This post is about the fourth book in the Tim Ferriss Book Club, which is limited to books that have dramatically impacted my life. All previous selections can be found here. Enjoy!
“Would you have a great empire? Rule over yourself.” — PUBLILIUS SYRUS
The last two weeks have been disaster after disaster for me:
- A dear friend died unexpectedly, only miles from my home. (RIP, Seth Roberts)
- A seven-figure business deal fell apart at the last minute.
- Only days ago, Turner Broadcasting let me know that the May 27th digital launch of The Tim Ferriss Experiment has been canceled. Some (not all) of the higher-ups want to try selling it to traditional outlets. (Sidenote: If you bought an iTunes season pass, definitely request a refund)
Over the last 14 days, I have carried one book in my backpack to cope, all day and every day: The Obstacle Is The Way.
It has helped me to turn problems upside-down, become the calm within the storm, and even uncover unique opportunities.
“Philosophy” gets a bad rap.
Most of us know a turtleneck-wearing pseudo-intellectual who’s spent countless hours studying obscure details of Freud or post-structural lesbian feminism. These same people sometimes purport to be “philosophical.” And for what? More often than not, to posture as a holier-than-thou jerk off. To argue over semantics that don’t matter.
Fortunately, there are a few philosophical systems that produce dramatic real-world results…without the nonsense. In other words, all substance instead of smoke.
The Obstacle Is The Way, penned by Ryan Holiday, is a collection of stories and principles about Stoicism, which I consider to be the ultimate personal “operating system” for entrepreneurs…or anyone who wants high performance under high stress.
Ryan became Director of Marketing at American Apparel at age 21 (!). He gets more heat, makes more high-stakes decisions, and take more risks in a given week than most people experience in any given quarter. He also happens to be a die-hard Stoic and incredible at putting the principles into practice.
If you want to be “anti-fragile” like Thomas Jefferson, Marcus Aurelius, and many of most dominant soldiers and investors in history, Stoicism offers the playbook. If you want to make better decisions, if you want to smile when other people cower, it offers real tools.
To quote Andy Grove, former CEO of Intel, “Bad companies are destroyed by crisis. Good companies survive them. Great companies are improved by them.”
What if you could be a person who is improved by crisis? That would give you opportunities no one else can see, let alone grasp.
It will also make you a happier human being.
Check out The Obstacle Is The Way today:
- Audiobook without DRM, plus bonus PDF (Author makes the most $ here)
- Audiobook on Audible
- Kindle
I’m not the only one who loves it. Here are just a few of many:
“Follow these precepts and you will revolutionize your life. Read this book!”
—Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art and Gates of Fire
“A book for the bedside of every future–and current–leader in the world.”
—Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power and Mastery
“Ryan Holiday has written a brilliant and engaging book, well beyond his years…It is invaluable.”
—Honorable Frederic Block, Judge, U.S. District Court
Seriously, check out the book.
If you’d like to hear more of Ryan’s ideas, you might enjoy the podcast interview I recorded with him recently, which has gone nuts on social media:
The best podcast epi I’ve listened to this year. RT @tferriss The Tim Ferriss Podcast, Episode 4: Ryan Holiday http://t.co/nRU4f8IttP
— Mary Shenouda (@paleochef) May 8, 2014
Question of the day: What philosophies, guiding tenets, or quotes have you found most helpful in your own life? Please share in the comments!
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.
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Tim take a look at superhumanos.net, if interested about human operating systems, even though this ain’t the one I was involved with, an dis not 5based on stoicism, it is the most simple and probably mainstream way of understanding our world, development and being. Hope everything gets better! Thanks for everything
I’ll get this! Just finished the art of learning that you also recommended! =) Always great books that help me in my business!
It’s been my experience that if a “bad” event cannot benefit you, then it simply will not happen (even against all odds). This is a law of nature; there is no pain without purpose. I never realized how beautifully Stoicism aligned with this notion, and I am thrilled that people like you and Ryan are popularizing it.
This podcast is brilliant. It’s a whole new level when the interviewer is smart and ask good questions.
