campbell’s word. That is the wind at our backs.
Therefore be of good cheer, brothers and sisters.
A powerful destiny lies coiled inside you. This force is neither a dumb, robotic tape or some dusty hieroglyph left from millions of years ago, but an active, dynamic, intelligent presence—-endlessly creative, ever-mutating, responsive-in-the-moment—supporting and guiding you as you evolve and advance.
Nor does this force operate only inside your mind. It is not solely cerebral or abstract, nor is it bound by the limits of your consciousness or your physical body.
It operates in real time and in the real world. It is connected to forces unconstrained by time and space, by reason or by nature’s laws. It is capable of summoning allies and assistance and of concentrating them on your behalf and in your cause. These forces are not only of the imagination—ideas, insights, wisdom, breakthroughs in your life and work—but also practical and material apparitions like friends and allies, connections, places to stay, money.
Flesh-and-blood individuals will enter your life at precisely the time and place you need them. These persons will play the role of archetypes—mentors and lovers, boon companions, even animal spirits, tricksters—as will corresponding foes and antagonists, tempters and temptresses, enemies, shape-shifters.
The hero’s journey and the artist’s journey are real. They come with the promise of change, of passion, of fulfillment and of self-actualization, and they come with the curse of Eden—”henceforth shalt thou eat thy bread in the sweat of thy face”—which mandates unrelenting toil and labor. The struggle never ends. It never gets easier.
This is what you were born for.
Nature has built you for this.
The artist is a role ordained by Creation. Even if you know nothing of this mandate, or refuse to believe it, or have forgotten it entirely, even if you flat-out reject it, this living force remains vital and irresistible inside you. You cannot run from it. You cannot stand against it. It is more alive inside you than your own blood and more impossible to resist than the urge to survive or to procreate or to find love.
A great adventure awaits you.
Ready or not, you are called.
June 30, 2018
Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss (#324)
[image error]
“All the pieces are coming together here!” — Cal Fussman
I’ve interviewed legendary storyteller Cal Fussman (@calfussman) on this show before (here and here), but this time the roles are reversed, and he interviews me!
If you are not yet familiar with Cal, he is a New York Times bestselling author and a writer-at-large for Esquire magazine, where he is best known for being a primary writer of the “What I Learned” feature. And this interview originally aired on Cal’s podcast, “Big Questions with Cal Fussman.”
Cal has transformed oral history into an art form, conducting probing interviews with the icons who’ve shaped the last 50 years of world history: Mikhail Gorbachev, Jimmy Carter, Ted Kennedy, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, Jack Welch, Robert DeNiro, Clint Eastwood, Bruce Springsteen, Dr. Dre, Quincy Jones, Woody Allen, Barbara Walters, Pelé, Yao Ming, Serena Williams, John Wooden, Muhammad Ali, and countless others.
Enjoy!
[image error]
[image error]
Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferrisshttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/197f9fe4-fade-4c43-b81c-47fb36c5fb7f.mp3Download
Listen to it on Apple Podcasts.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Want to hear another episode with someone who’s collected a lifetime of great stories? — Listen to my interview with Shep Gordon, the man behind some of the biggest names you’ve ever heard, including Alice Cooper, Wolfgang Puck, Anne Murray, and Teddy Pendergrass. (Stream below or right-click here to download):
Shep Gordon - The King Maker on His Best PR Stunts, Hugest Failures, and Practical Philosophieshttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/80256838-bfd9-4be0-8c2a-fda843026969.mp3Download
This podcast is brought to you by Four Sigmatic. While I often praise this company’s lion’s mane mushroom coffee for a minimal caffeine wakeup call that lasts, I asked the founders if they could help me—someone who’s struggled with insomnia for decades—sleep. Their answer: Reishi Mushroom Elixir. They made a special batch for me and my listeners that comes without sweetener; you can try it at bedtime with a little honey or nut milk, or you can just add hot water to your single-serving packet and embrace its bitterness like I do.
Try it right now by going to foursigmatic.com/ferriss and using the code Ferriss to get 20 percent off this rare, limited run of Reishi Mushroom Elixir. If you are in the experimental mindset, I do not think you’ll be disappointed.
This episode is brought to you by “5-Bullet Friday,” my very own email newsletter, which every Friday features five bullet points of cool things I’ve found that week, including apps, books, documentaries, gadgets, albums, articles, TV shows, new hacks or tricks, and — of course — all sorts of weird stuff I’ve dug up from around the world.
It’s free, it’s always going to be free, and you can subscribe now at tim.blog/friday.
QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Connect with Cal Fussman:
Website | Podcast | Twitter | Kevin “The Manager”
Big Questions with Cal Fussman
The Interview Master: Cal Fussman and the Power of Listening, The Tim Ferriss Show
Cal Fussman: The Master Storyteller Returns, The Tim Ferriss Show
What I’ve Learned: Ron Howard & Brian Grazer by Cal Fussman, Esquire
Are Saunas the Next Big Performance-Enhancing “Drug?” (a guest post on my blog by Rhonda Patrick prefaced by pictures of me being tortured by mad scientists at Stanford)
Cooling Glove Developed by Stanford Researchers Helps Athletes and Patients by Nathan Collins
Someone Added a Smiths Song to a Bunch of People Screwing Up in Infomercials, Creating the Best Music Video of the Year by Bob Powers, Someecards
Suzanne Somers: Thighmaster Commercial (1991)
Snowflake Ice Cream Shoppe
Black Belt Magazine
The Affair
The Lobster Roll
The Maidstone Hotel
What I Think: John McPhee by Jamie Saxon, Princeton University
A Sense of Where You Are: Bill Bradley at Princeton by John McPhee
Levels of the Game by John McPhee
Oranges by John McPhee
Annals of the Former World by John McPhee
The Survival of the Bark Canoe by John McPhee
Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process by John McPhee
Who is Keyser Soze? The Usual Suspects
Colour Symbolism: Red in The Sixth Sense by Cat Barnard, Screen Muse
The Meiji Restoration and Modernization, Asia for Educators, Columbia University
The Princeton Tiger
The Eating Clubs of Princeton University
High-Tech Entrepreneurship, Princeton University
Understanding Dysgraphia, International Dyslexia Association
Scientific Speed Reading: How to Read 300% Faster in 20 Minutes, Tim Ferriss Blog
Pixar Animation Studios
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss
BlueMountain.com
Fireside Chat with Tim Ferriss and Professor Ed Zschau
TrueSAN Networks
Fairtex Muay Thai Fitness
Welcome to Recoleta & Barrio Norte (Buenos Aires), Lonely Planet
Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs
Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Amy Newmark
Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World by Tim Ferriss
SHOW NOTES
How does Cal approach an interview with someone he knows pretty well — like me, for instance? [09:44]
A story about Brian Grazer and Ron Howard and how their teamwork reminds Cal of me. [11:09]
Is my origin story anything like “Iceman” Wim Hof’s? [12:58]
Childhood wrestling and adaptation to thermoregulation woes that led to lifelong self-experimentation. [14:58]
Why growing up when I did probably influenced my interest in nutrition. [20:53]
Contrasting the characteristics of the people who raised me and piecing together what I’ve inherited from them. [22:25]
How does my interest in persuasion and salesmanship tie in with my night owl tendencies? [24:43]
Even if Cal doesn’t think I have the mindset of an artist, I did grow up with serious artistic aspirations. [28:43]
What the “get the crowd first, then sell the product” approach gets you. [30:48]
Contrary to what seems to be popular opinion, I don’t consider myself a risk-taker. [31:47]
How did the way I think about money and efficiency get me fired from one of my first jobs in high school? [32:15]
Other high school jobs that were better suited to my efficiency-centered work ethic. [35:15]
On taking a class with John McPhee at Princeton, a writer who can mesmerize readers with entire books about seemingly mundane subjects like oranges, rocks, tennis, and the time-honored tradition of the bark canoe. [38:36]
How my love for minimalism and elegance relates to my love for Japan. [46:38]
What I learned from John McPhee’s class that translated into better grades in all my other classes. [47:46]
At what point did the ability to control my own journey come into play? [48:10]
My brief career as a safeguard (bouncer) at Princeton. [51:34]
High-tech entrepreneurship field studies on a Radio Shack budget. [59:38]
Learning to speed read through the coursework at Princeton — while coping with dysgraphia. [1:01:34]
What I learned by collecting and analyzing the advertising that caught my eye. [1:05:12]
My first taste of failure as an entrepreneur. [1:06:03]
In marketing, what is a dry test? [1:07:02]
My first taste of success as an entrepreneur. [1:07:52]
My first investment. [1:13:56]
When did the concept for The 4-Hour Workweek really start to formulate? [1:16:07]
Negotiating with Ed Zschau for a seat (or spot on the floor) in his class after I missed the registration deadline. [1:17:48]
Hustling for a job after college. [1:20:57]
Laying the groundwork for my next business venture. [1:27:26]
When success became a series of liabilities and the company I ran started running me. [1:31:41]
How a twice-a-year lecture for Ed Zschau and some time off the grid helped me begin to put what would become 4-Hour Workweek principles in effect. [1:32:14]
The exact moment when business scaling became lifestyle design. [1:33:57]
How insomnia, lack of a television set, and a snarky Princeton student’s feedback led to me writing my first book (in spite of an earlier vow to never write again). [1:34:51]
If you’re going to bother volunteering, make a point of being a good (and memorable) volunteer. [1:36:32]
How Chicken Soup for the Soul co-author Jack Canfield helped me begin the process of writing a book. [1:37:34]
The real reason I was annoyed at The 4-Hour Workweek being rejected over 25 times. [1:39:50]
What sealed the deal at my final pitch. [1:42:21]
How I upheld my part of the bargain and finalized the winning book title. [1:45:17]
Putting a cap on Chapter One: Tim Ferriss — The Early Years. [1:49:41]
Asking better questions and what you can expect if you haven’t had a chance to read Tribe of Mentors yet. [1:49:58]
PEOPLE MENTIONED
George Clooney
Mikhail Gorbachev
Ronald Reagan
Jamie Foxx
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Josh Waitzkin
Hunter S. Thompson
Kobe Bryant
Daymond John
Seth Godin
Simone Biles
Brian Grazer
Ron Howard
Wim Hof
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Sylvester Stallone
Ron Popeil
Tony Robbins
Jim Lee
Todd McFarlane
Erik Larsen
Simon Bisley
John McPhee
Bill Bradley
David Remnick
Keyser Soze
Kobayashi
Ed Zschau
Charles Darwin
Thomas Isakovich
Marc Birnkrant
Jack Canfield
Steve Hanselman
Heather Jackson
Steve Ross
Maria Sharapova
Kelly Slater
Dan Gable
Steven Pinker
Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
[image error]
“All the pieces are coming together here!” — Cal Fussman
I’ve interviewed legendary storyteller Cal Fussman (@calfussman) on this show before (here and here), but this time the roles are reversed, and he interviews me!
If you are not yet familiar with Cal, he is a New York Times bestselling author and a writer-at-large for Esquire magazine, where he is best known for being a primary writer of the “What I Learned” feature. And this interview originally aired on Cal’s podcast, “Big Questions with Cal Fussman.”
Cal has transformed oral history into an art form, conducting probing interviews with the icons who’ve shaped the last 50 years of world history: Mikhail Gorbachev, Jimmy Carter, Ted Kennedy, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, Jack Welch, Robert DeNiro, Clint Eastwood, Bruce Springsteen, Dr. Dre, Quincy Jones, Woody Allen, Barbara Walters, Pelé, Yao Ming, Serena Williams, John Wooden, Muhammad Ali, and countless others.
Enjoy!
[image error]
[image error]
Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/197f9fe4-fade-4c43-b81c-47fb36c5fb7f.mp3Download
Listen to it on Apple Podcasts.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Want to hear another episode with someone who’s collected a lifetime of great stories? — Listen to my interview with Shep Gordon, the man behind some of the biggest names you’ve ever heard, including Alice Cooper, Wolfgang Puck, Anne Murray, and Teddy Pendergrass. (Stream below or right-click here to download):
Shep Gordon - The King Maker on His Best PR Stunts, Hugest Failures, and Practical Philosophieshttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/80256838-bfd9-4be0-8c2a-fda843026969.mp3Download
This podcast is brought to you by Four Sigmatic. While I often praise this company’s lion’s mane mushroom coffee for a minimal caffeine wakeup call that lasts, I asked the founders if they could help me—someone who’s struggled with insomnia for decades—sleep. Their answer: Reishi Mushroom Elixir. They made a special batch for me and my listeners that comes without sweetener; you can try it at bedtime with a little honey or nut milk, or you can just add hot water to your single-serving packet and embrace its bitterness like I do.
Try it right now by going to foursigmatic.com/ferriss and using the code Ferriss to get 20 percent off this rare, limited run of Reishi Mushroom Elixir. If you are in the experimental mindset, I do not think you’ll be disappointed.
This episode is brought to you by “5-Bullet Friday,” my very own email newsletter, which every Friday features five bullet points of cool things I’ve found that week, including apps, books, documentaries, gadgets, albums, articles, TV shows, new hacks or tricks, and — of course — all sorts of weird stuff I’ve dug up from around the world.
It’s free, it’s always going to be free, and you can subscribe now at tim.blog/friday.
QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Connect with Cal Fussman:
Website | Podcast | Twitter | Kevin “The Manager”
Big Questions with Cal Fussman
The Interview Master: Cal Fussman and the Power of Listening, The Tim Ferriss Show
Cal Fussman: The Master Storyteller Returns, The Tim Ferriss Show
What I’ve Learned: Ron Howard & Brian Grazer by Cal Fussman, Esquire
Are Saunas the Next Big Performance-Enhancing “Drug?” (a guest post on my blog by Rhonda Patrick prefaced by pictures of me being tortured by mad scientists at Stanford)
Cooling Glove Developed by Stanford Researchers Helps Athletes and Patients by Nathan Collins
Someone Added a Smiths Song to a Bunch of People Screwing Up in Infomercials, Creating the Best Music Video of the Year by Bob Powers, Someecards
Suzanne Somers: Thighmaster Commercial (1991)
Snowflake Ice Cream Shoppe
Black Belt Magazine
The Affair
The Lobster Roll
The Maidstone Hotel
What I Think: John McPhee by Jamie Saxon, Princeton University
A Sense of Where You Are: Bill Bradley at Princeton by John McPhee
Levels of the Game by John McPhee
Oranges by John McPhee
Annals of the Former World by John McPhee
The Survival of the Bark Canoe by John McPhee
Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process by John McPhee
Who is Keyser Soze? The Usual Suspects
Colour Symbolism: Red in The Sixth Sense by Cat Barnard, Screen Muse
The Meiji Restoration and Modernization, Asia for Educators, Columbia University
The Princeton Tiger
The Eating Clubs of Princeton University
High-Tech Entrepreneurship, Princeton University
Understanding Dysgraphia, International Dyslexia Association
Scientific Speed Reading: How to Read 300% Faster in 20 Minutes, Tim Ferriss Blog
Pixar Animation Studios
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss
BlueMountain.com
Fireside Chat with Tim Ferriss and Professor Ed Zschau
TrueSAN Networks
Fairtex Muay Thai Fitness
Welcome to Recoleta & Barrio Norte (Buenos Aires), Lonely Planet
Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs
Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Amy Newmark
Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World by Tim Ferriss
SHOW NOTES
How does Cal approach an interview with someone he knows pretty well — like me, for instance? [09:44]
A story about Brian Grazer and Ron Howard and how their teamwork reminds Cal of me. [11:09]
Is my origin story anything like “Iceman” Wim Hof’s? [12:58]
Childhood wrestling and adaptation to thermoregulation woes that led to lifelong self-experimentation. [14:58]
Why growing up when I did probably influenced my interest in nutrition. [20:53]
Contrasting the characteristics of the people who raised me and piecing together what I’ve inherited from them. [22:25]
How does my interest in persuasion and salesmanship tie in with my night owl tendencies? [24:43]
Even if Cal doesn’t think I have the mindset of an artist, I did grow up with serious artistic aspirations. [28:43]
What the “get the crowd first, then sell the product” approach gets you. [30:48]
Contrary to what seems to be popular opinion, I don’t consider myself a risk-taker. [31:47]
How did the way I think about money and efficiency get me fired from one of my first jobs in high school? [32:15]
Other high school jobs that were better suited to my efficiency-centered work ethic. [35:15]
On taking a class with John McPhee at Princeton, a writer who can mesmerize readers with entire books about seemingly mundane subjects like oranges, rocks, tennis, and the time-honored tradition of the bark canoe. [38:36]
How my love for minimalism and elegance relates to my love for Japan. [46:38]
What I learned from John McPhee’s class that translated into better grades in all my other classes. [47:46]
At what point did the ability to control my own journey come into play? [48:10]
My brief career as a safeguard (bouncer) at Princeton. [51:34]
High-tech entrepreneurship field studies on a Radio Shack budget. [59:38]
Learning to speed read through the coursework at Princeton — while coping with dysgraphia. [1:01:34]
What I learned by collecting and analyzing the advertising that caught my eye. [1:05:12]
My first taste of failure as an entrepreneur. [1:06:03]
In marketing, what is a dry test? [1:07:02]
My first taste of success as an entrepreneur. [1:07:52]
My first investment. [1:13:56]
When did the concept for The 4-Hour Workweek really start to formulate? [1:16:07]
Negotiating with Ed Zschau for a seat (or spot on the floor) in his class after I missed the registration deadline. [1:17:48]
Hustling for a job after college. [1:20:57]
Laying the groundwork for my next business venture. [1:27:26]
When success became a series of liabilities and the company I ran started running me. [1:31:41]
How a twice-a-year lecture for Ed Zschau and some time off the grid helped me begin to put what would become 4-Hour Workweek principles in effect. [1:32:14]
The exact moment when business scaling became lifestyle design. [1:33:57]
How insomnia, lack of a television set, and a snarky Princeton student’s feedback led to me writing my first book (in spite of an earlier vow to never write again). [1:34:51]
If you’re going to bother volunteering, make a point of being a good (and memorable) volunteer. [1:36:32]
How Chicken Soup for the Soul co-author Jack Canfield helped me begin the process of writing a book. [1:37:34]
The real reason I was annoyed at The 4-Hour Workweek being rejected over 25 times. [1:39:50]
What sealed the deal at my final pitch. [1:42:21]
How I upheld my part of the bargain and finalized the winning book title. [1:45:17]
Putting a cap on Chapter One: Tim Ferriss — The Early Years. [1:49:41]
Asking better questions and what you can expect if you haven’t had a chance to read Tribe of Mentors yet. [1:49:58]
PEOPLE MENTIONED
George Clooney
Mikhail Gorbachev
Ronald Reagan
Jamie Foxx
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Josh Waitzkin
Hunter S. Thompson
Kobe Bryant
Daymond John
Seth Godin
Simone Biles
Brian Grazer
Ron Howard
Wim Hof
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Sylvester Stallone
Ron Popeil
Tony Robbins
Jim Lee
Todd McFarlane
Erik Larsen
Simon Bisley
John McPhee
Bill Bradley
David Remnick
Keyser Soze
Kobayashi
Ed Zschau
Charles Darwin
Thomas Isakovich
Marc Birnkrant
Jack Canfield
Steve Hanselman
Heather Jackson
Steve Ross
Maria Sharapova
Kelly Slater
Dan Gable
Steven Pinker
June 25, 2018
Tim Ferriss Goes to Maximum Security Prison (#323)
Photo: Josh Estey
In this podcast, I had the rare opportunity to interview three men in Level 4 maximum security at Kern Valley State Prison. There was no time to do homework on any of them, so I crossed my fingers and jumped in. It was incredibly nerve-wracking and, ultimately, incredibly rewarding and fun. Any expectations I might have had going in were exceeded.
I owe special thanks to Cat Hoke, all the men who participate in Defy (the program Cat started), and all the staff and officers at Kern, including Chief Deputy Warden Goss who made it possible for me to bring recording equipment. Thank you for the help, sir!
