“Desire is a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want.”
— Naval Ravikant
Naval Ravikant (@naval) is the CEO and a co-founder of AngelList. He previously co-founded Epinions, which went public as part of Shopping.com, and Vast.com. He is an active angel investor and has invested in more than 100 companies, including more than a few “unicorn” mega-successes.
His deals include Twitter, Uber, Yammer, Postmates, Wish, Thumbtack, and OpenDNS, which Cisco just bought for $635 million in cash.
BUT, even if you have zero interest in startups or investing, this episode is well worth your time. This is really about the habits and beliefs of a highly successful (and happy) person.
Naval has refined his way of living in very unique ways, and you can borrow what he’s learned, read the books that have changed him, and experiment with the habits he has developed through trial and error.
Enjoy this conversation with a curious character!
UPDATE: This episode was extremely popular (and nominated for “Podcast of the Year”), so we did a round two with Naval. Here it is!
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can find the transcript of this episode here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.
Want to hear another podcast on meditation and “spirituality”? Listen to my conversation with Sam Harris, PhD. In the below episode, we discuss “spirituality,” neuroscience, his meditation practice, and more.
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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What do you still want to know about investing, whether in startups or elsewhere? Or: What was your favorite takeaway from Naval? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
Enjoy!
Selected Links from the Episode
- The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti by Jiddu Krishnamurti
- Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It by Kamal Ravikant
- Lying by Sam Harris
- Surely You Must Be Joking Mr. Feynman by Richard Feynman
- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
- Striking Thoughts by Bruce Lee
- The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
- Read the Melting Asphalt blog
- Read the Dilbert blog, specifically, The Day You Became a Better Writer
- Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
- Go on a meditation retreat with noetic.org
- Don’t Shoot the Dog! by Karen Pryor
- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
- The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley
- Poor Charlie’s Almanac by Charlie Munger
- Illusions by Richard Bach
- The Origins of Virtue by Matt Ridley
- Influence by Robert Cialdini
- Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
- The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
- The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
- Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis
- The Secret Life of Salvadore Dali by Salvadore Dali
- “What Do You Care What Other People Think?” by Richard Feynman
- Connect with Naval Ravikant:
AngelList | Startup Boy Blog | Twitter
- Learn more about Tim on AngelList
Show Notes
- On the intensity of Naval Ravikant [6:55]
- On uncompromising honesty [16:54]
- How AngelList and Venture Hacks came to be [20:09]
- What Naval looks for when deciding to invest in a founder [25:24]
- Common “wives tales” in venture capital [32:39]
- What books, outside the startup world, have most improved Naval’s ability to invest? [36:54]
- Greatest investing hits and misses [51:49]
- When you think of the successful people, who is the first that comes to mind? [58:19]
- Meditative practices [1:00:58]
- How to replace bad habits with good habits [1:07:06]
- On setting stakes and awards [1:24:49]
- How to treat your life like a movie [1:34:44]
- Overused words and phrases [1:39:39]
- Early life education and the importance of “loving to read” [1:43:19]
- Advice for his younger self [1:51:09]
- Describing the first 60 minutes of each day [1:52:40]
- If you could have one billboard anywhere, where would it be and what would it say? [2:04:19]
People Mentioned
- Marcus Aurelius
- Sam Harris
- Bruce Lee
- Jiddu Krishnamurti
- Scott Adams
- Steve Jobs
- Marc Andreessen
- Satoshi Nakamoto
- Elon Musk
- Charlie Munger
The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than one billion downloads. It has been selected for "Best of Apple Podcasts" three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it's been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.
Comment Rules: Remember what Fonzie was like? Cool. That’s how we’re gonna be — cool. Critical is fine, but if you’re rude, we’ll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation! (Thanks to Brian Oberkirch for the inspiration.)
Hey Tim & Naval,
Thanks for an excellent podcast!
