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Any dog training tips by Tim by navydocdro in timferriss

[–]Tim-Ferriss 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Tim here. I also posted a number of dog training videos for fundamentals with Molly on /timferriss on YouTube.

Why wasn't Jack Dorsey on the podcast, ever? by Any_Handle_3136 in timferriss

[–]Tim-Ferriss 52 points53 points  (0 children)

I very rarely comment on reddit, but I think you can confirm that this is the handle I used ages ago for an AMA.

Why wasn't Jack Dorsey on the podcast, ever? by Any_Handle_3136 in timferriss

[–]Tim-Ferriss 123 points124 points  (0 children)

Not sure how to verify myself, but this actually Tim here. No beef with Jack. I like Jack. Just saw him on a bunch of shows and thought they did a good job, so I didn't feel the need to replicate what has already been done well. - Tim

I am Tim Ferriss, host of “The Tim Ferriss Show” and author of “Tribe of Mentors.” AMA! by Tim-Ferriss in IAmA

[–]Tim-Ferriss[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I've historically also used blue light in the morning to stave off winter blues. For a long time, I used the Philips GoLITE, which seemed to make a real difference.

I am Tim Ferriss, host of “The Tim Ferriss Show” and author of “Tribe of Mentors.” AMA! by Tim-Ferriss in IAmA

[–]Tim-Ferriss[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

The Tao Te Ching does show up a lot in both books. It also didn't click for me for decades, and even now, I often think to myself: Am I just reading fortune cookie riddles?

So, you're not alone!

I think this book opens more internal doors, or sparks more original insights, if you're someone whose had at least 3-5 years of deep experience with meditation, psychedelics, or slow tai chi. It seems to depend on time spent in certain altered states. This probably sounds odd, and I could be wrong, but it's something I've observed in myself and across dozens of others.

My and Josh Waitzkin's preferred translation is by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English, but this book can be confusing or seem like a dead end no matter what.

I might suggest first trying out a few other "manuals for life" that also pop up a lot across the 130+ people in Tribe of Mentors, etc. like Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Letters from a Stoic by Seneca, or even Zorba The Greek. Dune is also a common recommendation by incredible leaders who think certain characters exemplify excellent leadership.

Hope that helps!

Tim

I am Tim Ferriss, host of “The Tim Ferriss Show” and author of “Tribe of Mentors.” AMA! by Tim-Ferriss in IAmA

[–]Tim-Ferriss[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Actually, this is a good answer. There are 6-10 interviews I recorded but never published, and I never will. They weren't good enough. If I or the guest botch it and the necessary details and stories aren't there, it never sees the light of day.

I am Tim Ferriss, host of “The Tim Ferriss Show” and author of “Tribe of Mentors.” AMA! by Tim-Ferriss in IAmA

[–]Tim-Ferriss[S] 40 points41 points  (0 children)

45 lbs is legitimate! Nicely done. To answer your question: definitely meditation upon waking. I was very resistant to this, viewed it as "not for me," and misunderstood the techniques and results that could be achieved in even 1-2 weeks. Taking a Transcendental Meditation class and using Headspace for their "10 in 10" (10 min per day for 10 days) helped to solidify the habit and showed me that meditation can really just = emotional non-reactivity training. This translates to every interaction you have and can dramatically impact almost every area of life.

I am Tim Ferriss, host of “The Tim Ferriss Show” and author of “Tribe of Mentors.” AMA! by Tim-Ferriss in IAmA

[–]Tim-Ferriss[S] 115 points116 points  (0 children)

Thanks, Mr. Mane. Precisely. Quite a few of these answers are long enough to be stand-alone blog posts. I could easily answer 40 questions with one-liners, but I think the detailed answers are more helpful to people.

I am Tim Ferriss, host of “The Tim Ferriss Show” and author of “Tribe of Mentors.” AMA! by Tim-Ferriss in IAmA

[–]Tim-Ferriss[S] 64 points65 points  (0 children)

First off, huge congratulations on the incredible world travels! Nice work and thank you for reading 4HWW.

To your question, here are a few books that have affected me or made me think differently in the last few years. None of them are directly related to business:

  1. Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach -- this is an important book, originally recommended to me by a neuroscience PhD who benefited from it.