If you’re interested in a similar prison visit after listening to this episode, Cat now has five more trips lined up. Simply email admin@cathoke.com for more details. If this episode moves you in any way, make sure to check out Defy and other groups doing this work and making an impact, like the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC).
Enjoy!
[image error]
[image error]
Tim Ferriss Goes to Maximum Security Prisonhttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/07fc8674-4f90-49c4-babc-b27bb50a2841.mp3Download
Listen to it on Apple Podcasts.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Want to hear another inspiring conversation? — Check out my interview with Catherine Hoke, the founder of Defy Ventures and author of A Second Chance. Stream below or right-click here to download.
Catherine Hoke — The Master of Second Chanceshttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/da5e12e0-b238-46fe-b407-7a75de5b1853.mp3Download
This podcast is brought to you by Helix Sleep. I recently moved into a new home and needed new beds, and I purchased mattresses from Helix Sleep.
It offers mattresses personalized to your preferences and sleeping style — without costing thousands of dollars. Visit Helixsleep.com/TIM and take the simple 2-3 minute sleep quiz to get started, and the team there will build a mattress you’ll love.
Its customer service makes all the difference. The mattress arrives within a week, and the shipping is completely free. You can try the mattress for 100 nights, and if you’re not happy, they’ll pick it up and offer a full refund. To personalize your sleep experience, visit Helixsleep.com/TIM and you’ll receive up to $125 off your custom mattress. Enjoy!
This podcast is also brought to you by the Wondery network’s Business Wars. Hosted by David D. Brown, former anchor of the Peabody award-winning public radio business program Marketplace, Business Wars shares the untold and very real stories of what goes on behind the scenes with the leaders, investors, and executives that take businesses either to new heights or utter ruin.
I recommend starting with the first one, Sudden Death, which is the first of an eight-part series that chronicles the brutal business battle between Netflix and Blockbuster, and later HBO. Other episodes dig into epic face-offs that have shaped the landscape of what we buy and how we live, such as Marvel vs. DC, Nike vs. Adidas, Nintendo vs. Sony, and Hearst vs. Pulitzer. You can search for Business Wars on iTunes or your favorite podcast provider, or you can just go directly to wondery.fm/tim to start listening right now.
QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Defy Ventures
Anti-Recidivism Coalition
Catherine Hoke — The Master of Second Chances
Kern Valley State Prison
Step to the Line: How Prison Is Helping Oculus Expand VR’s Horizons
CDCR: Two Correctional Officers Attacked by about 12 Inmates at Kern Valley State Prison, ABC News, Bakersfield
Coroner: Kern Valley State Prison Inmate Was Stabbed, The Bakersfield Californian
Peek inside The SHU: What It’s like for California Inmates in Solitary Confinement by James Queally, Los Angeles Times
California’s Prison Education System Is Yielding Impressive Results by Ben Paynter, Fast Company
Sensitive Needs Yards (SNY) Gangs by Richard Valdemar, Police
Aristotle on Teleology
Moral Relativism, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
San Quentin State Prison
Ear Hustle
Kern Valley 180 Podcast — not yet available, but look for it on iTunes soon!
SHOW NOTES
A lengthier introduction than most, establishing how this unique episode came together, and why I think it’s an important listen for all of us. [04:34]
On a societal level, what’s more likely to reduce recidivism among those convicted of serious crimes: punishment or rehabilitation? [07:42]
Why getting permission to bring recording equipment into a maximum security prison is problematic. [09:23]
Don’t empathize with people in prison? Try the “step to the line” exercise. [10:22]
How you can experience a prison visit like this one. [14:18]
If you’re ashamed of backsliding in your goals, here’s a helpful follow up from Jason, one of the men you’ll meet in this episode. [14:40]
Setting the scene: visitation center. [17:15]
Meet Jason. [17:40]
Meet Ian. [18:09]
Meet Brandon. [18:57]
What catalyzed the choice these men made to change their trajectory? [19:38]
Jason’s story. [20:24]
Ian’s story. [22:54]
Brandon’s story. [26:54]
New beliefs a chaplain instilled in once-atheist Brandon. [29:42]
What new beliefs have helped Jason stay on his path? [30:49]
Good influences and beliefs that have helped Ian. [31:41]
How do these men try to influence others to course correct? Who do they choose to approach, and why? [33:34]
What have been the most effective approaches for guiding others toward redirection? [35:26]
Creating change from the inside out. [38:23]
Are there patterns that lead to people straying from their path? What can be done to help them back once such a pattern has been identified? [39:48]
Did anything from Jason’s gang experience translate into something he can use in a positive way today? [42:35]
The others weigh in on Jason’s skills, reputation, and values. [44:11]
Where would these men like to be in three years, and what are they doing to pave the way there? [45:49]
Ian’s answer. [45:54]
Jason’s answer. [47:34]
What keeps them going? What would make them look back on their time here with pride? [47:59]
Tools helpful for nudging others toward a better path. [49:09]
Practical and purpose-driven questions that lead to problem solving. [50:27]
How does Ian look back on the crimes that got him sentenced to prison? [52:59]
Resisting temptation or recovering from a relapse. [54:40]
Ian tries to lead by example, but even he loses his cool sometimes. He shares one incident and how he managed to de-escalate it. [55:51]
Jason tries to foresee possible outcomes and avoid escalation from the get-go, but understands that variables can throw a wrench in any plan. [1:00:00]
Brandon admits he loses his cool and snaps fairly regularly. He tries to run through a mental checklist to take a breath before saying something regrettable and leans on the other two for help on this front. Here’s one story where he overcame these urges and did the right thing. [1:01:16]
Where would Brandon like to be three years from now? [1:06:26]
These three produce the Kern Valley 180 Podcast. How did this come about, and what are the logistics? Is it available to people outside the system? [1:07:13]
Ian asks what compelled me to come to a level four maximum security prison and sit down with them. [1:10:13]
Ian explains one of the podcast’s main goals. [1:12:39]
Jason asks how I come up with questions for understanding what makes people tick. [1:15:59]
Ian’s parting thoughts. [1:22:58]
Brandon’s parting thoughts. [1:23:51]
Jason’s parting thoughts. [1:24:44]
My parting thoughts. [1:25:29]
PEOPLE MENTIONED
Catherine Hoke
Peter Attia
Sebastian Junger
Richard Branson
Tim Kennedy
Brené Brown
Tim Ferriss Goes to Maximum Security Prison
Photo: Josh Estey
In this podcast, I had the rare opportunity to interview three men in Level 4 maximum security at Kern Valley State Prison. There was no time to do homework on any of them, so I crossed my fingers and jumped in. It was incredibly nerve-wracking and, ultimately, incredibly rewarding and fun. Any expectations I might have had going in were exceeded.
I owe special thanks to Cat Hoke, all the men who participate in Defy (the program Cat started), and all the staff and officers at Kern, including Chief Deputy Warden Goss who made it possible for me to bring recording equipment. Thank you for the help, sir!