The book that had the most effect on me was the Harry Potter series, yes seriously! It was a book that captured my imagination and interest more than any other non-fiction story and the immersion I felt whilst reading has never been matched.
Thanks for such a thought provoking question!
I would be great to see the morning routine that was referred to in the podcast. Thank you
I really enjoyed this episode! Just preparing for a pitch so I thought that this episode would give some pointers – it did but in a different level. Thank you! I will listen to it again and take notes!
A book that I would like to mention is a very recent purchase and is actually a cook book. I have read it and used it most of any cook books ever and I think you would find it interesting. It is ‘A Modern Way to Cook’ by Anna Jones. She is a genius.
Loved the podcast – it was a fascinating conversation. A book that has had a profound impact upon my thinking is Orthodoxy by GK Chesterton. Probably not the genre you were expecting but it is a persuasive book (at least to me) written by a brilliant mind. Keep up the great work – and thank you!
Wonderful podcast, one of my favorite! The depth and insight of the conversation really left me with so many questions for myself.
As for the book that has had probably the biggest impact on my life I would have to go with, “Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the 10th Dimension”. It’s written by Michio Kaku and is an overview of how we, as humans, have shaped and changed our understanding of the universe. It makes you feel small and unimportant while unveiling how much humanity has discovered about our universe, in such a short period of time.
Feel the Fear . . . and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers
My book is:
Guns, Germs, and Steel
Book by Jared Diamond
Check out “The Celestine Prophesy” for a book to change your life. The sequels are fairly useless. It has changed the way I look at interpersonal relationships for the rest of my life.
Hi Tim,
Excellent podcast. I am listening to it for the 4th time now. I noticed that Jiddu Krishnamurti was not referenced in the selected links. Not sure if that was intentional or not. Just letting you know.
I love everything you do.
Thank you.
Aldo Leopold – A Sand County Almanac (A somewhat more modern Thoreau)
Richard Wrangham – Catching Fire, How Cooking Made us Human (If you like evolutionary explanations, and are interested in eating, you’ll like this)
‘The War of Art’ by Steven Pressfield
This book was life-changing for me and a truly inspiring read for anyone who is on the cusp of taking a leap into their authenticity!
Thanks Tim and Naval. This was a fantastic episode.
This podcast, brought me to tears of joy because so much of it reaffirms the direction I’ve been trying to take in my life. The book thatshaped my life the most is The Reluctant Messiah also by Richard Bach (Illusions is a favorite of mine)
Definitely one of the best guests so far in my opinion, and I’ve listened to every episode. Great stuff guys. I really appreciate the time you put into doing these, and the time of the guests being interviewed. They are very insightful and bring a lot of positive thoughts into my mind.
One book to recommend, not old at all, very new: “Chasing the Scream” about the war on drugs.
The best episode yet!
Your podcast was recommended by a family friend to help make my hour long commute more productive. Over the last two months, I’ve gained a great deal of insight from individuals from a variety of fields as well as Tim. As a follow-up to Naval’s podcast, a book that influenced me, I re-read, and I often gift is The Day The World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander Newfoundland by Jim DeFede. As a result of the attacks and the airports being shut down, 38 planes were forced to land at an old airfare base. The book shares the uplighting stories of the crew, the passengers, the town, the anxious family members of the crew/passengers as they supported each other other over the course of a few days until they were able to get home. A great reminded of the good in all people.
Hey
Awesome podcast. Can you share the morning workout that was mentioned a couple times in the podcast in more detail?
Thanks
M
Thanks for the great podcast!
I’m cheating by listing more than one book, and there are many others that I would list if I had time, but a couple of the most important were “Be Here Now” by Ram Dass and “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle – both classics that got me to be more focused on the present moment.
Recently, the 4 hour workweek has had a great impact on how I’m changing my thinking and starting to do some of the things I’ve always wanted to do. The intro section where it talks about where you will be if you do take a risk vs. don’t was key for me, and all the tools listed thereafter will be invaluable for me.
Thanks for all you put out into the world!