Yup! Great book! Ryan has really delivered big time!
It’s literally a gate way drug to the school of Stoicism and general emotional intelligence understanding and application.
Also very thorough interview on your podcast, listen to it peeps to get some Tim goodness more often!
PS: Every time I cheat on slowcarb I say “Sorry Saint Ferriss” to the chuckle of my friends :p
seneca is the daddy. read all he wrote. as for ryan? no idea, i’ll check him out
Thank you for your recommendation. Sorry for your loss.
Wow! That books seems awesome! Definitely buying it! I want to be someone who improves with crises!
The more attention you give to your problems, the greater they can become. Knowing when one can simply solve an issue by ignoring it is a great asset.
“in darkness the eye begins to see”
“God offers to every mind its choice between truth and repose. Take which you please–you can never have both.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Emerson was a great advocate of the stoics actually!
this is a great book which shows modern day stoicism at its best.
two quotes that always seem to get me through the tough times:
1) Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right
2) You can’t change yesterday, only today and tomorrow
Happy to answer any questions about the book if people have them!
Two questions!
What was the obstacle that led you to write this book?
Do you have a mentor that helped you discover this path to Stoicism?
Just bought and downloaded the book. I’m very interested and looking forward to listening it. No questions yet, Ryan!
No particular obstacle, just life. I don’t think it’s ever ONE thing, life is a constant series of opportunities and difficulties.
Actually Dr. Drew Pinsky introduced me to stoicism when I was a teenager. Huffp has an article about it.
The book is awesome. I thought it was interesting that you bring in Nietzsche’s amor fati towards the end to wrap things up. I’m curious to know what other philosophies you’ve dug into and what drove you away from them?
If you don’t own the Turner Broadcasting footage, you could always put a guerrilla crew together and shoot it over – your way.
Fantastic and appreciated advice!
Marcus Aurelius is an incredible example of what true wisdom looks like.
A similarly-powerful book about the power we have to determine how events affect us is “Hannibal and Me”. I highly recommend you check it out, and expect it will similarly become a favorite.
Thank you for the wonderful recommendation!
The quote I live by is my own – which I invented at the age of 14 watching in horror as my mother turned down a 6M piece of property my grandfather offered to give her nearly 40 years ago. – “Pride doesn’t pay the rent” – I have reminded myself this quote quite often when having to “suck it up” in order to meet a bigger objective. It has helped me avoid making stupid decisions based on unnecessary emotions and perceptions that could derail me from reaching a sought after goal.
This has stuck in my mind since I was six…
I cried because I has no shoes to wear, until I saw a man with no feet
‘I believe the world is plotting to do me good today. I can’t wait to see what it is.’ – W. Clement Stone. This helps me to take actions way out of my comfort zone.
Thanks for the recommendation Tim.
I am happy to share with you a religious quote that have helped me a lot, and it is:
Allah will provide.
meaning that no matter how far or difficult a thing may be thought, Allah, the Creature of the Universe, the One that has the Power to do all the things can provide and will provide and will not put down any of your efforts.
It can be seen as a religious preach, but sincerely, it has helped me a lot.
“Every master was once a disaster.”
-T. Harv Eker
Is there a way to get the audio book with out audible?
Wow, this book recommend on both cracked and this site too. This book is calling me.
Writing for Cracked is the best.
This quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson had a big impact on me: “Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.”
This qoute is literally the truth.
Tim – I don’t normally comment here, but today is different.
I’m certain you already know this, but I’ll say it for the benefit of others — When disasters happen they feel like ‘now’. But the simple truth is that they have already happened. They are already gone in the moment of becoming.
And until Elon Musk invents time travel, that’s the way things will stay.
We *can’t* change what has happened. We *can* change how we live in the present.
Life is a series of moments that can be managed.
Manage your moments.
Hey guys,
Just finished 8 hours of driving, in which I listened to the book almost twice. Dunno if you care, but I thought I’d let others know what someone else thought of the book.
