BOOST YOURSELF: THE POWER OF CURIOSITY AND COOPERATION
Decoding the success of modern-day Legends: Unveiling their playbook of tactics and mindsets that set them up for mastery
THE ODDS, THAT WE CAN THRIVE WITHOUT THE HELP OF OTHERS ARE VERY SMALL
The value of our knowledge multiplies when we share what we know with others“ (Simon Sinek)
Welcome to the new Edition of my Newsletter, a dive into the book “Tools of Titans” by Tim Ferriss.
The reason I have chosen to share this book is because I am a firm believer in the life concept of cooperation, mutual support and being stronger together. Without the assistance, advice and inspiration of others we have nowhere to go. Finding mentors, idols, kind souls, sparring partners and the like, can build a foundation that can get you anywhere.
The book is meant as a toolkit for unlocking new abilities: it provides you with obvious applications to use in your everyday life, as well as subtle ideas, that can spark even weeks later, while you’re daydreaming or just about to fall asleep. You might find ideas for better problem solving, thinking things through from other perspectives or simply wondering how extremely successful people navigate their lives and share their learnings.
“The worst thing you can ever do is think that you know enough. Never stop learning. Ever”. (Arnold Schwarzenegger)
LEARN THINGS ONCE AND USE THEM FOREVER
Whenever you’re feeling stuck, trapped, desperate, angry, conflicted or simply unclear, the book aims to help you getting back on track. By learning and reading from Tim Ferriss´ friends, who will now become your friends, too. You can pick what feels right for you and what makes sense for and in your state of life. And:
You might find familiar ideas from my Atomic Habits Series, but that is probably one of the main commonalities of people who have reached a certain point of success in their lives: they ask bigger questions that require long-term thinking and a change of perspective. They have crafted their own rules that allow them to shape their reality and have established uncommon habits. They keep an eye out for the non-traditional paths. They have found out how to turn their weaknesses into strengths. And so can you.
“Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center. Big, undreamed-of things - the people on the edge see them first.” (Kurt Vonnegut)
GAIN A NEW UNDERSTANDING OF THINKING AND REINVENT YOURSELF
Co-Founder of PayPal, Peter Thiel, likes asking himself “If you have a 10-year plan of how to get (somewhere)”, you should ask “why can’t you do this in 6 months”?
Tim Ferriss, who obviously loves turning thoughts upside down and into the extreme, rewords the question to “What might you do to accomplish your 10-year goal in the next 6 months, if you had a gun against your head”?
The reason for these kinds of questions is certainly not that you should or can accomplish something that takes 10 years in 6 months, but to productively break your mind and emerge with new capabilities. They take you out of the norm, social rules and standard frameworks. Asking better questions is like gaining a competitive advantage. To have a considerable change in your life, you don’t have to completely reinvent yourself, because “big changes can come in small packages” (Tim Ferriss).
“Learn from the greats, not your competition” (Rick Rubin)
“CREATE YOURSELF”, NOT “DISCOVER YOURSELF”
It is important to reflect upon your conditioning (see my Newsletter on Identity Makeover) and find out if “your” beliefs are your own or probably just inherited from your parents, society and your surrounding.
By implementing habits, asking different questions, mindfulness and focusing on your strengths, rather than your weaknesses, you can start the process of creating yourself, instead of seeking to discover yourself.
The key meta-skill that Tim Ferriss is aiming for in his book is, to gain a new understanding of thinking and find ways of how to implement them into your own life.
“The mind is there to solve problems, not to create them” (N. Ravikant)
Break your mind, change your Life!
Yours, Anna
a little thought inspiration for today
“Once we´re thrown off our habitual paths, we think all is lost, but
it´s only here that the new and good begins", by Leo Tolstoi