The most influential book I’ve read is “The Anatomy of Peace” by the Arbinger Institute. Timeless insights.
Great podcast all around. Thank you Tim and Naval. Most influential, life changing book – “I Am That” by Nisargadatta. – Michael
Scratch that last comment. I do see him under people mentioned. Sorry, I wish I could edit my comments so I don’t look like a fool.
Thanks again Tim! Amazing episode, this is about my 6th time listening to it.
You’re not wrong – it was just added. Thanks for pointing it out!
I would add a link to a Phillips Wake-Up Light or similar item even though this wasn’t specifically mentioned. I found this is a great product to help wake up naturally.
Tim & Naval, thank you for this great episode! And what a great idea to ask for book recommendations in the comments, I have add many to my ‘to read’-list.
The book that has most impacted my life: ‘The 7 habits of highly effective people’ by Stephen R. Covey.
An other great read is ‘Titan: the life of John D. Rockefeller Sr’ by Ron Chernow.
And Naval, on the topic of evolution i found ‘The selfish gene’ by Richard Dawkins very interesting.
Tim, in Dutch we actually have a word for ‘concretize’ so i get what you mean…
Keep up the good work!
Posted this against the wrong goddamn podcast. It’ll make NO sense in the context of the Rodriguez episode. Anyway:
> Great podcast. My book recommendation:
> I Heard the Owl Call My Name, by Margaret Craven.
>
> It’s a super simple story, lyrical and carves the most
> important things in life back to their bare bones.
Law of Success- Napoleon Hill
This is a great one guys. Thank you so much. Most influential book for me is “The Power of Now” Eckhart Tolle – short, clear and deep. Reread and relistened 20+ times.
Zen in the Art of Motorcycle Maintence. Describes how an instinct for Quality can actually steer where your attention is applied. This Quality instinct is something preintellectual and will synapse before any deliberate thought is even possible.
Fantastic Podcast. I listen to them all and have never listened to them more than once but I have already listened to this twice this week and am about to listen to it again on a long drive today. Great great podcast, so many gems hidden inside this one. Thanks Tim and thanks Naval.
Banging insights and information as always.
Book: When the Lion Feeds- Wilbur Smith. The main character in the book Sean has been a role model for my mates and I. I think this book is bought at least 5+ times a year for friends. Easy read, powerful life lessons.
Is there any link to the ~30min “mobility workout” that Naval referenced for building/reinforcing habits for physical exercise?
One of your best podcasts ever!
Naval would be a great person to have a convo with.
When are you going to interview Nassim Taleb?
Props to you guys. Of all the TF podcasts I’ve listened to this one is tied w/ the Kevin Kelly as my favorite. fan-effing-tastic episode.
@Naval- my most influential dog-eared book = Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I read it yearly around Christmas time.
Blown away. Thank you thank you. I am in need of some new ways for sure. Who were the comics mentioned in the podcast?
Thank you.
Book that changed my life: Naked Ape by Desmond Morris
According to Naval he selects people to work with him with two characteristics:
* intelligence
* energy
(also integrity)
What can be done/use to increase energy? Is quitting caffeine convenient as he did? Eating food the way he does (not overcooking) ?
I would like to know more.
In order of importance:
• Stop eating sugar (that includes simple carbs)
• Don’t wake up to alarm clocks, get enough sleep
• Work out every day. It doesn’t matter what you do, just do something active that is sustainable for you. Every day. No exceptions.
• Intermittent fasting – notice how much more energy you have once you get used to skipping breakfast
• Drop caffeine
Quitting caffeine is actually the easiest of the above set, but the least impactful.
Wow naval, I did not expect a reply from you… and so fast! Thanks a lot. I was listening to the podcast for second time and I will rpeat I think.
* Sugar: I already avoid it. Simple carbs not so much. I should avoid them completely they cause GI problems and sleepiness if taken as breakfast or any time.
What about rice?