If you’re interested in a similar prison visit after listening to this episode, Cat now has five more trips lined up. Simply email admin@cathoke.com for more details. If this episode moves you in any way, make sure to check out Defy and other groups doing this work and making an impact, like the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC).
Enjoy!
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[image error]
Tim Ferriss Goes to Maximum Security Prison
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/07fc8674-4f90-49c4-babc-b27bb50a2841.mp3Download
Listen to it on Apple Podcasts.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Want to hear another inspiring conversation? — Check out my interview with Catherine Hoke, the founder of Defy Ventures and author of A Second Chance. Stream below or right-click here to download.
Catherine Hoke — The Master of Second Chanceshttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/da5e12e0-b238-46fe-b407-7a75de5b1853.mp3Download
This podcast is brought to you by Helix Sleep. I recently moved into a new home and needed new beds, and I purchased mattresses from Helix Sleep.
It offers mattresses personalized to your preferences and sleeping style — without costing thousands of dollars. Visit Helixsleep.com/TIM and take the simple 2-3 minute sleep quiz to get started, and the team there will build a mattress you’ll love.
Its customer service makes all the difference. The mattress arrives within a week, and the shipping is completely free. You can try the mattress for 100 nights, and if you’re not happy, they’ll pick it up and offer a full refund. To personalize your sleep experience, visit Helixsleep.com/TIM and you’ll receive up to $125 off your custom mattress. Enjoy!
This podcast is also brought to you by the Wondery network’s Business Wars. Hosted by David D. Brown, former anchor of the Peabody award-winning public radio business program Marketplace, Business Wars shares the untold and very real stories of what goes on behind the scenes with the leaders, investors, and executives that take businesses either to new heights or utter ruin.
I recommend starting with the first one, Sudden Death, which is the first of an eight-part series that chronicles the brutal business battle between Netflix and Blockbuster, and later HBO. Other episodes dig into epic face-offs that have shaped the landscape of what we buy and how we live, such as Marvel vs. DC, Nike vs. Adidas, Nintendo vs. Sony, and Hearst vs. Pulitzer. You can search for Business Wars on iTunes or your favorite podcast provider, or you can just go directly to wondery.fm/tim to start listening right now.
QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Defy Ventures
Anti-Recidivism Coalition
Catherine Hoke — The Master of Second Chances
Kern Valley State Prison
Step to the Line: How Prison Is Helping Oculus Expand VR’s Horizons
CDCR: Two Correctional Officers Attacked by about 12 Inmates at Kern Valley State Prison, ABC News, Bakersfield
Coroner: Kern Valley State Prison Inmate Was Stabbed, The Bakersfield Californian
Peek inside The SHU: What It’s like for California Inmates in Solitary Confinement by James Queally, Los Angeles Times
California’s Prison Education System Is Yielding Impressive Results by Ben Paynter, Fast Company
Sensitive Needs Yards (SNY) Gangs by Richard Valdemar, Police
Aristotle on Teleology
Moral Relativism, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
San Quentin State Prison
Ear Hustle
Kern Valley 180 Podcast — not yet available, but look for it on iTunes soon!
SHOW NOTES
A lengthier introduction than most, establishing how this unique episode came together, and why I think it’s an important listen for all of us. [04:34]
On a societal level, what’s more likely to reduce recidivism among those convicted of serious crimes: punishment or rehabilitation? [07:42]
Why getting permission to bring recording equipment into a maximum security prison is problematic. [09:23]
Don’t empathize with people in prison? Try the “step to the line” exercise. [10:22]
How you can experience a prison visit like this one. [14:18]
If you’re ashamed of backsliding in your goals, here’s a helpful follow up from Jason, one of the men you’ll meet in this episode. [14:40]
Setting the scene: visitation center. [17:15]
Meet Jason. [17:40]
Meet Ian. [18:09]
Meet Brandon. [18:57]
What catalyzed the choice these men made to change their trajectory? [19:38]
Jason’s story. [20:24]
Ian’s story. [22:54]
Brandon’s story. [26:54]
New beliefs a chaplain instilled in once-atheist Brandon. [29:42]
What new beliefs have helped Jason stay on his path? [30:49]
Good influences and beliefs that have helped Ian. [31:41]
How do these men try to influence others to course correct? Who do they choose to approach, and why? [33:34]
What have been the most effective approaches for guiding others toward redirection? [35:26]
Creating change from the inside out. [38:23]
Are there patterns that lead to people straying from their path? What can be done to help them back once such a pattern has been identified? [39:48]
Did anything from Jason’s gang experience translate into something he can use in a positive way today? [42:35]
The others weigh in on Jason’s skills, reputation, and values. [44:11]
Where would these men like to be in three years, and what are they doing to pave the way there? [45:49]
Ian’s answer. [45:54]
Jason’s answer. [47:34]
What keeps them going? What would make them look back on their time here with pride? [47:59]
Tools helpful for nudging others toward a better path. [49:09]
Practical and purpose-driven questions that lead to problem solving. [50:27]
How does Ian look back on the crimes that got him sentenced to prison? [52:59]
Resisting temptation or recovering from a relapse. [54:40]
Ian tries to lead by example, but even he loses his cool sometimes. He shares one incident and how he managed to de-escalate it. [55:51]
Jason tries to foresee possible outcomes and avoid escalation from the get-go, but understands that variables can throw a wrench in any plan. [1:00:00]
Brandon admits he loses his cool and snaps fairly regularly. He tries to run through a mental checklist to take a breath before saying something regrettable and leans on the other two for help on this front. Here’s one story where he overcame these urges and did the right thing. [1:01:16]
Where would Brandon like to be three years from now? [1:06:26]
These three produce the Kern Valley 180 Podcast. How did this come about, and what are the logistics? Is it available to people outside the system? [1:07:13]
Ian asks what compelled me to come to a level four maximum security prison and sit down with them. [1:10:13]
Ian explains one of the podcast’s main goals. [1:12:39]
Jason asks how I come up with questions for understanding what makes people tick. [1:15:59]
Ian’s parting thoughts. [1:22:58]
Brandon’s parting thoughts. [1:23:51]
Jason’s parting thoughts. [1:24:44]
My parting thoughts. [1:25:29]
PEOPLE MENTIONED
Catherine Hoke
Peter Attia
Sebastian Junger
Richard Branson
Tim Kennedy
Brené Brown
June 21, 2018
Adam Robinson — Outflanking and Outsmarting the Competition (#322)
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“If I realize my focus is off, and certainly when I’m experiencing any negative emotions, I ask myself, ‘Where should my attention be right now?’ Almost always, the answer is ‘my mission,’ which is like a beacon that always beckons.” — Adam Robinson
Welcome to another episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, where I share the habits, tools and patterns of world-class performers. This special short episode features insights from Adam Robinson (@IAmAdamRobinson). His answers to my questions were highlighted in my most recent book, Tribe of Mentors.