I’ve glazed over a bit of Seneca, and a bit more of Aurelius, but it was long ago. I also picked up these writers (and listened to ‘The Obstacle’), long after falling in love with Bill Glasser’s Choice Theory, and Stations of The Mind – ; which is very much akin to at least somewhat a similar message – but in a psychological counselling method. Talks a lot about having a choice, regardless of the situation, and ‘Controlling for’ certain perceptions; then acting accordingly.
Something I’m always appreciative of is real life examples historically. Especially ones regarding success. The book is overflowing with them. To be honest, at times I felt a little bit “Meh…” about the direction; but then a real life historical example really drew me back in.
In my sad grey lifetime, the best experience to demonstrate a stoic disposition was mastering day trading futures, when I was in a financially strained position.
My emotions were running high. I was winning money, and losing money. It’s such an emotional roller coaster in that kind of situation; and it was recommended that I not take part in futures trading given my financial situation which I mistakenly (perhaps?) ignored.
It wasn’t until I was able to trade without elation, or depression or anger that the practice became profitable. Much like the reference to Rockerfeller. It was a truly educational experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything. But if you really want to test your practical application of stoicism; I’d give it a shot.
One thing I think the book skipped over in the practical application of success was the application of integrity. I suppose that is a given; and one might envision that a person turning obstacles without integrity into integrous ones would do just that. But if a plan of action to turn an obstacle into an opportunity or ‘way’; and the individual making the plan comes from a person who doesn’t have the practice of following their own word; the plan is faulty from the start.
Integrity might be a given; I’m sure Aurelius pitched it pretty hard. Long term success is impossible without vigilant and disciplined integrity.
The book prompted me to turn what I think is a potential billion dollar project I’m working on; into an ‘at least a million’ dollar project and provided a more concrete attitude – should the worst happen. A mindset I’m very thankful for, and haven’t really read since :-
‘…someone would probably spit on my head from a highrise balcony while I’m feeding food scraps to a stray dog, which would then spook and bite me squarely on the face’.
Despite the odd ‘meh’ moment; it’s a great audio book. I don’t listen to too many books more than once; but because of the yielded result of plans and actions from reading it; I will continue to program myself with it. I think I personally found The Art of Learning more entertaining – probably because it was more personal – but much less practical; and I haven’t listened to it again.
I especially enjoyed the interview at the end. The second time I listened was directly after I finished the interview part between Tim and Ryan. I don’t know if it was because it was the second time or because of the interview; but I felt like I jived with Ryan a lot more after getting to know him in the interview. It also solidified my assertion that Tim is a dork…which I find very encouraging 🙂
I know it isn’t common practice; but it might be interesting to measure the retention or usefulness to a cohort that had the interview first vs interview last.
Question for Ryan: In your lifetime; did you ‘come in’ at a level of integrity where what you say and what you do are the same? Is this something you had to work on or demand of yourself consciously? Do you think this definition of integrity is required for success?
I’d really like to read a collaborative study on success between yourself and an Australian guy named ‘Peter Burow’, who calls the process of ‘The Obstacle’; ‘conversion’ . That is; turning limbic tension into neocortex nobility.
The same message delivered neurobiologically.
thanks for the great read.
Hey Man, thanks for putting the time to writing this. You said you traded Future, you should look for “Anti-Fragile” from Nassim Nicholas Taleb.
Keep going, and let’s make this billion dollar business
Cheers
Will def buy this book!
Some of The Quotes in my daily reminder:
Morrie (From The book Tuesdays With Morrie)
1. “Remember what I said about detachment? Let it go. Tell yourself, ‘That’s the feeling, I’m going to separate from it now.’ And walk away.”
2. “Do what the Buddhists do. Every day, have a little bird on your shoulder that asks, ‘Is today the day? Am I ready? Am I doing all I need to do? Am I being the person I want to be?”
The Plant’s blown up. A variety of things don’t work. Keep goin! – Jack Welch
REREAD These articles by Tim Ferriss (fourhourblog.com) WORKS LIKE MAGIC!
