How to Use Stoicism to Choose Alive Time Over Dead Time — Daily Stoic Author Ryan Holiday

Ryan Holiday is one of the world's foremost thinkers and writers on ancient philosophy and its place in modern life. He is a sought-after speaker and strategist and the author of many bestselling books, including The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego Is the Enemy, and The Daily Stoic. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages and have sold close to three million million copies worldwide. He lives with his family outside of Austin, Texas. You can subscribe to receive his writing at RyanHoliday.net and DailyStoic.com. Ryan was also the fourth-ever guest on the podcast in the very beginning, and he has written multiple popular guest posts for my blog, which you can find at tim.blog. His latest book is Stillness Is the Key, which was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller and Wall Street Journal bestseller. This episode focuses on Stoic philosophy and how to apply it in our current uncertain times. Please enjoy! Intro [00:00] Stoicism in the the age of COVID-19 [05:12] On reminding ourselves that as bad as things get, history marches on (with or without us). [11:27] How Ryan prepared in anticipation of the pandemic, what he’s been struggling with most since then, and what I’ve been doing to cope with the same struggle [12:48] It doesn’t matter how many opportunities you miss; it matters how many opportunities you take advantage of. [16:06] There are times when I may make very fast good decisions, but I almost never make good rushed decisions. [21:08] How would the Stoics suggest processing the anger we might be feeling? [00:00] How am I thinking about fear, and what would I say to someone who’s feeling overwhelmed by fear right now? [31:48] How can you make the next three to six months something you look back upon as a sacred time that you really treasure, not just survive? Is it going to be “alive time or dead time,” as Robert Greene would say? [40:17] A few more thoughts on fear [45:05] Why I’m confident (and optimistic) that crisis will overcome incompetence in how the United States comes out of this ordeal [48:08] Stoic leadership during a crisis [51:08] On revisiting Will Bowen’s 21-day no-complaint experiment [1:02:20] Try the Daily Stoic’s Alive Time, Dead Time Challenge! [1:04:18] Using this rare window of time to foster a sense of community where it has largely broken down [1:05:15] The origin story of the expression “alive time or dead time,” how some of the most brilliant minds have expressed their greatest work during times of quarantine, and parting thoughts. [1:06:16] SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/1dSzTkW About Tim Ferriss: Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 400 million downloads and been selected for “Best of iTunes” three years running. Connect with Tim Ferriss: Sign up for "5-Bullet Friday" (Tim's email newsletter): https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-1/ Visit the Tim Ferriss PODCAST: https://tim.blog/podcast/ Visit the Tim Ferriss BLOG: https://tim.blog/ Follow Tim Ferriss on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/tferriss/ Follow Tim Ferriss on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/timferriss/ Like Tim Ferriss on FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/

Ryan HolidayguestTim Ferrisshost

Apr 9, 20201h 5mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: April 9, 2020
Duration: 1h 5m
Channel: Tim Ferriss
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Ryan Holiday is one of the world's foremost thinkers and writers on ancient philosophy and its place in modern life. He is a sought-after speaker and strategist and the author of many bestselling books, including The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego Is the Enemy, and The Daily Stoic. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages and have sold close to three million million copies worldwide. He lives with his family outside of Austin, Texas. You can subscribe to receive his writing at RyanHoliday.net and DailyStoic.com. Ryan was also the fourth-ever guest on the podcast in the very beginning, and he has written multiple popular guest posts for my blog, which you can find at tim.blog. His latest book is Stillness Is the Key, which was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller and Wall Street Journal bestseller. This episode focuses on Stoic philosophy and how to apply it in our current uncertain times. Please enjoy! Intro [00:00] Stoicism in the the age of COVID-19 [05:12] On reminding ourselves that as bad as things get, history marches on (with or without us). [11:27] How Ryan prepared in anticipation of the pandemic, what he’s been struggling with most since then, and what I’ve been doing to cope with the same struggle [12:48] It doesn’t matter how many opportunities you miss; it matters how many opportunities you take advantage of. [16:06] There are times when I may make very fast good decisions, but I almost never make good rushed decisions. [21:08] How would the Stoics suggest processing the anger we might be feeling? [00:00] How am I thinking about fear, and what would I say to someone who’s feeling overwhelmed by fear right now? [31:48] How can you make the next three to six months something you look back upon as a sacred time that you really treasure, not just survive? Is it going to be “alive time or dead time,” as Robert Greene would say? [40:17] A few more thoughts on fear [45:05] Why I’m confident (and optimistic) that crisis will overcome incompetence in how the United States comes out of this ordeal [48:08] Stoic leadership during a crisis [51:08] On revisiting Will Bowen’s 21-day no-complaint experiment [1:02:20] Try the Daily Stoic’s Alive Time, Dead Time Challenge! [1:04:18] Using this rare window of time to foster a sense of community where it has largely broken down [1:05:15] The origin story of the expression “alive time or dead time,” how some of the most brilliant minds have expressed their greatest work during times of quarantine, and parting thoughts. [1:06:16] SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/1dSzTkW About Tim Ferriss: Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 400 million downloads and been selected for “Best of iTunes” three years running. Connect with Tim Ferriss: Sign up for "5-Bullet Friday" (Tim's email newsletter): https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-1/ Visit the Tim Ferriss PODCAST: https://tim.blog/podcast/ Visit the Tim Ferriss BLOG: https://tim.blog/ Follow Tim Ferriss on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/tferriss/ Follow Tim Ferriss on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/timferriss/ Like Tim Ferriss on FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/

SPEAKERS

Ryan Holiday
guest
Author and media strategist known for popularizing modern Stoicism through books like The Obstacle Is the Way and his Daily Stoic project.
Tim Ferriss
host
Entrepreneur, author, and podcast host known for tools like fear-setting and his TED talk (tim.blog/ted).

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Tim Ferriss, featuring Ryan Holiday and Tim Ferriss, How to Use Stoicism to Choose Alive Time Over Dead Time — Daily Stoic Author Ryan Holiday explores stoic tools for fear, anger, and “alive time” during crisis Tim Ferriss and Ryan Holiday discuss using Stoic practices—especially ideals, rehearsal, and locus of control—to navigate fear, anger, and uncertainty during the COVID-19 crisis.

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