For those of you not familiar with Adam, he has made a lifelong study of outflanking and outsmarting the competition. He is a rated chess master who was awarded a Life Title by the United States Chess Federation. As a teenager, he was personally mentored by Bobby Fischer in the 18 months leading up to his winning the world championship.
Then, in his first career, he developed a revolutionary approach to taking standardized tests as one of the two original co-founders of The Princeton Review. His paradigm-breaking — or “category killing,” as they say in publishing — test-prep book, The SAT: Cracking the System, is the only test-prep book ever to have become a New York Times bestseller. After selling his interest in The Princeton Review, Adam turned his attention in the early ’90s to the then-emerging field of artificial intelligence, developing a program that could analyze text and provide human-like commentary. He was later invited to join a well-known quant fund to develop statistical trading models, and since, he has established himself as an independent global macro advisor to the chief investment officers of a select group of the world’s most successful hedge funds and family offices.
Adam has also been one of this show’s most popular guests, and you can check out his first appearance here, and his second here.
Enjoy!
[image error]
[image error]
Adam Robinson — Outflanking and Outsmarting the Competitionhttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/214637f0-d9f6-4dee-8176-647817e58622.mp3Download
Listen to it on Apple Podcasts.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Want to hear another conversation with an investor who has his mind on more than money? — Check out my interview with Steve Jurvetson, an early VC investor in SpaceX, Tesla, Planet, Memphis Meats, and Hotmail. Stream below or right-click here to download.
Steve Jurvetson — The Midas Touch and Mind-Bending Futureshttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/66c69066-e7a1-4f69-9313-f6c89b6a443e.mp3Download
This podcast is brought to you by 99designs, the world’s largest marketplace of graphic designers. I have used them for years to create some amazing designs. Whether your business needs a logo, website design, business card, or anything you can imagine, check out 99designs.
I used them to rapid prototype the cover for The Tao of Seneca, and I’ve also had them help with display advertising and illustrations. If you want a more personalized approach, I recommend their 1-on-1 service. You get original designs from designers around the world. The best part? You provide your feedback, and then you end up with a product that you’re happy with or your money back. Click this link and get a free $99 upgrade.
QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Connect with Adam:
Adam’s past appearances on this show: Becoming the Best Version of You and Lessons from Warren Buffett, Bobby Fischer, and Other Outliers
Judgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases by Daniel Kahneman, Paul Slovic, and Amos Tversky
Adam’s method of meditation is heart rate variability training (HRV).
A book on HRV: The HeartMath Solution: The Institute of HeartMath’s Revolutionary Program for Engaging the Power of the Heart’s Intelligence by Doc Lew Childre and Howard Martin
Adam’s recommendation for tracking HRV.
An Invitation to the Great Game: A Parable of Love, Magic, and Everyday Miracles by Adam Robinson
Candid Camera
Punk’d
SHOW NOTES
What would Adam’s gigantic billboard say, and why? [04:18]
How do you change what you’re doing if you’re not getting the results you want? [05:29]
When self-confidence is almost as bad as self-doubt. [06:05]
Bad recommendations Adam hears often in the field of global finance. [07:02]
One of Adam’s most worthwhile investments — in spite of initial reluctance. [12:51]
A recent purchase of less than $200 that has had the most positive impact on Adam’s life. [16:50]
What new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved Adam’s life in the past five years? [17:21]
What advice would Adam give to a smart, driven college student about to enter the real world? [20:54]
What does Adam do when he feels overwhelmed or unfocused? [26:45]
What has Adam become better at saying “no” to in the last five years? [29:45]
An unusual habit or absurd thing Adam loves. [31:29]
PEOPLE MENTIONED
Bobby Fischer
Rudyard Kipling
Amelia Earhart
Daniel Kahneman
Paul Slovic
Michael Jordan
Josh Waitzkin
Benjamin Disraeli
Mark Twain
Ashton Kutcher
Adam Robinson — Outflanking and Outsmarting the Competition
[image error]
“If I realize my focus is off, and certainly when I’m experiencing any negative emotions, I ask myself, ‘Where should my attention be right now?’ Almost always, the answer is ‘my mission,’ which is like a beacon that always beckons.” — Adam Robinson
Welcome to another episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, where I share the habits, tools and patterns of world-class performers. This special short episode features insights from Adam Robinson (@IAmAdamRobinson). His answers to my questions were highlighted in my most recent book, Tribe of Mentors.
For those of you not familiar with Adam, he has made a lifelong study of outflanking and outsmarting the competition. He is a rated chess master who was awarded a Life Title by the United States Chess Federation. As a teenager, he was personally mentored by Bobby Fischer in the 18 months leading up to his winning the world championship.
Then, in his first career, he developed a revolutionary approach to taking standardized tests as one of the two original co-founders of The Princeton Review. His paradigm-breaking — or “category killing,” as they say in publishing — test-prep book, The SAT: Cracking the System, is the only test-prep book ever to have become a New York Times bestseller. After selling his interest in The Princeton Review, Adam turned his attention in the early ’90s to the then-emerging field of artificial intelligence, developing a program that could analyze text and provide human-like commentary. He was later invited to join a well-known quant fund to develop statistical trading models, and since, he has established himself as an independent global macro advisor to the chief investment officers of a select group of the world’s most successful hedge funds and family offices.
Adam has also been one of this show’s most popular guests, and you can check out his first appearance here, and his second here.
Enjoy!
[image error]
[image error]
Adam Robinson — Outflanking and Outsmarting the Competition
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/214637f0-d9f6-4dee-8176-647817e58622.mp3Download
Listen to it on Apple Podcasts.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Want to hear another conversation with an investor who has his mind on more than money? — Check out my interview with Steve Jurvetson, an early VC investor in SpaceX, Tesla, Planet, Memphis Meats, and Hotmail. Stream below or right-click here to download.
Steve Jurvetson — The Midas Touch and Mind-Bending Futureshttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/66c69066-e7a1-4f69-9313-f6c89b6a443e.mp3Download
This podcast is brought to you by 99designs, the world’s largest marketplace of graphic designers. I have used them for years to create some amazing designs. Whether your business needs a logo, website design, business card, or anything you can imagine, check out 99designs.
I used them to rapid prototype the cover for The Tao of Seneca, and I’ve also had them help with display advertising and illustrations. If you want a more personalized approach, I recommend their 1-on-1 service. You get original designs from designers around the world. The best part? You provide your feedback, and then you end up with a product that you’re happy with or your money back. Click this link and get a free $99 upgrade.
QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Connect with Adam:
Adam’s past appearances on this show: Becoming the Best Version of You and Lessons from Warren Buffett, Bobby Fischer, and Other Outliers
Judgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases by Daniel Kahneman, Paul Slovic, and Amos Tversky
Adam’s method of meditation is heart rate variability training (HRV).
