The Tim Ferriss Show

#498: Josh Waitzkin and Tim Ferriss on The Cave Process, Advice from Future Selves, and Training for an Uncertain Future

Feb 16, 2021

Josh Waitzkin, an eight-time national chess champion and author of "The Art of Learning," dives into the depths of mastering skills and personal growth. He discusses the transformative power of questioning assumptions and how ‘gating questions’ can enhance critical thinking. The conversation touches on balancing personal quirks with performance excellence and the journey of embracing strengths alongside weaknesses. Josh also reflects on introspection in martial arts, highlighting the necessity of understanding deeper principles as we navigate uncertain futures.

01:27:33

Episode guests

Josh Waitzkin

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Highlights

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Embrace strengths and weaknesses to find balance in personal growth.

Shift from control to surrender for transformative power and uncertainty.

Value long-term thinking, attention to details, and patience in decision-making.

Deep dives

Focus on Overcoming Weaknesses and Embracing Strengths

Exploring the entanglement of strengths and weaknesses, the speaker discusses the importance of both embracing strengths and acknowledging weaknesses. He delves into the idea of efficiency and competition, highlighting how the overemphasis on control and competition can lead to misery. By hitting the pause button and reassessing, he seeks a balance between leveraging his strengths while addressing his weaknesses.

Questioning Assumptions and Commitment Level

01:17

I've Had a Lot of Pulmonary Complications and I'm a Master Wrestler

03:13

The Shadow of Brilliance

01:24

The Importance of Probabilistic Thinking and Principles in Learning

01:25

Intro

2min

Revolutionizing Home Fitness with Tonal

7min

Unlocking Insights Through Gating Questions

12min

Embracing Eccentricity and Excellence

17min

Navigating Minimalism, Competition, and Personal Growth

6min

Embracing Strengths and Surrender

10min

Mastery and Reflection in Martial Arts

26min

Tales of Tails and Tech

9min

Josh Waitzkin and Tim Ferriss on The Cave Process, Advice from Future Selves, and Training for an Uncertain Future | Brought to you by Wealthfront automated investing, Vuori comfortable and durable performance apparel, and Tonal smart home gym. More on all three below.

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 13 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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Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.