We Study Billionaires - The Investor’s Podcast Network RWH061: How To Thrive No Matter What w/ Arnold Van Den Berg
Arnold Van Den Berg, founder of Century Management and a WWII survivor, shares invaluable lessons from his 50-year investing career. He discusses the power of extreme focus and how it shaped both his life and investment strategies. Arnold delves into mental practices like breath work and self-hypnosis, enhancing performance and fostering optimism. He offers insights on navigating today's overvalued market, advocating for commodities over traditional stocks. His journey emphasizes character, learning, and the joy found in sharing knowledge.
02:20:01
Focus Saved His Father's Life
- Arnold's father survived a death march by focusing only on moving his legs and refusing to fall.
- That intense one-pointed focus gave him energy and allowed him to keep going despite near-starvation and cold.
Flow Releases A Potent Neurochemical Cocktail
- One-pointedness (flow) releases a cocktail of neurochemicals that enhance focus, pleasure, and pain tolerance.
- Yogis and flow researchers show you can access deep creative and performance states by slowing breath and stabilizing attention.
Truthfulness Protects Judgment And Love
- Dostoevsky taught Arnold that 'above all, do not lie' because lying blunts your ability to discern truth and love.
- Losing honesty corrodes self-respect, relationships, and moral life more than intelligence does.
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Intro
00:00 • 5min
Arnold’s Background and Purpose
05:05 • 2min
How One-Pointed Focus Saved Lives
07:26 • 5min
Breath, Yogis, and One‑Pointedness
12:29 • 2min
Flow States and Neurochemistry
14:08 • 6min
Developing Sustained Concentration
20:32 • 2min
Literature’s Lessons on Truth and Character
22:41 • 9min
Mental Practice, Imagery, and Survival
31:31 • 4min
Breath Training for Health and Longevity
35:42 • 5min
Ad break
41:00 • 4min
Hypnosis and Self‑Programming
44:32 • 22min
Core Principles of Mental Creation
01:06:24 • 17min
Practical Induction: Silva and Counting Backwards
01:23:29 • 7min
Daily Affirmations and Auto‑Suggestion
01:30:00 • 4min
Offering Free Resources
01:33:51 • 7min
Affirmation Evolution: Love, Health, Wealth, Wisdom
01:41:10 • 2min
Hypnosis Applied to Recovery and Performance
01:43:03 • 5min
Cultivating Optimism Through Practice
01:47:34 • 4min
Portfolio Positioning Amid Overvaluation
01:51:47 • 7min
Simple Ways for Ordinary Investors to Access Commodities
01:58:44 • 2min
Warnings: Avoid Leverage and Long Treasuries
02:00:30 • 2min
AI as a Research Multiplier, Not a Decision Maker
02:02:14 • 4min
Timeless Investment Advice: Character and Learning
02:06:30 • 3min
Happiness from Sharing Knowledge and Unconditional Giving
02:09:17 • 11min
James Allen’s Message: Let Self Die and Serve Others
02:19:52 • 4min
Outro
02:23:34 • 41sec
#5394
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The Genie Within
Harry W Carpenter
In 'The Genie Within,' Harry W. Carpenter provides a comprehensive guide to harnessing the power of the subconscious mind.
The book explains how the subconscious works and offers practical techniques to reprogram it for achieving goals, enhancing creativity, relieving stress, and improving health.
It emphasizes the importance of aligning the conscious and subconscious minds to achieve success.
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Mind is the master
James Allen
This book compiles nineteen of James Allen's most influential works, including 'As a Man Thinketh', 'Eight Pillars of Prosperity', 'From Poverty to Power', and 'The Mastery of Destiny'.
It provides timeless wisdom on the power of thought, principles of success, and paths to personal fulfillment.
The collection is a valuable resource for those seeking to improve their lives and achieve their highest potential.
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Breath
The New Science of a Lost Art
James Nestor
In 'Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art,' James Nestor delves into the history and science of breathing, revealing how modern humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly.