* No alarms: I tend to oversleep if I do not use an alarm clock, maybe because I fall asleep late, very late. Anxiety must be an underlying problem.
What I find helpful and wanted to share here is that there are apps that will start an even imperceptible alarm and so they wake you up if you are already not in a deep sleep phase. I use Android so Gentle Alarm is one but there are others . You set the main alarm and 30 min before it starts the very low sound alarm.
* work out, yes, I agree, exercise is necessary. I lost the habit of running and now I do not feel the energy, but started to walk. This is related to your comment on habits in the podcast. Maybe it is better to exercise every day and not set a schedule like 2 o 3 times/week to create the habit.
• Intermittent fasting: I have a friend who only takes a small coffee with a bit of milk as breakfast, no food until night after exercise. We eat late here in Argentina, around 21 hs. It seems to work for him despite all people say it is not healthy. I don’t think I could do it.
We do not take heavy breakfasts here (mostly coffee or mate with carbs) but I will try to do it.
Isn’t the energy from skipping breakfast due to cortisol, the stress hormone? Not good in that case.
When is your first mild of the day? Lunch or dinner?
• Drop caffeine: contrary to what you say and not being a heavy coffee drinker I find it difficult to quit caffeine (especially mate). I did it for a lab test and it was hard.
Thanks again for your dedication!
Do you mean refined sugar or sugar altogether like fructose from fruit?
I do eat white rice but as a side, not as the bulk.
Sugar is the most insidious – learn to recognise it in every form. Even the natural forms like fruit can be easily overdone.
Re: intermittent fasting, give it an honest try and see for yourself what it does. At the end of the day, nutrition and diet are highly personal skills that take years to develop. Read everything written by older fit people. The PaleoNu blog is great, as is Art DeVany. Learn and add one good habit to your repertoire every six months. There are no shortcuts. Become a little healthier every month.
Thanks!
PaleoNu is defunct. The last copy in Archive is at http://web.archive.org/web/20110319212303/http://www.paleonu.com/
Tim and Naval, thank you for this great podcast. This will be the one that I go back to many many times again. My next read will be Meditations. Thanks again.
It would be great if you post a list of the mentioned books by the speakers of the podcast
Thanks
Hahaha…a gay banker…priceless.
One book with a high impact on me is “The Mosquito Coast” by Paul Theroux. It is an incredible story where you can discover yourself. The personalities attributes, world views and relationships of the characters…
I am a dreamer…and for years I lived in a remote and rural place, following my dream…building a family at the same time….Allie Fox, was my “control variable”…during that time…Great Reading…
Great PodCast…all the best for everyone!!!
I loved the movie with Harrison Ford…
Reading the posts…you discover the power of words to define your thoughts…I always defined myself as an “INVESTOR”…but actually I realized I was an “OPERATOR”…under the definition you provide Naval….cool!
super cool
“The Art of Travel”, by Alain de Botton, has changed the way to travel. I give it to everyone. Each chapter looks at travel through the eyes of a different artist or philosopher and draws on their work to explore how and why we travel. Thanks to this book I now sketch when I travel. I also found a new love for exploring San Francisco.
Naval,
You mentioned there were about 10-15 subjects you wished we’re taught in our schools, and mentioned 5 or so. Could you briefly mention the full list you had in mind? Many thanks!
Jason
“Conversations with God” by Neale Donald Walsch. Totally lifechanging for an agnostic like me. Scary title but absolutetly not a religious book.
Book:
I Dare You by William H. Danforth
Founder of Ralston Purina (Now the dog food brand)
Thank you for this podcast, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s inspiring to hear someone of Naval’s stature so focused on the master game. I don’t know if it’s too late but I have two questions for Neval, as I have also read much on both buddhist and stoic wisdom and try to reconcile the traits required for business with those of a more meaningful life :
You mentioned that you were highly competitive, and this undoubtedly aided in driving your success. But aren’t competitiveness and enlightenment on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of taming the ego and living in the present? Another way of asking this is, would you have succeeded as much as you have materially if you had become more enlightened earlier?