1. The Prescription for Self-Doubt: Watch This Video
2. “Productivity” Tricks for the Neurotic, Manic-Depressive, and Crazy (Like Me)
I absolutely LOVE this book so far. Currently mid-way through and it’s already one of my favorite books. Can’t wait to finish it and then go back and apply the teachings to my life!
Something I never understood about the TV show thing…why do you need them? You’re supplying the majority of the viewers, why not keep 100% of the revenue, 100% of the control, and sell your own show right here?
Great Tim, will definately buy this book!
Love the podcast as well. Really like that you dig DEEP into the subject(s) which both you and the guest have a lot of knowledge and opinions.
4 Questions for Ryan about The Obstacle is The Way and books in general. Would really help me and hopefully other readers to get some pro reading advice 🙂 :
1. How quickly do you get a book “into your system” and really benefit and improve your life through the wisdom you gain?
2. What is your way to really “get” a book? (Re-reads, notes etc)
3. Do you use the same approach to every book, or is there different ways to get the best out of different books?
4. How should I approach/read/study this book?
Cheers,
Björn
I know Tim doesn’t like links here so I won’t put them but I have a few posts about this on my site and on Thought Catalog. Look for “How To Read A Lot” “The Note Card System” and “Read To Lead”
My personal favorite is – What other people think of you is none of your business. I also like – You may think adventure is dangerous, try routine-it’s lethal.
Tim,
I truly appreciate your work but how do you like DRM?
See more at link under my name which is a link to my comment #136 under your post “Book Club #3: The Art of Learning”.
Steve Jobs (who also hates DRM)
Great Tim, will definitely buy this book!
From Bill Cosby, “In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.” Very good quote
Wow! This eBook sounds powerful, and relevant for anyone who wants to advance a higher level of personal empowerment.
All of your obstacles are products of your mind, what else could they be?
Dear Tim,
As a person who works in the entertainment/education industry in silicon valley, I can deeply relate how soul crushing these decisions can feel. We fight hard for things we are passionate about and go 20 rounds with suits that translate our passion and our art into facts, figures and my personal favorite the demographic reach. You just wish they would have said no in the first place so you would not have spent all that time and energy banging on doors and rallying the troops to support you.
In times likes these I have held on to the 12 principles that Colin Powell has laid out. In this case these 2 seem to fit.
#3. “Don’t be buffaloed by experts and elites. Experts often possess more data than judgement”.
– Always question what the experts say if you don’t understand. Don’t assume that they know more than you, and certainly don’t be cowed into accepting something that you don’t fully understand.
– Anytime I’ve been in a pitch meeting I’ve been bombarded with marketing data that in my heart never truly gave an accurate account of what the target audience really felt. Thus I accepted decisions that should have never been made and the result was things I cared a great deal about died on the floor before they ever got out the door.
Thus I learned to accept #9
#9. “Never let your ego get so close to your project that when your project goes, your ego goes with it”.
– Change is stifled by leaders that “cling to their turf”. Effective leaders create a climate where people’s worth is determined by their willingness to learn new skills and take on new responsibilities.
-I could talk for hours about this but take comfort in this. You have done right by your fans, changed many lives and have built an army of fans that trust you and really want to see what you will do next. I am one of them. Please keep up the great work.
If you ever want coffee and a guitar lessons or a drum lesson. hit me up. I’ve studied with many of the worlds finest
P.S sorry for the long post. I never comment but felt compelled .
P.P.S Dear grammar Nazi’s please be kind, writing was never my strong suit
Great thoughts I’ve heard include “Those that say it can’t be done will not be allowed to talk to those doing it.”
Hey Ryan, phenomenal book you’ve created. It’s like you’ve taken the greatest material the world has made and translated, condensed, and simplified it into powerful thoughts. It’s already saved my ass in a crisis, the value exceed the cost of the book by far. It’s the OS for any human.
As far as the questions go, here’s a few (pick and choose):
1) How do you advise entrepreneurs to find time to read? (Many times while reading, the mind wonders and thinks to a billon other things to take care of at that moment, how can one make reading a priority?)