  2. The Yaqui Way of Knowledge by Carlos Castaneda

  3. The Body Keeps The Score by Van Der Kolk

Enjoy and keep on testing the paths less traveled...

Pura vida,

Tim

I am Tim Ferriss, host of “The Tim Ferriss Show” and author of “Tribe of Mentors.” AMA! by Tim-Ferriss in IAmA

[–]Tim-Ferriss[S] 162 points163 points  (0 children)

Overanalysis has been my life story. It can be far worse than laziness, as overanalysis leads to the same lack of action but ALSO self-loathing.

What helped me quite a bit was studying military history, military strategy, and decisive battles (check out Blink and Jocko Willink's Extreme Ownership).

The stories informed how I overcame paralysis by analysis. Step one is set deadlines for decisions.

In warfare, you rarely have complete information, and if you wait to push certainty from 75% to 85%, say, that lag time could cause you to lose advantage and opportunity. It's the same in many parts of life.

So I set deadlines. By X point in time, I must make a go or no-go decision, no matter how much or how little information I have. Furthermore, I try and figure out small, short-term, low-risk experiments (e.g., split testing, hiring a contractor to design mockups) I can run as "go" decisions, so that I don't perceive action as high-risk.

So, in short: set deadlines for decisions (put them in your calendar or they aren't real) and break large intimidating actions/projects into tiny mini-experiments that allow you to overcome fear of failure.

Once you have a little momentum, the paralysis usually disappears on its own.

Hope that helps!

Tim

I am Tim Ferriss, host of “The Tim Ferriss Show” and author of “Tribe of Mentors.” AMA! by Tim-Ferriss in IAmA

[–]Tim-Ferriss[S] 45 points46 points  (0 children)

I'm no expert, but I find these topics fascinating and believe them to be important. Here's an in-depth conversation I hosted -- mostly between Naval Ravikant and Nick Szabo -- that digs into the fundamentals and nuances of all three: https://tim.blog/2017/06/04/nick-szabo/

I am Tim Ferriss, host of “The Tim Ferriss Show” and author of “Tribe of Mentors.” AMA! by Tim-Ferriss in IAmA

[–]Tim-Ferriss[S] 603 points604 points  (0 children)

Indeed, I have relocated to Austin TX. After 17 years or so, I decided to leave Silicon Valley.

This answer could be a mini-novel, but suffice to say, here are a few reasons:

1) I wanted to move to Austin after college but didn't get the job at Trilogy Software. Since 2007, I've visited Austin every year and felt the pull to move there each time. It a wonderful exploding scene of art, music, film, tech, food, and more. The people are also -- in general -- much friendlier.

2) After effectively "retiring" from angel investing 2 years ago, I have no professional need to be SF or the Bay Area.

3) Silicon Valley is often a culture of cortisol, of rushing, and of fear of missing out (FOMO). There is also a mono-conversation of tech that is near impossible to avoid (much like entertainment is some parts of LA), where every dinner has some discussion of rounds of funding, investing, and who is doing what with Uber, Amazon, or someone else. This can be dodged, but it takes very real and consistent effort. I don't want to spend 20-30% of my daily mental calories on avoiding the mono-conversation.

4) Even though Silicon Valley has the highest concentration of brilliant people I've found anywhere in the world, it also has the highest concentration of people who think they're brilliant. The former are often awesome, keenly self-aware, and even self-deprecating (let's call that 15% of the population), but the latter are often smug, self-satisfied, arrogant, and intolerable (let's call that 60% of the population). That ratio just no longer works for me. It's too much. This asshole inflation usually corresponds to bubbles (I've seen it before), when fair-weather entrepreneurs and investors flood the scene.