A book on HRV: The HeartMath Solution: The Institute of HeartMath’s Revolutionary Program for Engaging the Power of the Heart’s Intelligence by Doc Lew Childre and Howard Martin
Adam’s recommendation for tracking HRV.
An Invitation to the Great Game: A Parable of Love, Magic, and Everyday Miracles by Adam Robinson
Candid Camera
Punk’d
SHOW NOTES
What would Adam’s gigantic billboard say, and why? [04:18]
How do you change what you’re doing if you’re not getting the results you want? [05:29]
When self-confidence is almost as bad as self-doubt. [06:05]
Bad recommendations Adam hears often in the field of global finance. [07:02]
One of Adam’s most worthwhile investments — in spite of initial reluctance. [12:51]
A recent purchase of less than $200 that has had the most positive impact on Adam’s life. [16:50]
What new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved Adam’s life in the past five years? [17:21]
What advice would Adam give to a smart, driven college student about to enter the real world? [20:54]
What does Adam do when he feels overwhelmed or unfocused? [26:45]
What has Adam become better at saying “no” to in the last five years? [29:45]
An unusual habit or absurd thing Adam loves. [31:29]
PEOPLE MENTIONED
Bobby Fischer
Rudyard Kipling
Amelia Earhart
Daniel Kahneman
Paul Slovic
Michael Jordan
Josh Waitzkin
Benjamin Disraeli
Mark Twain
Ashton Kutcher
June 18, 2018
Brandon Stanton – The Story of Humans of New York and 25M+ Fans (#321)
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“Doing anything less than something amazing is squandering this whole reason that you’re here.” – Brandon Stanton
Brandon Stanton (@humansofny) is the photographer behind Humans of New York. He attended the University of Georgia and worked as a bond trader in Chicago before moving to New York to pursue photography. Followed by over 25 million people on social media, Humans of New York features daily glimpses into the lives of strangers on the streets of New York City. It has been turned into two #1 New York Times bestselling books: Humans of New York and Humans of New York: Stories. In recent years, Brandon has expanded the blog to include stories from over thirty different countries, and was invited in 2015 to interview Barack Obama in the oval office. In 2017, Humans of New York was turned into a television series that is now available on Facebook Watch.
Enjoy!
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[image error]
Brandon Stanton - The Story of Humans of New York and 25M+ Fanshttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/3fd5315a-966f-4a6c-82a8-0303a51e1b26.mp3Download
Listen to it on Apple Podcasts.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Want to hear another podcast with an innovative artist? — Listen to my conversation with Soman Chainani, author of The School for Good and Evil series, in which we discuss publishing stories, personal discipline, and remaining true to an artistic vision when money’s on the table. (Stream below or right-click here to download):
Soman Chainani — The School for Good and Evilhttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/97f49b4c-91a4-44e6-a4e4-67e6745e5486.mp3Download
This podcast is brought to you by WordPress, my go-to platform for 24/7-supported, zero downtime blogging, writing online, creating websites — everything! I love it to bits, and the lead developer, Matt Mullenweg, has appeared on this podcast many times.
Whether for personal use or business, you’re in good company with WordPress, which is used by The New Yorker, Jay Z, Beyoncé, FiveThirtyEight, TechCrunch, TED, CNN, and Time, just to name a few. A source at Google told me that WordPress offers “the best out-of-the-box SEO imaginable,” which is probably why it runs nearly 30% of the Internet. Go to WordPress.com/Tim to get 15% off your website today!
This podcast is also brought to you by Four Sigmatic. While I often praise this company’s lion’s mane mushroom coffee for a minimal caffeine wakeup call that lasts, I asked the founders if they could help me—someone who’s struggled with insomnia for decades—sleep. Their answer: Reishi Mushroom Elixir. They made a special batch for me and my listeners that comes without sweetener; you can try it at bedtime with a little honey or nut milk, or you can just add hot water to your single-serving packet and embrace its bitterness like I do.
Try it right now by going to foursigmatic.com/ferriss and using the code Ferriss to get 20 percent off this rare, limited run of Reishi Mushroom Elixir. If you are in the experimental mindset, I do not think you’ll be disappointed.
QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Connect with Brandon Stanton:
Humans of New York | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton
Humans of New York: Stories by Brandon Stanton
Little Humans by Brandon Stanton
Humans of New York: The Series
The Magna Carta
Georgia State University Perimeter College
Michael Pollan — Exploring The New Science of Psychedelics, The Tim Ferriss Show
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
Poor Richard’s Almanac by Benjamin Franklin
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr., Edited by Clayborne Carson
The Years of Lyndon Johnson Set by Robert A. Caro
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson
An Autobiography by Theodore Roosevelt by Theodore Roosevelt
Hitler: A Biography by Ian Kershaw
Stalin: New Biography of a Dictator by Oleg V. Khlevniuk
Liar’s Poker by Michael Lewis
Understanding 6 Point Perspective by Dick Termes, Termesphere Online Gallery
Rule of Thirds by Darren Rowse, Digital Photography Studio
Introduction to White Balance by Darren Rowse, Digital Photography Studio
The Green Lady, Humans of New York
The Green Lady of Brooklyn by Corey Kilgannon, The New York Times
Macmillan Publishers
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
SHOW NOTES
A notable time in Brandon’s youth when he got in trouble. [07:54]
What led to Brandon’s exit from college and the journey toward what would become Humans of New York? [09:25]
Where did Brandon’s preoccupation with purpose originate? [12:25]
What was it like growing up in Marietta, Georgia? [14:49]
Why Brandon majored in history. [17:00]
What catalyzed Brandon’s committment to reading 100 pages per day? [18:17]
Why Brandon considers biographies “the best form of history.” [21:54]
What biographies might Brandon recommend? [23:04]
What the study of history’s most persuasive villains really teaches us. [25:50]
How betting on Obama got Brandon into bond trading in Chicago as his first real job. [28:27]
A history major’s philosophical take on the stock market — what Brandon learned as a trader and why he stopped after two years. [32:20]
How having an obsessive streak can be an asset in some fields and a liability in others. [39:06]
In spite of the fear leading up to it, Brandon found the loss of his trading job curiously liberating. [44:30]
The real genesis of Humans of New York. [46:30]
How did Brandon cover his expenses in the time between losing his trading job and Humans of New York becoming profitable? [48:31]
Why did Brandon make New York his base of operations? [51:30]
When Brandon was a newcomer to photography, what did he do to improve his craft? To him, what makes a good photograph? [56:06]
How has Humans of New York changed over time to become what it is today? [1:01:30]
Who is The Green Lady, and how did Brandon’s encounter with her become a turning point for Humans of New York? [1:03:37]
Brandon isn’t used to being the subject. [1:08:50]