2) Approx. how many books do you consume a week? How can people read faster without losing comprehension?
3) What’s your favorite chapter (The Obstacle Is The Way) that didn’t make it in the book (If any)? And, can I get my hands on that?
4) If physical books are you thing, why did you make Growth Hacker an ebook at the beginning? Do you recommend first-time writers to do the same?
5) What’s your sleeping pattern like normally, and what’s you sleeping pattern like when it’s crunch time? (8hrs of sleep vs 5hrs of sleep with power naps?)
6) American Apparel: What’s your favorite ad you created?
7) What’s a book, song, quote you love?
I apologize for the dump of questions, these were my top that I wanted to ask you. I’ll have you on the podcast (The DOcast) one day, maybe next book.
Cheers!
Richard
Unfortunately there is no magical way to make reading a priority other than making it a priority. Nobody asks me how I make time to eat or sleep, right? I tend to be a binge reader. So at least one a week but sometimes 5. In terms of Growth Hacker Marketing–it was a test of the market. Why make a physical book if I wasn’t sure how it would do? In this case, the paperback comes out in Sept so it worked out well.
I will definitely check this book out. The Obstacle is the way to be a better you.
Well put!
Advaita-Vedanta. Everything is one. When you get it – there really is no problems left. Though, it can be difficult to get over the usual momentum of thinking. But honestly, most people who talk about it – misunderstand it, in my opinion.
Dear Tim,
I’m so sorry you lost your friend so suddenly. He sounds like he was a wonderful inspiration and gift to know. Take care,
Isabelle
Best guiding tenets I have come across: Don Miguel Ruiz-The Four Agreements
First 3 were strikes. Episode 4 is a home run. Now THAT was what I expect a Tim Ferriss podcast to be. Well done Tim. Looking forward to Episode 5.
This Latin phrase was posted on my cubicle wall (before I finally quit a 14 year stint in government to strike it out on my own) which kept my final goal in mind, that of leaving the safe place for the unknown:
” Aut Viam Inveniam Aut Faciam”….attributed saying by the Carthginian general Hannibal before he crossed the Alps: “I will find a way or make one”.
The other phrase I kept written in private because it’s quasi-religious and was prohibited at my former position. It’s attributed to the Pope John XXIII who was recent canonized a saint in my faith. He once stated: “Consult not your fears, but your hopes a dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what still is possible for your to do.”
I’m sorry about your recent challenges, but I’m sure you will find the strength to overcome and make peace with them.
Ryan Holiday tells his readers to do the job in front of them, but he did not do the job of publishing his book when it was in front of him. He or his agent could have insisted that Penguin hire copy editors. No book by a man of his competence and resources should go out into the world full of grammatical errors and misused words. It is an insult.
Welcome to publishing Mary, things go wrong. Someone in production messed up the subtitle. Proceeding despite imperfections is part of life. Taking errors as an insult, on the other hand, is a recipe for rage and anger.
Cute.
Semes teh octbsale is siltl teh just teh osbtcale for tihs one.
😉
Nietzsche and Taleb are the biggest perspective-shifters for me. Seneca is the biggest keeper of sanity. Krishnamurti is the best at shocking me into the present moment. And Emerson is the…. SELF-RELIANCE!
“There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that ENVY IS IGNORANCE; THAT IMITATION IS SUICIDE; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried.”
The four books in your book club are not the same as those mentioned in “The Four Hour Workweek” . I only have an audio version of the book, so please respond with those four book names. Great book by the way. Enjoyed every minute of eight and a half hours!
> studying obscure details of Wittgenstein or post-structural lesbian feminism. And for what? More often than not, to posture as a holier-than-thou jerk off. To argue over semantics that don’t matter.
Woah, woah, woah! Let’s give Wittgenstein a chance here! He’s the exact opposite of postmodernist mental masturbation.
Wittgenstein’s philosophy is designed to be “therapeutic”. He saw philosophy as “a battle against the bewitchment of our intelligence by language”.