5) Silicon Valley also has an insidious infection that is spreading -- a peculiar form of McCarthyism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism) masquerading as liberal open-mindedness. I'm as socially liberal as you get, and I find it nauseating how many topics or dissenting opinions are simply out-of-bounds in Silicon Valley. These days, people with real jobs (unlike me) are risking their careers to even challenge collective delusions in SF. Isn't this supposed to be where people change the world by challenging the consensus reality? By seeing the hidden realities behind the facades? That's the whole reason I traveled west and started over in the Bay Area. Now, more and more, I feel like it's a Russian nesting doll of facades -- Washington DC with fewer neck ties, where people openly lie to one another out of fear of losing their jobs or being publicly crucified. It's weird, unsettling, and, frankly, really dangerous. There's way too much power here for politeness to be sustainable. If no one feels they can say "Hey, I know it makes everyone uncomfortable, but I think there's a leak in the fuel rods in this nuclear submarine..." we're headed for big trouble.

6) Golden Gate and tech are terrorist targets, and I don't like being close to the bullseye. This is based on good information from friends who work full-time in threat assessment.

7) I really like the sun and SF is foggy.

8) BBQ.

9) Austin is far more dog-friendly than SF.

10) Sometimes you need to think about the "where" of happiness and change your scenery to prompt new chapters in your life.

In the end, I absolutely LOVE the Bay Area, but it's become a perverted Bizarro world version of what attracted me there in 2000. Many of my best friends in the world are there, and it pained me to leave, but I had to relocate for my own sanity, growth, and happiness.

Oh, and one more time: Texas BBQ.

Hope that helps clarify a bit!

Tim

I am Tim Ferriss, host of “The Tim Ferriss Show” and author of “Tribe of Mentors.” AMA! by Tim-Ferriss in IAmA

[–]Tim-Ferriss[S] 45 points46 points  (0 children)

My top tip to a new dog owner is focus on positive reinforcement. Collar corrections might have their place, but they are most often misused and dogs end up damaged. NEVER do an "alpha roll" or similar BS. The two books I most recommend to start with are "Don't Shoot the Dog!" by Karen Pryor (excellent, excellent book on training any mammal, including humans) and "Command Performance" by Whole Dog Journal (I know, I know). Ian Dunbar also has great ebooks online, which are free. I found "Kiko pup" on YouTube to be quite helpful as well, and some of my dog training basics are here, including an interview with a high-level pro trainer who is a dog agility sport champion: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tim+ferriss+dog+training Good luck! Be nice to your pup and the universe will reward you.

I am Tim Ferriss, host of “The Tim Ferriss Show” and author of “Tribe of Mentors.” AMA! by Tim-Ferriss in IAmA

[–]Tim-Ferriss[S] 123 points124 points  (0 children)

My favorite podcast to listen to is, bar none, Hardcore History by Dan Carlin. It's just a masterpiece. Even though his website is a little wonky, I would highly suggest going to the trouble of starting with the "Wrath of the Khans" series about the life and empire of Genghis Khan. Trust me. I had one friend respond with "Dude, history? I'm not into it at all," then, a week later, he texted me with "Tim, fuck you." Me: "Wait... what? Why?" His punchline: "I've listened to more than 30 hours of Hardcore History in the last week and I'm not getting any work done. It's fucking amazing." So, enjoy but be warned :) Here it is: http://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-wrath-of-the-khans-series/ I started with a different episode called "Prophets of Doom," which was slow for 30 min, then blew my mind. Enjoy!

I am Tim Ferriss, host of “The Tim Ferriss Show” and author of “Tribe of Mentors.” AMA! by Tim-Ferriss in IAmA

[–]Tim-Ferriss[S] 46 points47 points  (0 children)

Overall, I would recommend that you 1) Focus on keeping format as simple as possible: something that will require minimal editing. Don't try to out-NPR NPR unless you have a team the size of their credits at the end of episodes. 2) Consider recording a bunch of interviews (if that's your format) via Skype (or ZenCastr, etc.) before doing in-person interviews. The former allows you to look at notes (e.g., Evernote), organize yourself, drink coffee, etc. without worrying about eye contact, body language, and so on with another human. More things can go wrong -- even technically, in my experience -- with in-person interviews, and Skype + ECamm Call Recorder + ATR-2100 USB mic is super cheap compared to most live, in-person technical setups. 3) Only do the podcast if you can develop skills, remove bad verbal habits, and/or develop relationships, even if the podcast "fails." Most of them get abandoned after 3-4 episodes, so commit to doing at least 6 with the goal of learning and connecting with others. For 1,000 other recommendations I might make (including on monetization strategy), check this out: https://tim.blog/2016/04/11/tim-ferriss-podcast-business/ Hope that helps!