My other question is, how much of a role do you assign to luck (or chance) in helping you succeed? I hear so many men of substantial success pay some lip service to this, but am ultimately never convinced that they can fully acknowledge to themselves (and by extension the rest of us) that chance played a significant role in their success. Can you speak to this?
Many thanks again for the podcast and thanks in advance for any response!
Best ,
Alex
Enlightenment and ambition are diametrically opposed. I am nowhere near real contentment and self awareness. If I was, I wouldn’t be here 🙂 But at least be aware of the desires you pick. I try and not have more than one major desire at a time, and I know that that will be the axis of my suffering.
Luck dominates. I’m lucky to not have been born into war or famine. I’m lucky my parents moved to the US. I’m lucky that I had unconditional love as a child. I’m lucky that I learned the value of suffering. I’m lucky that I met my wife when I did. The list goes on and on. The hard part is to remember it, at all times. Memento Mori.
Favourite Book : “The Obstacle is the Way” – Ryan Holiday. This book changed my approach to life. It got me thinking about my mindset and I use it’s ‘teachings’ every single day. As Tara Brach suggests, power lies in the space between an impulse and your response and the stoic ideals discussed in this book embrace this ethos. The Ryan Holiday episode is still one of my favourites. Thanks for introducing me to all these people Tim. http://fourhourworkweek.com/2014/05/06/the-tim-ferriss-podcast-episode-4-ryan-holiday/
I’ve met Ryan but haven’t read his book. I’ll fix that now. Thanks!
This is one of my favorite podcasts tho date that you have done. I skipped over it initially as I thought it may delve too far into VC geekdom. Instead, I was treated to surprisingly insightful answers from Naval and a noticeable new level of comfort from you as an interviewer. It is obvious listening to the show that you two are good friends on the same wavelength.
Wow. I’ve listened to every single episode, and this is my favorite one yet. Very enjoyable and useful. Naval has an amazing ability to simplify complex topics. Thank you!
Favorite Books: Outliers, Devil in the White City, I hope they serve Beer in Hell, The Big Short.
My changing brain setup book was, Rich dad poor dad by Robert Kiyosaki.
Regards
Ernesto
Very entertaining & thought provoking podcast! There were many great gold nuggets in this discussion!
As has been mentioned several times , great philosophical & life concepts get changed slightly and repeated over time in many books in different forms. My go to book that I read often, give away frequently, and that is an easy read is “The Slight Edge, Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success” by Jeff Olson. Concepts are simple but not easy! Provides a great recipe for a balanced life!
Autobiography of Ben Franklin
It took me 2 commuting days to listen to the entire podcast: what an insightful podcast. Naval, thank you for sharing your experience; most of what you said resonated and untangled my current mental state.
Tim, thank you for your dedication and love of your work.
As for a book I enjoy going back to: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Tim, may I suggest him as an invitee to your podcast? He is one of those successful person “behind the scene” as Naval so well explained.
Blessings to both of you!
MK
This was the best podcast I have ever listened to. BIG “UPS!!!” to you Mr Ferris! Naval’s clarity of thought and frank honesty in observation may truly be life changing for me. Thank you both for a refreshing discussion! VERY AWESOME!!!!! 😉
Excellent podcast! The book I recommend is “In Over Our Heads: The Mental Demands of Modern Life” by Robert Keegan. It has made an tremendous impact in my life.
For those of you who enjoyed this podcast (I know I sure did – I will definitely be coming back to this time and time again), I would highly recommend reading a handful of essays/speeches by the great Sir William Osler. He was one of the greatest physicians in recent time and to this day, is very highly regarded in the medical field. His writings emphasize the advice of living in the moment as well as encouraging the practice of imberturbability and equanimity taught by the Stoics of ancient time.