By practicing Wittgenstein’s philosophy, you get clear on what is and what isn’t “semantics that don’t matter”, or what he called sense and nonsense. His own summary of his philosophy: ” What can be said at all can be said clearly; and whereof one cannot speak thereof one must be silent.”
It’s hard to find a more practical philosophy than that.
Haha… you are 100% right. Wittgenstein was a terrible choice here. He’s actually fascinating and pragmatic. I need to get some more sleep 🙂
Replacing with Freud.
Thanks for the kick!
Tim
Easy mistake to make – philosophers with long, German-sounding names should generally be avoided. 🙂
Ironically, to answer your question of the day honestly: post-structuralism has been the biggest influence on how I live my life. I think most people misunderstand what it’s about, including the turtle-neck wearing pseudo-intellectuals that you’re talking about. Post-structuralism is much more about critically assessing the conceptual tools that we use everyday so that we can improve our lives (and our society).
But a guiding tenet I always try to remember is a quote from Nietzsche: “I want to learn more and more to see as beautiful what is necessary in things; then I shall be one of those who make things beautiful…I do not want to wage war against what is ugly. I do not want to accuse; I do not even want to accuse those who accuse. Looking away shall be my only negation. And all in all and on the whole: some day I wish to be only a Yes-sayer.”
All I can say, thank you Tim for sharing this book from all my heart. Please share more like this book.
Such good stuff. I’ve been a proponent of stoicism for years, and I’ve seen it have some great impact on some of my friends. It’s empowering, realizing that you may not always have control over your surroundings or your circumstances, but you can always control yourself and how you act. I’ll definitely check this book out.
“As A Man Thinketh” by James Allen has always been a favorite of mine.
“A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his life. And he adapts his mind to that regulating factor, he ceases to accuse others as the cause of his condition, and builds himself up in strong and noble thoughts; ceases to kick against circumstances, but begins to use them as aids to his more rapid progress, and as a means of the hidden powers and possibilities within himself.”
Tim, sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. Less important, bad sad nonetheless is the cancellation of TTFE, I hope it can be resurrected.
If anyone has the tools to cope with setbacks like these it is you Sir, thank you for always sharing with us. Love your podcasts too.
I let time play out tough decisions before I make them. In this time truths often unfold.
You allways inspire me, thanks you so much!
My favourite quote ” If you’re going through Hell.Keep Going!” Churchill
The most sacred stoic line:
“This is my theme park, what would I scream for?” – Lil Wayne
Indeed. I’m actually working on a book with Birdman
Hi Tim. Sorry that you had a couple of terrible weeks. Please remember that your work has transformed many, many lives, and you can be very proud of that.
Tim, thank you for helping all of us. This book is awesome and helped me in my troubled time, too. Thanks for all of this!
If by Kipling is great.
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” ~Calvin Coolidge
I loved the title alone and bought the book – but the audiobook is incredibly boring to me. If you’re considering buying the audiobook listen to the preview first because I want to cut my ears off. I suggest the print version or 3–4 Adderall.
What nice constructive feedback. Thanks Paul!
Just two additional pieces of feedback Ryan:
1). I mean absolutely no disrespect, I thought the book was wonderful as a whole, but I do not think your narration does the book justice. I can understand the appeal of narrating your own book, but your voice does not suit book narration.
2). Correct me if i’m wrong, but the last hour+ was Tim’s 1st (or 2nd) podcast. I thought it was slightly misleading to advertise the book at one length without including the fact that 15-20% was material freely available online.
Thanks,
Nate
Ryan AMAZING book! It’s one of those books that comes at the right time in your life and truly changes everything, thank you. I also listened to the audio tape. I thought it was just as powerful as the book, if not more.
I think when you get the crazy feeling that a book found you and came into your life for a reason is a reflection of how well an author portrays astounding material.
I have had this feeling with two books in particular, The Four Hour Body and The Obstacle Is The Way. Thank you guys.
Has anybody else ever felt this way before?
That’s very kind of you and very humbling to hear. Thank you
Hi Tim,
thanks for having Ryan. This episode somehow had the biggest impact of all your episodes i listened to until now. Especially the thing with “friends are people you can have a nice long dinner with”. Makes perfect sense.
