The Tim Ferriss Show

#148: Josh Waitzkin, The Prodigy Returns

Mar 22, 2016

Josh Waitzkin, a chess prodigy turned martial arts expert and author, shares his mastery of learning strategies. He discusses the importance of 'slack' for creativity and personal growth, emphasizing how empty space nurtures learning. Waitzkin dives into flow states, mindfulness in investing, and cultivating resilience through unique parenting philosophies. He also advocates for a growth mindset, interconnected learning, and how consistent meditation can transform lives. This engaging conversation offers profound insights for anyone looking to enhance their performance and well-being.

01:52:40

Episode guests

Josh Waitzkin

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Quick takeaways

Embrace uniqueness and empower children to navigate obstacles and grow.

Develop somatic awareness for mental performance, incorporating mindfulness practices, stress recovery, and biofeedback.

Cultivate a growth mindset in children, emphasizing effort, practice, and learning from failures.

Embody the principles being taught to effectively instill them in children, including somatic intelligence and internal orientation.

Harness the power of scarcity in learning, creativity, and habit creation, optimizing craft and achieving long-term goals.

Deep dives

Embracing Chaos and Unobstructed Self Expression

The speaker describes his approach to parenting and emphasizes the importance of allowing children to embrace their uniqueness and eccentricities. He shares how he encourages his child to go around obstacles and empower themselves. The speaker also discusses how he cultivates an internal locus of control in his child, reframing challenges as opportunities for growth.

Marcello and the Principle of Quality in Little Things

01:50

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Scaling Up

03:49

Embracing Chaos to Foster Peace and Adaptability

01:25

Surviving near-drowning incident and its impact on gratitude and risk assessment

02:20

Intro

4min

The Mastery of Learning and Flow States

3min

Flow States and Life Lessons

19min

Mindfulness in Investing

5min

Thriving in Chaos: Nurturing Individuality and Mindset

19min

Cultivating Internal Strength: Authenticity in a Public World

28min

The Importance of Slack in Creativity and Growth

3min

Navigating Growth: Quality and Scarcity

20min

Nurturing Interconnected Learning

3min

10.

Fostering Interdisciplinary Learning

4min

11.

From Competitor to Nurturer

6min

12.

The Power of Consistent Meditation and Weekly Inspirations

2min

Ever since episode #2 of the podcast, you’ve been asking for more Josh Waitzkin, so here it is! This is an in-depth jam session, and you can definitely listen to this one independently. Josh Waitzkin was the basis for the book and movie Searching for Bobby Fischer. Considered a chess prodigy, he has perfected learning strategies that can be applied to anything, including his other loves of Brazilian jiu-jitsu (he’s a black belt under phenom Marcelo Garcia) and Tai Chi push hands (he’s a world champion). These days, he spends his time coaching the world’s top performers, whether Mark Messier, Cal Ripken Jr., or high-profile investors. I initially met Josh through his incredible book, The Art of Learning, which I loved so much that I helped produce the audiobook (download here at Audible). If you're interested in implementing programs designed by Josh in your classroom, go to theartoflearningproject.org and find out if the program is a good fit for you. This episode is DEEP, in the best way possible. Just like last time, Josh will blow your mind. Enjoy! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This podcast is brought to you by MeUndies. Have you ever wanted to be as powerful as a mullet-wearing ninja from the 1980’s, or as sleek as a black panther in the Amazon? Of course you have, and that’s where MeUndies comes in. I’ve spent the last 2-3 weeks wearing underwear from these guys 24/7, and they are the most comfortable and colorful underwear I’ve ever owned. Their materials are 2x softer than cotton, as evaluated using the Kawabata method. Check out MeUndies.com/Tim to see my current faves (some are awesomely ridiculous) and, while you’re at it, don’t miss lots of hot ladies wearing MeUndies. This podcast is also brought to you by Wealthfront. Wealthfront is a massively disruptive (in a good way) set-it-and-forget-it investing service, led by technologists from places like Apple. It has exploded in popularity in the last two years and now has more than $2.5B under management. Why? Because you can get services previously limited to the ultra-wealthy and only pay pennies on the dollar for them, and it’s all through smarter software instead of retail locations and bloated sales teams. Check out wealthfront.com/tim, take their risk assessment quiz, which only takes 2-5 minutes, and they’ll show you—for free–exactly the portfolio they’d put you in. If you want to just take their advice and do it yourself, you can. Well worth a few minutes to explore: wealthfront.com/tim.

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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.