The two essays that immediately come to mind are: “A Way of Life” (an address to the 1913 graduating class of Yale Medical School) and “Aequanimitas” (an address given to University of Pennsylvania Medical School upon his departure to start the prestigious Johns Hopkins Medical School).
I hope some of you find these to be as great reading as I did!
“A Way of Life” – wow, that’s fantastic. Amazing not only how old the advice is, but how consistent it is with the advice from other paths (e.g. eastern). Find it at http://www.silkworth.net/pdf/a_way_of_life.pdf
Humorous pencil scribble by the printed copy’s owner to be found at the end of the scanned pdf.
What a great podcast! I’m very curious of what Navals morning workout entails.
Best interview thus far Tim.
The Brothers Karamazov of Dostoevsky. Through engaging and quite scandalous plot, this masterpeice teaches empathy, patience, self-regulation, unconditional love, forgiveness and more.
Tim & Naval…this has been one of the most outstanding podcast I have ever heard! truly amazing..informative…actionable…educational..thoughtful…there is not enough words (perhaps Naval has a few!) to express what this podcast has provided me and my fellow podcast listeners…truly amazing! Well done. Wow
What do you think about start up companies in network marketing? Especially Kyani? I am thinking of investing in it because it is so new and it seems as if a lot of people are jumping on board with it.
Presence of the Past by Rupert Sheldrake
Great insights!
Most influential book: The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin. This relates to the ‘learning as a trump card skill’ concept
By the way, Tim…do you still train Brazilian Jiu-Jisu?
Pablo
Great podcast – my first w/ Tim.
The book that changed my life was The Highest Goal by Michael Ray [Moderator: link removed]. I discovered the book during an intense phase when I asked myself who I really was, shorn off the trappings of identity. Haven’t been the same since. A different journey for each of us, with much to learn from one another. Thank you for sharing your path, Naval. It was interesting to see the overlap between Jiddu Krishnamurthi’s teachings and the teachings and practice of Vipassana.
Thanks Tim and Naval for sharing great wisdom. The book that has influenced me the most “The Story of My Experiments With Truth” By Gandhi.
The most life changing book for me is “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. One excerpt draw my attention: “The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon” meaning “Can we appreciate the beauty that surrounds us while staying focused on what is most important.” Siddhartha is also a great book! Does any one read The Autobiography of a Yogi (S.Jobs’ favorite book) ?
Thank you Tim for being so curious and Thank you Naval for sharing your life experience, advices and wisdom.
My dad had Autobiography of a Yogi…time to read it 🙂
Great interview. My new favorite. Packed with wisdom and inspiration. My most important book and kinda fits the context here: Eckardt Tolle’s, A New Earth.
Thanks Tim and Naval for sharing this great wisdom. The book that influenced me the most “Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth” by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
The autobiography of a yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda is hard to source on paperback as it’s pretty old but available on Kindle.
life changing book for intuitive minds but would appear illogical for purely rational mind.
Tim, great episode as usual! I have two books which I regularly read for enjoyment and upon reflection have had a large influence on my worldview. Roger Zelazny’s “Lord of Light” and Tom Robbin’s “Skinny Legs and All”.
Lord of Light is one of my all time faves as well.
This has been among the best podcasts i have heard. I am listening it third time and it’s very inspirational. The book that has changed my life is “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill
The book that changed my life the most is Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. When I was a young boy I had the opportunity to spend time with older members of society. It started with a neighbor couple. I was latchkey kid and essentially I had nothing better to do than hang out with them after school and they loved having me. Because of this I accidentally got in the habit of learning a lot of wisdom from people that had a lot of time and experience. Listening to this audio book reminds me back to listening to these older people tell stories and impart wisdom that was well over my head. The wisdom sinks in and you find yourself having new ways to think that you didn’t have before.
The book that changed my life and set me on this path that has been far removed from anything I thought possible is
Jupiters Travels by Ted Simon.
I have read vagabonding by Rolf Potts but the book by Ted Simon first opened my eyes to the endless possibilities travel has to offer.