Ryan is a really impressive person in that he´s incredibly productive and focused at such a young age. I feel like focus is really a key point here. Looking forward to listening to the 5th episode! Definitely gonna have to do that soon!
Keep kicking, tim!
Saludos!
Sounds interesting. I think i’ll check it out as part of my research for a book I’m writing. Thanks Tim, loving this book club idea and the books you’re suggesting so far!
“…It has helped me to turn problems upside-down, become the calm within the storm, and even uncover unique opportunities.” I think if you have an inner confidence that is what allows you to be calm. Getting external reassurance that you are on the right path (in this case from the book) can help deliver that calm. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Tim for sharing this book with us! I just started listening and I’m already blown away. All entrepreneurs experience tough times and it’s just like you said, these tough times make the difference between success and failure.
Hope everything’s going better for you in the future!
Best,
Jan
Every Book Club pick is a must-read. Loving the Obstacle Is The Way and can’t wait for the next selection. Ryan Holiday is a rockstar. For any that missed it, Tim’s podcast with him is killer.
I’m halfway through the book, and while it’s interesting, I feel it really lacks practical advices, exercises that would make it immediately useful. Maybe I’m spoiled by Tim’s books, but I can’t help feeling TOITW too general.
Personally, this concept has proven true over and over. One of the greatest tenants that I live by is the understanding that there is a gap between stimulus (cause) and response (effect). I am not ruled by causes but, instead, have the freedom to choose a response in every circumstance. Victor Frankl and other existential thinkers such as Kierkegard have had a substantial impact on my thinking as well.
Tim, don’t forget to update your blog post from April where you announce the release of the Tim Ferriss Experiment: http://fourhourworkweek.com/2014/03/24/the-tim-ferriss-experiment-itunes-youtube-more/
As we say in Dutch: Wat in het vat zit, verzuurt niet.
Pure gold! Right book right time for me too. “What matters most is not what our obstacles are but how we see them, how we react to them and whether we keep our composure.”
FYI- I am an audiobook fiend and this 1 was as good as any mate. Cheers RH and TF
Hello there! I know this is somewhat off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could locate a captcha plugin for my comment form?
I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having trouble finding one?
Thanks a lot!
Great to reconnect with you via the book club, Tim. So sorry about the tragic trio of the past couple of weeks.
Question of the Day: The quote I live by most: “People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, make them.” -George Bernard Shaw
Here’s mine I use on my kids all the time… and my high school students too:
My job is to give you opportunities to be awesome! Your job is to take that opportunity!
Or
Life sucks if you suck – so don’t suck! (My high school students love this one – they tried to get it trending on twitter)
Tim,
I’m sorry for your loss. Please note that the average time to grieve a loved one is 5 years, and cannot ever be rushed. I’ve found the best way to deal with adversity, setbacks and the like is to completely acknowledge that this is happening, meaning that anything that resembles avoiding, ignoring, or attempting to escape only serves to further increase the power it has. Often it helps to verbalize what you’re feeling, even if you are just saying it to yourself. Audibly saying, “let go” is also quite powerful. Intellectualizing isn’t enough, feelings seek to be felt.
Japanese Zen monks reference the concept of “nen,” which translates into thought impulse. Each nen represent a minor disturbance and can pass easily if you acknowledge them. Once acknowledged you to can re-enter the present as your full self. When left unattended, they accumulate, and can lead to a variety of psychosis. As you’ve mentioned elsewhere, it pays to travel light.
Some suggestions for your journey:
Zen Training by Katsuki Sekida
This is the definitive book on meditation, which contains detailed commentary on the physiology of meditation both moving and traditional.
Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono
Describes building parallel thinking models, and one of the most effective ways to get a team pulling in the same direction at the same time. The decision making process can be dramatically reduced using this model.
