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Peter Attia MDPeter Attia MD

#90 – Ryan Holiday: Stillness, stoicism, and suffering less

Original release date: 1/27/20 In this episode, Ryan Holiday, author of Stillness is the Key, shares the profound impact that stoic philosophy has had on his personal life and his career as a successful writer. Ryan stresses the importance of stillness in a modern world set up to encourage the opposite and lays out the best strategies to develop stillness in your life. He also explains the destructive nature of being driven by ego, as well as the perils of jealousy and anger, and provides practical steps you can take to avoid those harmful states. We discuss: -Has a more connected world improved or worsened our lives? [2:15]; -Consequences of an overly secure life, living in the present, & the misconception of unlimited time [5:45]; -Stoicism 101: The definition and origins of stoic philosophy [15:45]; -Ryan’s career transition into writing, and his take on what makes a book or business successful [26:45]; -Storytelling—The upside and downside of telling stories and self narrative [36:15]; -Does achieving success have to come from a place of craving and proving others wrong? And what are the costs of building a legacy? [38:45]; -Ego—confusing ego with confidence, signs your ego is showing, & antidotes to the negative effects of ego [52:45]; -Ryan’s advice to Peter about writing (and finishing) his book [1:06:30]; -Stillness—what it is, how it compares to meditation, & the obstacles to achieving stillness [1:10:30]; -Ryan’s morning routine, relationship with his smartphone, and how he avoids falling victim to the trappings of technology and a hyperconnected world [1:17:40]; -The perils of jealousy and envy [1:24:15]; -How to live in the moment in a modern world not designed for stillness [1:32:15]; -How the idea of “dying well” can help you live better [1:36:00]; -How has fatherhood impacted Ryan’s philosophies on stillness and living in the moment? [1:39:45]; -How to make your favorite day your every day [1:42:00]; -The most reliable strategies for developing stillness [1:47:30]; -Anger—what the stoics say about anger, outrage in politics, & why more anger isn’t the solution [2:02:00]; -How to follow Ryan’s work [2:12:00]; and -More. Show notes page: https://peterattiamd.com/ryanholiday/ -------- About: The Peter Attia Drive is a weekly, ultra-deep-dive podcast focusing on maximizing health, longevity, critical thinking…and a few other things. With over 30 million episodes downloaded, it features topics including fasting, ketosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, mental health, and much more. Peter is a physician focusing on the applied science of longevity. His practice deals extensively with nutritional interventions, exercise physiology, sleep physiology, emotional and mental health, and pharmacology to increase lifespan (delay the onset of chronic disease), while simultaneously improving healthspan (quality of life). Learn more: https://peterattiamd.com Subscribe to receive exclusive subscriber-only content: https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter Connect with Peter on: Facebook: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDTW Instagram: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDIG Subscribe to The Drive: Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveApplePodcasts Overcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveOvercast Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheDriveSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheDriveGoogle

Peter AttiahostRyan Holidayguest
Jul 8, 20202h 16mWatch on YouTube ↗

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Episode Details

EPISODE INFO

Released
July 8, 2020
Duration
2h 16m
Channel
Peter Attia MD
Watch on YouTube
▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Original release date: 1/27/20 In this episode, Ryan Holiday, author of Stillness is the Key, shares the profound impact that stoic philosophy has had on his personal life and his career as a successful writer. Ryan stresses the importance of stillness in a modern world set up to encourage the opposite and lays out the best strategies to develop stillness in your life. He also explains the destructive nature of being driven by ego, as well as the perils of jealousy and anger, and provides practical steps you can take to avoid those harmful states. We discuss: -Has a more connected world improved or worsened our lives? [2:15]; -Consequences of an overly secure life, living in the present, & the misconception of unlimited time [5:45]; -Stoicism 101: The definition and origins of stoic philosophy [15:45]; -Ryan’s career transition into writing, and his take on what makes a book or business successful [26:45]; -Storytelling—The upside and downside of telling stories and self narrative [36:15]; -Does achieving success have to come from a place of craving and proving others wrong? And what are the costs of building a legacy? [38:45]; -Ego—confusing ego with confidence, signs your ego is showing, & antidotes to the negative effects of ego [52:45]; -Ryan’s advice to Peter about writing (and finishing) his book [1:06:30]; -Stillness—what it is, how it compares to meditation, & the obstacles to achieving stillness [1:10:30]; -Ryan’s morning routine, relationship with his smartphone, and how he avoids falling victim to the trappings of technology and a hyperconnected world [1:17:40]; -The perils of jealousy and envy [1:24:15]; -How to live in the moment in a modern world not designed for stillness [1:32:15]; -How the idea of “dying well” can help you live better [1:36:00]; -How has fatherhood impacted Ryan’s philosophies on stillness and living in the moment? [1:39:45]; -How to make your favorite day your every day [1:42:00]; -The most reliable strategies for developing stillness [1:47:30]; -Anger—what the stoics say about anger, outrage in politics, & why more anger isn’t the solution [2:02:00]; -How to follow Ryan’s work [2:12:00]; and -More. Show notes page: https://peterattiamd.com/ryanholiday/ -------- About: The Peter Attia Drive is a weekly, ultra-deep-dive podcast focusing on maximizing health, longevity, critical thinking…and a few other things. With over 30 million episodes downloaded, it features topics including fasting, ketosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, mental health, and much more. Peter is a physician focusing on the applied science of longevity. His practice deals extensively with nutritional interventions, exercise physiology, sleep physiology, emotional and mental health, and pharmacology to increase lifespan (delay the onset of chronic disease), while simultaneously improving healthspan (quality of life). Learn more: https://peterattiamd.com Subscribe to receive exclusive subscriber-only content: https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter Connect with Peter on: Facebook: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDTW Instagram: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDIG Subscribe to The Drive: Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveApplePodcasts Overcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveOvercast Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheDriveSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheDriveGoogle

SPEAKERS

  • Peter Attia

    host

    Physician and host of The Drive Podcast focused on longevity and health.

  • Ryan Holiday

    guest

    Author and public intellectual known for work on Stoicism (The Daily Stoic, Stillness Is the Key).

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Peter Attia MD, featuring Peter Attia and Ryan Holiday, #90 – Ryan Holiday: Stillness, stoicism, and suffering less explores ryan Holiday on Stoicism, Ego, Stillness, Death and Anger Holiday explains Stoicism as a practical philosophy built on controlling one's responses rather than the world, and uses the lives of Seneca, Cato, and Marcus Aurelius to show how complicated and flawed applying it can be.

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