Tim, thanks for the podcast, you make a difference. 🙂
Great podcast, Happiness and personal development is a Choice. Angellist is also a great resource for Startups and Investors
Tim, never written a comment, ever, anywhere! But this was the best podcast you’ve made. Listened to it twice!! Naval is inspiring!
I was about to go for the offer from Athletic Greens – however it seems they only ship to USA and Canada, and not Denmark where I come from. Is there a special link for there UK website? Or is the offer only valid in USA and Canada?
Tim, this is one of the most insightful podcasts you’ve done.
Naval, the book that has influenced me the most is “As a Man Thinketh” by James Allen. It’s one of those books whose meaning changes each time it’s read.
Thank you both! Any plans for another one?
Myths To Live By, Masks of God and such by Joseph Campbell.
Great podcast once again .A fantastic book that has inspired me is by W. Somerset Maugham published in 1944 , called the “The Razor’s Edge” . A friend of mine gifted it to me before I gave up my job and went sailing across the Indian Ocean in 1995 .
The book that changed my perspective on life hands down is Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue by Neale Diamond Walsh. This is not a religious book but a spiritual book on becoming the highest version of yourself. Regardless of whether you believe the dialogue took place or not, and whether you believe in God or not, the book is overflowing with paradigm shifting truths.
So much great stuff in this interview! Tim, a transcript of this & all the podcasts would be amazing!
I’m guessing Tim prob. won’t see this anytime soon so if there is anyone here in this community that would recommend a online service that would do this I would pay to have it done.
cheers
What a great interview, my ATF. I now have to listen to your podcasts twice, once at the gym and a 2nd time to write my cliff notes.
The book that changed my life was Management of Organizational Behavior, by Paul Hersey and others, which I read when I was 13 and fascinated by the art of leadership. This book put me on a life long journey of studying great leaders ever since.
Your podcast reminded me I need to read more, thanks for the permission to not feel obligated to finish it. Good advice for a finisher.
…Jim
Life-changing books, newest to oldest:
* Life’s Operating Manual: With Fear & Truth Dialogues, by Tom Shadyac
* Constructive Living by David Reynolds (1984) — before Stoicism was hip.
* A Soul’s Journey (1953) — very engaging and popular story into the astral worlds, by an author with an unknown background.
* Nosso Lar (1943) spiritual book by medium Chico Xavier — famous in Brazil. He wrote 450 books, from novels to scientific treatises to poetry, while fully-employed with the government. The book was made into film in 2010, at that time the most expensive film in Brazil’s history. The book is far better. Here is the most readable English translation, downloaded from a legit site: http://j.mp/1KJj8fL
(versus the one available on Amazon: a flowery translation that is difficult to read)
* The Spirits Book by Allan Kardec (1857) — by a biology teacher who investigated spiritualism. Fascinating treatise about God & spirituality.
[Moderator: Amazon links removed]
Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance (pirsig)
The power of one (courtenay)
Shantaram (Roberts)
Freedom to learn (Carl Rogers)
The gringo trail (Mann)
The teachings of Don Juan (Castaneda)
I would also love more info on the morning workout? Thank you . I enjoyed this podcast immensely
At the 2hr 6min mark Naval talks about 3 options for tackling life – change it, accept it or leave it. Well this leads to me nicely to the book that has most influenced me, that being Eckhart Tolle’s “A New Earth.” In the final chapter of the book Eckhart introduces us to the “The Three Modalities of Awakened Doing,” which are : acceptance, enthusiasm or excitement. Approach all aspects of life in this way or you can expect to bring suffering into your life or that of those around you.
Naval & Tim: “The Deep Hot Biosphere – The Myth Of Fossil Fuels” by Thomas Gold has made a huge impact on me. He puts forth an original, plausible theory of deep earth life that explains oil, diamonds, precious metals, and earthquakes. The ramifications of his theory are absolutely mind-blowing. It’s not light reading but it is consumable and one of the most underrated pieces of work I’ve laid eyes on.