Thank you for taking the time to write 4HB, my wife and I have lost over 13 pounds each on the slow-carb diet, and can’t ever envision eating any other way. Switching to Paleo two years ago brought results, but nothing compared to what your program delivered. I’m never counting calories again, and I really don’t want to know how many are in the half dozen donuts I consume as a mid-morning snack each Saturday!
Tim Ferriss,
I appreciate you being such a down to earth real person. I am a high school teacher. I guide and mentor students on senior projects.
I recommend your books, book club, blog, and podcasts to my 9-12 grade students at Napa High School in Napa, CA. I appreciate your vocabulary and sense of humor and I know you are all about EXCELLENCE. I can not however play the podcasts for students because some of the edgy content, f-bombs, and such would get me, in trouble with parents and administration.
I recall you mentioning that at high school age, you were impressionable and searching. You had considered being a 9-10 grade teacher! Indeed, you are a teacher. Here’s my question; have you considered designing curriculum, podcasts, or a book for teens to help them navigate time management, and excellence in this world that is so over scheduled and distraction filled?
Digging the podcast Tim and would like to support. Clicking through with a kindle is a bit clunky, is there a code to use on amazon purchases instead?
Hi! probably already asked, did do a quick search but couldn’t find it. Listen to your podcasts on my long journey to work and would love to support the work that you do but need a UK affiliate site for the books.
Tim – have really enjoyed listening to your podcast the last few weeks. I bought Ryan Holiday’s book on Audible through your book club, and am planning to start listening to it this weekend – while running my first half-marathon! Keep up the great work.
I loved this book and others too from Tim Ferriss Audio. I would really love to have the 4 Hour Workweek in audiobook format too – I hope you will release that one too!
Definitely a great book. I’m reading it now.
Tim. Genius move to back “obstacle” as an audiobook. Just finished it and both the book and the interview are great listening. Inspiring insights from Ryan. Thanks for giving so much.
There are good qualities and less good qualities to this book. I’m going to start with the less good ones and then talk about the things I liked.
This book doesn’t really flow. The writing style seems too formal (sometimes its overly casual) when combined with content which is a little factually and intellectually sloppy and makes assumptions about the reader. Ryan makes some sweeping statements which are simply incorrect. That might be OK in a book which is not about philosophy, thought, or thoughtful action but it doesn’t sit well here.
Ryan would do well to befriend a pedantic nit-picker and have them read a draft of his work.
It seems like the book is structured around chapter titles and not as a gradual exposition of a deeper and unifying thesis. In a way it is the same chapter repeated, at least it feels repetitive to read it.
The book is a series of anecdotes from history and (mostly) U.S. culture used to illustrate stoic principles in action. It lacks depth and simplicity because all of the examples are of people that Ryan doesn’t know personally. Most of them are already long dead and the accounts seem distant and abstract. It really helps to write about what you know and it would have been interesting to hear how Ryan applied stoic principles in his own life.
Ryan says he reads between 1 and 5 books a week. I’m lucky if I get through a book every week or three. There is something to be said for reading slowly and writing slowly.
Some of the quotations in the book are valuable and wise.
I think that the popularisation of philosophy can only be a good thing and so this book is an example of somebody doing the right thing.
There are some moments of originality and brilliance in the book. There are some fresh ideas which I took away from the book so it has value. In a way the book, the fact that it came into being, is a testament to the stoic virtues of the author.
Reading ‘El miedo a la libertad’ (meaninf ‘Fear of freedom’) by Erich Fromm, original in German, helped me enormously overcome depression when I was about 23 living back then in Venezuela. Also one of Karen Horney’s books made me see how neurotic I was and helped me out of depression. (I had no therapy). Ashley Montagu helped me out too. Those three books. Much more recently facing other challenges less bad than depression but quite tough, I bought Ryan Holiday’s book ‘The Daily Stoic’ in a bookshop in Amsterdam (I have become a globe trotter) and I love it, it has made a huge difference to see life from a more solid rock, although it feels sometimes like it is standing alone in the middle of a rough sea. Maria Eugenia Velasco
Tim – Your work/play and channeling/presenting the work of so many truly engaging humans is so important to me. Thank you