How does Brandon approach and open conversation with potential subjects, and how has the process changed over the past eight years? [1:09:54]
How did Brandon handle early days when rejection came in waves and self-confidence was low? [1:13:14]
Humans of New York often proves therapeutic to the people on both sides of the lens. [1:18:50]
Introductory questions as a springboard into real conversation, and how Brandon becomes 100 percent present in the presence of someone he’s just met. [1:25:09]
One recent example of how a conversation got from that springboard to a place of depth. [1:29:05]
How often do subjects ask that their stories not be made public? What’s the disclosure process? [1:33:16]
Generating compensation to afford more than peanut butter and jelly sandwiches without losing integrity. [1:36:25]
Was it easy for Brandon to find a publisher for his first book? [1:40:36]
Reasons publishers gave for passing on Brandon’s first book. [1:43:08]
The paradox of being derivative. [1:43:51]
What’s next for Brandon? [1:46:17]
My book recommendation for Brandon before he starts his next adventure. [1:50:30]
Final thoughts. [1:51:53]
PEOPLE MENTIONED
Joe Gebbia
Ben Franklin
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Lyndon B. Johnson
Robert Caro
Walter Isaacson
Theodore Roosevelt
Adolf Hitler
Joseph Stalin
Barack Obama
Hillary Clinton
Studs Turkel
Elizabeth Sweetheart (The Green Lady)
Neal Stephenson
Brandon Stanton – The Story of Humans of New York and 25M+ Fans
[image error]
“Doing anything less than something amazing is squandering this whole reason that you’re here.” – Brandon Stanton
Brandon Stanton (@humansofny) is the photographer behind Humans of New York. He attended the University of Georgia and worked as a bond trader in Chicago before moving to New York to pursue photography. Followed by over 25 million people on social media, Humans of New York features daily glimpses into the lives of strangers on the streets of New York City. It has been turned into two #1 New York Times bestselling books: Humans of New York and Humans of New York: Stories. In recent years, Brandon has expanded the blog to include stories from over thirty different countries, and was invited in 2015 to interview Barack Obama in the oval office. In 2017, Humans of New York was turned into a television series that is now available on Facebook Watch.
Enjoy!
[image error]
[image error]
Brandon Stanton - The Story of Humans of New York and 25M+ Fans
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/3fd5315a-966f-4a6c-82a8-0303a51e1b26.mp3Download
Listen to it on Apple Podcasts.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Want to hear another podcast with an innovative artist? — Listen to my conversation with Soman Chainani, author of The School for Good and Evil series, in which we discuss publishing stories, personal discipline, and remaining true to an artistic vision when money’s on the table. (Stream below or right-click here to download):
Soman Chainani — The School for Good and Evilhttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/97f49b4c-91a4-44e6-a4e4-67e6745e5486.mp3Download
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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Connect with Brandon Stanton:
Humans of New York | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton
Humans of New York: Stories by Brandon Stanton
Little Humans by Brandon Stanton
Humans of New York: The Series
The Magna Carta
Georgia State University Perimeter College
Michael Pollan — Exploring The New Science of Psychedelics, The Tim Ferriss Show
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
Poor Richard’s Almanac by Benjamin Franklin
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr., Edited by Clayborne Carson
The Years of Lyndon Johnson Set by Robert A. Caro
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson
An Autobiography by Theodore Roosevelt by Theodore Roosevelt
Hitler: A Biography by Ian Kershaw
Stalin: New Biography of a Dictator by Oleg V. Khlevniuk
Liar’s Poker by Michael Lewis
Understanding 6 Point Perspective by Dick Termes, Termesphere Online Gallery
Rule of Thirds by Darren Rowse, Digital Photography Studio
Introduction to White Balance by Darren Rowse, Digital Photography Studio
The Green Lady, Humans of New York
The Green Lady of Brooklyn by Corey Kilgannon, The New York Times
Macmillan Publishers
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
SHOW NOTES
A notable time in Brandon’s youth when he got in trouble. [07:54]
What led to Brandon’s exit from college and the journey toward what would become Humans of New York? [09:25]
Where did Brandon’s preoccupation with purpose originate? [12:25]
What was it like growing up in Marietta, Georgia? [14:49]
Why Brandon majored in history. [17:00]
What catalyzed Brandon’s committment to reading 100 pages per day? [18:17]
Why Brandon considers biographies “the best form of history.” [21:54]
What biographies might Brandon recommend? [23:04]
What the study of history’s most persuasive villains really teaches us. [25:50]
How betting on Obama got Brandon into bond trading in Chicago as his first real job. [28:27]
A history major’s philosophical take on the stock market — what Brandon learned as a trader and why he stopped after two years. [32:20]
How having an obsessive streak can be an asset in some fields and a liability in others. [39:06]
In spite of the fear leading up to it, Brandon found the loss of his trading job curiously liberating. [44:30]
The real genesis of Humans of New York. [46:30]
How did Brandon cover his expenses in the time between losing his trading job and Humans of New York becoming profitable? [48:31]
Why did Brandon make New York his base of operations? [51:30]
When Brandon was a newcomer to photography, what did he do to improve his craft? To him, what makes a good photograph? [56:06]
How has Humans of New York changed over time to become what it is today? [1:01:30]
Who is The Green Lady, and how did Brandon’s encounter with her become a turning point for Humans of New York? [1:03:37]
Brandon isn’t used to being the subject. [1:08:50]
How does Brandon approach and open conversation with potential subjects, and how has the process changed over the past eight years? [1:09:54]
How did Brandon handle early days when rejection came in waves and self-confidence was low? [1:13:14]
Humans of New York often proves therapeutic to the people on both sides of the lens. [1:18:50]
Introductory questions as a springboard into real conversation, and how Brandon becomes 100 percent present in the presence of someone he’s just met. [1:25:09]
One recent example of how a conversation got from that springboard to a place of depth. [1:29:05]
How often do subjects ask that their stories not be made public? What’s the disclosure process? [1:33:16]
Generating compensation to afford more than peanut butter and jelly sandwiches without losing integrity. [1:36:25]
Was it easy for Brandon to find a publisher for his first book? [1:40:36]
Reasons publishers gave for passing on Brandon’s first book. [1:43:08]
The paradox of being derivative. [1:43:51]
What’s next for Brandon? [1:46:17]
My book recommendation for Brandon before he starts his next adventure. [1:50:30]
Final thoughts. [1:51:53]
PEOPLE MENTIONED
Joe Gebbia
Ben Franklin
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Lyndon B. Johnson
Robert Caro
Walter Isaacson
Theodore Roosevelt
Adolf Hitler
Joseph Stalin
Barack Obama
Hillary Clinton
Studs Turkel
Elizabeth Sweetheart (The Green Lady)
Neal Stephenson