As a newbie to the Ferris podcasts, have only consumed about 30 to date, I’d have to say this is one of my top 3. Peter Thiel and Arnold are my other two fav’s. Look forward to reading Sapiens.
I devoured 117 books in last 16 months and have to say ZERO to ONE and GOOD to GREAT are my two favorites.
Hi Tim, at about 1:20 in this podcast you mention something call breshin amino acid i’m just not sure if its correct can you help me? btw great podcast
Thanh
Wow, I know Tim has a drink or two during some podcasts, but he doesn’t slur! He’s saying “branched-chain” amino acid. 🙂
To be successful in a start-up you have to have high intelligence, high integrity and high energy. Intelligence and energy are easier to measure. Integrity is the most important factor.
That 1 hr 14 to 15 min mark defines what makes Tim a great interviewer. “Do you remember the brand of your grill?” Seemingly trivial question but helps the listener save a ton of time that he would have otherwise spent in research. Excellent work, Tim!
This was one podcast I look in my phone and thought, Nah, I don’t know about listen to this one, for some reason I gave it a second thought and listened it twice and will likely a third.
Great Podcast Tim, You’ve been doing great work.
Classic episode of a true modern day zen master and humble peaceful warrior. The ego has been dissipated and alliance of truth.
Biggest impact in a book is
“Bold” Peter Diamandis
Guinness books series
Mate by Tucker Max
On becoming a real man
Unbelievably inspiring and so congruent with what I’m opening up to. Thank you both!
I know I’m late to the party, but this was such an episode!
This, along with Robert Rodriguez, are my favourites. (Not to say that the others are any less interesting :))
And finally an ask, I can actually respond to 🙂
Non fiction
Do the work – Steven Pressfield
Fiction
Everything by Peter Watts and Dan Simmons
This episode is the best one yet, thank you Tim and Naval!
A few books come to mind right away:
1. The Celestine Prophecy – James Redfield. This book is not only a very fast-paced, intriguing read, but helped me begin practicing open-eye meditation and presence in nature.
2. The Four Agreements – Don Miguel Ruiz. My pain, resentment and fear stem from a perception problem. This book helps me see things, and people, in a different light. We all live in our own little worlds, and what is true for me is not necessarily true for another. “Heaven” is a figment of our imaginations, and I can experience “heaven on earth” by adjusting my perception.
3. Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill. I have the power to consciously control my attitude, mindset, and how I let thinks impact my peace of mind.
4. The Way of the Superior Man – David Deida. Most of my internal discord arises from feeling inauthentic and scraping. Deida inspires me to be true to myself and confident in who I am. I also love the idea of “making love to the world.”
I am extremely interested in the morning strength and stretching routine prescribed by “Victor” that both you and Naval practice. I am wanting to incorporate a morning exercise into my routine and have yet to find one I look forward to.
Keep up the awesome work Tim!
Many thanks,
Daniel
Great podcast, I’ve replayed many times, and sent to family & friends.
TF – you forgot to add Natural born heroes by Christopher Mcdougall to the list (phenomenal book)
Idea – releasing a transcript of each podcast would be AWESOME, trying to take notes while driving will end up killing me!
Hey Naval,
Thank you for the great podcast. I wanted to know on an average how many hours do you spend reading books per day. I am so inspired to read more books after listening to this podcast.
Cheers,
Amit
Mine is the Fountain head by Ayn Rand. Not that I sway that far right, but it formed some of the ideals in design which I used to aspire to, less so now. Now I like it for the reflections on the industrial era, societal history and the unique perception of architecture. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fountainhead
Graphic novels – what were those titles again? I’m excited about instilling the pure enjoyment of reading in my 11 year old nephew.
Mister god this is Anna.. incredible perspective.. Life changing..
A small question for both Tim sir and Naval sir- what startup ideas would you suggest to a 23 year old engineering graduate from and in INDIA right now (i.e. Me) ?