I really enjoyed the conversation floating around and near to the book and it’s literal text, but also it’s distance from it. This felt fun and different and interesting. Keep trying new things!
Hey David, I think the Q&A built around images is a good idea that works well, it's interesting to hear the different meanings that images have and hold for different people. It can help us to see things in a whole new light or from an angle we hadn't considered. Your reference to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's quote made me think about an idea I have that when people settle down (get married or whatever) it's a huge unknown taken away from them and allows them greater freedom to really put their energy into doing whatever it is they want to do. I realise that this doesn't take account of the energy and efforts involved in maintaining good relationships etc. but I think it may free up more mental space without the constant unknown of what may lie ahead for a person still unsure what direction life is headed. I have Ryan's book 'The Obstacle Is the Way' but not the one you reference here, I'll have to move this one up my list before I pick up 'Discipline Is Destiny'! Ps I recently finished 'Good To Go' by Christie Aschwanden based on your recommendation and I absolutely loved it, it's pretty much everything I want in a book, interesting topic, rigorously researched and great personality that comes across throughout! Also nearly finished 'Deep Work' which I picked up after your Q&A with Cal Newport and really enjoying that too so thanks for the great recommendations! 🙌
Great Q&A, David! I've been a fan of Ryan Holiday's for a few years. He packs so much wisdom into what he says that his writing feels very quotable, so it was really neat to see you two team up. The Gehrig quote is one I'll carry with me for a while. It has me thinking about what it means to me to be a teacher...
I'm curious: to the extent that you are comfortable sharing, what are some examples of lower-value activities you would do instead of the research/writing required for a longer book project? You may have heard this before, but it reminded me of Warren Buffet's Avoid-At-All-Cost List: https://jamesclear.com/buffett-focus
Thanks David! While I am late to the piece, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this piece. As much as discipline is important, I would suggest that avoiding distractions from 'near and dear' makes a huge difference. This piece certainly inspires me to work back on my writing again.
Hey David, thanks much for this refreshing post! I picked up this book at a store on Aug 20th (without having read any of Ryan's books before). Must say, your post was 'timely' in my case. :)
Loved the use of art in the art of questioning; super creative & thought-provoking piece!
It's fascinating to see all this 'faith-based' or 'faith-inspired' practice revival across many parts of life.. Maybe we're realizing that Religions in general aren't so bad as we have advocated and propagated for over 2 centuries now in many parts of the human civilization.. It's also fascinating how people are engaging with these practices or modifying them to 'fit into' the modern life, rather than comply to the ancient practices themselves.. fascinating stuff all around..
A great post, but I am confused by the conflation of sparta with freedom. The spartan culture was one of the most horrific cultures of slavery recorded. They kept an entire neighboring civilization in absolute bondage, including ritually going to ”war” with the slaves yearly. During this war the enslaved were unarmored and unarmed while young soldiers killed them.
There were 7 enslaved Helots per spartan.
How any of this relates to any concept of freedom that one might respect is hard to fathom. Except perhaps despotic freedom.
It is funny how they do not teach this in our western civ middle school classes. We hear about their martial prowess, but not their sociopathic culture. I still remember asking a teacher “If they spend their lives training for battle, who grows their food?” I don’t remember the exact response, but it sure as heck wasn’t the real story.
I really enjoyed the conversation floating around and near to the book and it’s literal text, but also it’s distance from it. This felt fun and different and interesting. Keep trying new things!
What I like about your interviews, David, is that both sides are worth reading and have something to say.
In many interviews the question is weak, or repeats any other interview, or is antagonistic.
Yours are more of a conversation. I enjoy them.
Hey David, I think the Q&A built around images is a good idea that works well, it's interesting to hear the different meanings that images have and hold for different people. It can help us to see things in a whole new light or from an angle we hadn't considered. Your reference to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's quote made me think about an idea I have that when people settle down (get married or whatever) it's a huge unknown taken away from them and allows them greater freedom to really put their energy into doing whatever it is they want to do. I realise that this doesn't take account of the energy and efforts involved in maintaining good relationships etc. but I think it may free up more mental space without the constant unknown of what may lie ahead for a person still unsure what direction life is headed. I have Ryan's book 'The Obstacle Is the Way' but not the one you reference here, I'll have to move this one up my list before I pick up 'Discipline Is Destiny'! Ps I recently finished 'Good To Go' by Christie Aschwanden based on your recommendation and I absolutely loved it, it's pretty much everything I want in a book, interesting topic, rigorously researched and great personality that comes across throughout! Also nearly finished 'Deep Work' which I picked up after your Q&A with Cal Newport and really enjoying that too so thanks for the great recommendations! 🙌
Great Q&A, David! I've been a fan of Ryan Holiday's for a few years. He packs so much wisdom into what he says that his writing feels very quotable, so it was really neat to see you two team up. The Gehrig quote is one I'll carry with me for a while. It has me thinking about what it means to me to be a teacher...
I'm curious: to the extent that you are comfortable sharing, what are some examples of lower-value activities you would do instead of the research/writing required for a longer book project? You may have heard this before, but it reminded me of Warren Buffet's Avoid-At-All-Cost List: https://jamesclear.com/buffett-focus
Thank you for another insightful post. I enjoyed seeing the images and how you both related to them.
Thanks David! While I am late to the piece, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this piece. As much as discipline is important, I would suggest that avoiding distractions from 'near and dear' makes a huge difference. This piece certainly inspires me to work back on my writing again.
Hey David, thanks much for this refreshing post! I picked up this book at a store on Aug 20th (without having read any of Ryan's books before). Must say, your post was 'timely' in my case. :)
Loved the use of art in the art of questioning; super creative & thought-provoking piece!
Great interview format, very unique. Cheers to the both of you for your great work!
It's fascinating to see all this 'faith-based' or 'faith-inspired' practice revival across many parts of life.. Maybe we're realizing that Religions in general aren't so bad as we have advocated and propagated for over 2 centuries now in many parts of the human civilization.. It's also fascinating how people are engaging with these practices or modifying them to 'fit into' the modern life, rather than comply to the ancient practices themselves.. fascinating stuff all around..
I hadn't realized that this was an image-centric Q and A till I saw your question at the end of the newsletter. It is a wonderful format.
A great post, but I am confused by the conflation of sparta with freedom. The spartan culture was one of the most horrific cultures of slavery recorded. They kept an entire neighboring civilization in absolute bondage, including ritually going to ”war” with the slaves yearly. During this war the enslaved were unarmored and unarmed while young soldiers killed them.
There were 7 enslaved Helots per spartan.
How any of this relates to any concept of freedom that one might respect is hard to fathom. Except perhaps despotic freedom.
It is funny how they do not teach this in our western civ middle school classes. We hear about their martial prowess, but not their sociopathic culture. I still remember asking a teacher “If they spend their lives training for battle, who grows their food?” I don’t remember the exact response, but it sure as heck wasn’t the real story.