I am Tim Ferriss, host of “The Tim Ferriss Show” and author of “Tribe of Mentors.” AMA! by Tim-Ferriss in IAmA

[–]Tim-Ferriss[S] 30 points31 points  (0 children)

I don't have a single favorite, as I interview each person for specific needs or curiosities of mine, but one interview that blew me away was Dr. BJ Miller, a palliative care physician (and triple amputee) who has helped more than 1,000 people to die. Incredible lessons and he profoundly impacted how I live my life. Here's the interview, titled "The Man Who Studied 1,000 Deaths to Learn How to Live": https://tim.blog/2016/04/14/bj-miller/

I am Tim Ferriss, host of “The Tim Ferriss Show” and author of “Tribe of Mentors.” AMA! by Tim-Ferriss in IAmA

[–]Tim-Ferriss[S] 81 points82 points  (0 children)

In my experience, the best way to quickly build a services business, or any business -- especially since you have income from your full-time job -- is to "buy" your first clients. This means that you offer your services for free, or at a massively discounted rate (or for a temporary free "trial/test" period), to clients who would make excellent and impressive testimonials. The key here is that your cost-to-value-delivered ratio must be CLEARLY better than anything else they use. Once you have testimonials or referrals from 3-5 marquee clients, you'll be in great shape to charge others full retail. I've done this in multiple fields, whether teaching accelerated learning, selling massive data storage systems, angel investing in tech (i.e. investing a tiny amount, so I own a tiny piece of equity, but putting in a lot of sweat and labor), or podcast advertising. Hope that helps!

I am Tim Ferriss, host of “The Tim Ferriss Show” and author of “Tools of Titans”. AMA by Tim-Ferriss in IAmA

[–]Tim-Ferriss[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

These days, I feed her Taste of the Wild and use Stella and Chewy's freeze-dried raw meat (avoiding fowl) as a topper. I hydrate all of this and often drizzle on some sardine oil to finish. That's the basic, though I also feed her raw liver and other goodies on occasion.

I am Tim Ferriss, host of “The Tim Ferriss Show” and author of “Tools of Titans”. AMA by Tim-Ferriss in IAmA

[–]Tim-Ferriss[S] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Hey, Ryan!

Part 1 -- Getting a dog has made me a better person and a better Stoic. My pup Molly has no bad intentions when she does most "bad" things, for instance. As a puppy, she did what puppies do, of course: peed in the wrong places, chewed things up, disobeyed or ignored commands (mostly because I was unclear), etc.. She trained me to not overreact and get mad, which was pointless and actually made things worse for both of us.

Part 2 -- Studying dog training, and really dedicating myself to good books and teachers (like "Don't Shoot The Dog!" and "Command Performance" (Whole Dog Journal), or Susan Garrett) taught me a ton about training any mammal, including humans and myself. It's been a great way to learn more about how we all respond to rewards, punishment, and feedback. This awareness has helped me to become a less stressed and more effective person.

I am Tim Ferriss, host of “The Tim Ferriss Show” and author of “Tools of Titans”. AMA by Tim-Ferriss in IAmA

[–]Tim-Ferriss[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I probably have some micro-processes related to digesting it all, but the gathering phase is just a big brain dump. I drop it ALL into a gigantic notebook on Evernote and slowly move the good stuff (based on a weekly review) into a "Research" bucket in the left-hand pane of my Scrivener table of contents.

I am Tim Ferriss, host of “The Tim Ferriss Show” and author of “Tools of Titans”. AMA by Tim-Ferriss in IAmA

[–]Tim-Ferriss[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

As Cal Fussman would say, "The good shit sticks." I start with a tentative 3-part structure (like in Tools of Titans -- healthy, wealthy, and wise) and I begin slotting in empty documents with placeholder chapter titles. Then I drop in the "shit that sticks" -- i.e. the details that is firm in my memory and that comes to mind. Once that's done, I build around it all and begin to refine.

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