“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” — Marcus Aurelius
This post includes:
– Sponsor intro (please visit them)
– Episode description
– Quick favor
– Show notes and tons of useful links, including mentioned books and documentaries
This episode of The Tim Ferriss Show is sponsored by HipDial, which I’ve been a fan of for ages.
I use HipDial for conference calls: no stupid PIN numbers, no hitting #, and you get a text when people join, so you don’t have to wait. It’s rocks–try it for a free month, and you’ll never go back.
Now, on to the main event…
My guest is Ryan Holiday, who became Director of Marketing at American Apparel at age 21 (!). He’s a beast.
Since dropping out of college at 19 to apprentice under strategist Robert Greene (author of The 48 Laws of Power), Ryan has advised many New York Times bestselling authors and mega-multi-platinum musicians. He is a master of the media, and he knows how to build massive buzz while responding to unexpected crises. He can compete or counterpunch with the best.
I hired Ryan to help with the launches of The 4-Hour Body and The 4-Hour Chef. His unorthodox approaches always impress me.
I loved his new book (The Obstacle Is The Way) so much that I bought the audiobook format and produced it with him. It is the newest addition to The Tim Ferriss Book Club.
In this episode, we discuss dozens of topics, including the real-world strategies he uses to thrive (not just survive) when the world is exploding around him.
You can find the transcript of this episode here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.
And…want to win some cool stuff today? Tweet out your favorite quote or line from this episode, using the following format, and I’ll pick a few of my favorites for prizes:
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Show Notes for Episodes 4 (Thanks, Ian!)
- The surprising story of how Ryan was introduced to stoicism by Dr. Drew
- What makes a “quake book”?
- How Marcus Aurelius helped Ryan survive a tough breakup
- About esoteric philosophical ideas that are excellent tools in the modern world
- Deconstructing the “Big 3” stoics – Seneca | Epictetus | Aurelius
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- Is stoicism compatible with material or financial success, or are they completely at odds with one another?
- Tim’s strategy for developing connections in Silicon Valley
- Cultivating advantageous mentorships with peak performers
- The story of Benjamin Franklin’s lending library…
- What Ryan credits for his ability to “get shit done.”
- What a day in the life of Ryan Holiday looks like (deflecting meeting requests, etc.)
- Why e-mail can save time compared to a phone call
- The most common mistake that new writers make
- Delving into the writing process
- How Ryan approaches goal setting and financial security
- Friend curation, and the factors that guide Ryan’s decision making
- Rapid-fire questions:
- Ryan’s fight entrance song?
- One thing he would change about himself?
- When he thinks of the word “successful,” who comes to mind, and why?
- If he could study any expert in the world, who would it be and why?
- Advice to his younger self?
- What Ryan orders at the bar?
- Who should drop out of college versus who should stay in college
- And much, much more…
SOME LINKS FROM EPISODE 4
- Maker vs. Manager by Paul Graham
- Who Ryan Follows on Twitter:
- Fake Jeff Jarvis
- FelixSolomon
- Media Redefined by Jason Hirschhorn
- MariaPapova of BrainPickings
- Ryan’s favorite blogs:
- Ryan’s Favorite Reddits:
Stoicism | Philosophy | History Porn | Ask Historians
Today I Learned | First World Problems | Reddit Books
BOOKS MENTIONED IN EPISODE 4
- Marcus Aurelius – Meditations: A Translation
- Epictitus – The Art of Living
- Nicholas Nassim-Taleb – Scholar, Statistician
- Benjamin Franklin by Ron Chernow
- Titan: The Life of John D Rockefeller by Ron Cherow
- How to Live by Sarah Bakewell
- The Fish that Ate the Whale: The Life and Time of the Banana King by Rich Cohen
- Tough Jews by Rich Cohen
- Edison: A Biography by Matthew Josephson
- Ulysses S. Grant: Triumph over Adversity by Brooks D. Simpson
- John McPhee – Non-Fiction Writer (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
- Oranges
- Levels of the Game
- The Survival of the Bark Canoe
- Plymouth Rock (Free Online)
- The Control of Nature
- Giving Good Weight
- The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
DOCUMENTARIES MENTIONED FROM EPISODE 4
- Fog of War: Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara
- An Unauthorized Guide to The Known Unknown about Donald Rumsfeld
- The Wall of Sound about Phil Spector
- Every Ken Burns Documentary (10 hrs. on Civil War & 10 hrs. on National Park System)
Connect with Ryan Holiday: Twitter | Website | Thought Catalogue | Observer
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