The Tim Ferriss Show #149: How to Live in The Moment
Timeless Wisdom of Seneca
- Ancient wisdom remains timeless; Seneca's "On the Shortness of Life" speaks profoundly to modern life.
- Revisiting such essays regularly reinforces the importance of mindful and purposeful living.
Time's Fleeting Illusion
- Life is fleeting and time is far shorter than we imagine due to the many stages we move through.
- We often waste precious hours on trivial matters while life races by unnoticed.
Master Time and Fear
- Focus only on what's critical; scorn trivial problems rather than fretting over them.
- Cultivate courage to embrace life's hardships calmly and stop fleeing from the inevitability of death.
I once wrote, "We all like to appear 'successful' (a nebulous term at best) and the media likes to portray standouts as superheroes...Most 'superheroes' are nothing of the sort. They’re weird, neurotic creatures who do big things DESPITE lots of self-defeating habits and self-talk." Focusing on what people accomplish without understanding the mindset that allows them to experience that success leads to limited results. To help close the gap, I wanted to share On The Shortness of Life by Seneca the Younger. It's a short letter written roughly two thousand years ago, yet it's timeliness. This is an essay that I revisit at least once a quarter because it focuses on how much time we're given in life, and how it's oftentimes misused or wasted. You can listen to my favorite portion here, which begins with: "Why do you torment yourself and lose weight over some problem..." This is a fantastic reminder to mind the critical few and to ignore the trivial many. You can listen to this one and the rest of the collection via the Tao of Seneca at Audible.com/TimsBooks. Enjoy! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This podcast is brought to you by Boll & Branch. There is a lot of nonsense in the bedding business. For instance, did you know thread-count is not a good measurement of quality? It’s a total myth. The “Made in Italy” label? It isn’t something you should necessarily pay extra for because it generally means it’s just finished in Italy and woven in places like China. The general industry mark-up for bedding is 700 to 800 percent at most retailers. Boll & Branch creates incredibly high-quality bedding. They are the same sheets you’ll find at my home in San Francisco. The best part? You can try anything you order at home for 30 days. If you don’t love it, send it back and get a full refund. Go to Boll & Branch and use promo code “TIM” for 20% off your entire order. Whether sheets, towels, blankets, duvet covers, or anything else. Shipping is always free. This episode is also brought to you by Exo Protein. These guys are making protein bars using cricket protein powder. Before you look disgusted, I bet they taste better than any protein bar you’ve ever had before! With recipes that were developed by a three-Michelin-star chef, the bars are paleo-friendly, with no gluten, no grains, no soy, no dairy, and they won’t spike your glycemic response. In fact, they’re less processed than any other protein bars you’ll be able to find. Exo Protein is offering a deep discount to Tim Ferriss Show listeners — if you go toExoProtein.com/Tim today, you can try a sampler pack with all of the most popular flavors for less than $10. This is a startup with limited inventory that sells out all the time, so act fast!
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