The Tim Ferriss Show

#412: Josh Waitzkin on Beginner’s Mind, Self-Actualization, and Advice from Your Future Self

Feb 27, 2020

Josh Waitzkin, an accomplished author and champion in chess and martial arts, dives into the art of learning and mastery. He shares insights on embracing a beginner's mindset while exploring new disciplines like paddle surfing and foil boarding. The conversation highlights the importance of feedback loops in performance and how personal experiences shape our values. Waitzkin also discusses the power of empathy in coaching and the significance of resilience through learning to fall safely. His reflections are as profound as they are inspiring.

01:23:15

Episode guests

Josh Waitzkin

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Quick takeaways

Learning is unobstructed self-expression, not just acquiring knowledge.

Continuous evolution of learning processes focuses on conceptual understanding and challenging assumptions.

Maximizing feedback loops is crucial for learning and skill development.

Combining best practices with experimentation and stress testing fosters growth and breakthroughs in skill development.

Deep dives

Creating Optimal Sleep Conditions

Improving sleep quality became a priority after realizing its impact on overall well-being, leading to changes in daily routine, exercise, diet, and investing in new beds and mattresses, like those from Helix Sleep, tailored through a sleep quiz for personalized comfort.

Creating Powerful Triggers through Physiological State Manipulation

01:15

Reps hidden in plain sight: The concept of front side turns

00:33

Different Ways of Learning

03:28

Gaining Perspective Through Future Self

00:58

Intro

4min

Reflections on Learning and Mastery

9min

Foiling Through Experience and Resilience

15min

The Journey of Mastery: A New Perspective

21min

The Power of Feedback Loops

18min

Unconventional Skill Mastery

8min

Empathy in Coaching and Teaching Strategies

5min

Final Thoughts and Recommendations

5min

Josh Waitzkin on Beginner’s Mind, Self-Actualization, and Advice from Your Future Self | Brought to you by Helix Sleep and Athletic Greens.

"I think of learning as unobstructed self-expression." — Josh Waitzkin

Josh Waitzkin, author of The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance, is an eight-time national chess champion, a two-time world champion in Tai Chi Chuan Push Hands, and the first Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under nine-time world champion Marcelo Garcia.

For the past 12 years, Josh has been channeling his passion for the outer limits of the learning process toward training elite mental performers in business and finance and to revolutionizing the education system through his nonprofit foundation, The Art of Learning Project. Josh is currently in the process of taking on his fourth and fifth disciplines, paddle surfing and foiling, and is an all-in father and husband.

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