The book takes readers on a global journey to ancient burial sites, secret Soviet facilities, and other unusual locations to uncover the hidden science behind ancient breathing practices like Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, and Tummo.
Nestor collaborates with pulmonary experts to test long-held beliefs about breathing and presents evidence that slight adjustments in breathing can significantly improve athletic performance, rejuvenate internal organs, and alleviate various health issues such as snoring, asthma, and autoimmune diseases.
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Self-Hypnotism
Leslie M. LeCron
This book provides a comprehensive approach to self-hypnosis, offering techniques for communicating with the subconscious, overcoming emotional troubles, and improving overall health and happiness.
It covers topics such as autosuggestion, positive thinking, and managing various emotional and physical challenges.
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The Brothers Karamazov
Larissa Volokhonsky
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Richard Pevear
Set in 19th-century Russia, 'The Brothers Karamazov' is a novel that delves into the lives of the Karamazov family, focusing on the three brothers—Dmitri, Ivan, and Alyosha—and their complex relationships with their father, Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov.
The novel is a murder mystery, a courtroom drama, and an exploration of erotic rivalry, faith, doubt, and reason.
It examines the human psyche, moral dilemmas, and the search for meaning in a world fraught with suffering and uncertainty.
The story revolves around the murder of Fyodor Pavlovich and the subsequent trial of Dmitri, accused of the crime, while exploring deeper themes of Russian life, social and spiritual striving, and the clash between faith and reason.
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Man's Search for Meaning
Viktor Frankl
The book is divided into two parts.
The first part recounts Frankl's harrowing experiences as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz, between 1942 and 1945.
He describes the inhumane conditions and the psychological and emotional struggles of the prisoners.
The second part introduces Frankl's theory of logotherapy, which posits that the primary human drive is the search for meaning, rather than pleasure.
Frankl argues that meaning can be found through three main avenues: work (doing something significant), love (caring for another), and suffering (finding meaning in one's own suffering).
The book emphasizes the importance of finding purpose and meaning in life, even in the most adverse conditions, as a key factor in survival and personal growth.
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Richer, Wiser, Happier
How the World's Greatest Investors Win in Markets and Life
William Green
In Richer, Wiser, Happier, William Green draws on interviews conducted over twenty-five years with many of the world’s greatest investors.
The book highlights that the most successful investors are mavericks and iconoclasts who question conventional wisdom and think rationally, rigorously, and objectively.
They maximize their odds of long-term success in markets and life by drawing insights from diverse fields such as neuroscience, economic history, psychology, philosophy, and more.
Green explains how these investors can teach us not only how to become rich but also how to improve our thinking, decision-making, risk assessment, and resilience, and how to turn uncertainty to our advantage.
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Flow
The Psychology of Optimal Experience
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
In this classic work, Csikszentmihalyi investigates 'optimal experience' and reveals that true happiness and satisfaction can be achieved through a state of consciousness called 'flow.
' During flow, individuals experience complete concentration on the task, clarity of goals, and immediate feedback.
The book demonstrates how this positive state can be controlled and how it can improve the quality of life by unlocking meaning, creativity, and peak performance.
In this episode, William Green chats with Arnold Van Den Berg, a revered investor whom he spotlighted in his book, Richer, Wiser, Happier. Against all odds, Arnold has run a highly successful investment firm for 50 years. Here, he discusses what he’s learned about how to succeed in markets & life; shares practical tools that he’s found transformative; & explains how he’s positioned to survive & thrive in the most overvalued US stock market he’s ever seen.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:
00:00 - Intro 06:57 - How extreme focus saved the life of Arnold Van Den Berg’s father. 14:05 - How to develop one-pointed focus & get into a flow state. 18:50 - What Dostoevsky taught Arnold about avoiding lies & discerning truth. 40:58 - How Arnold overcame a terrible self-image & “reprogrammed” himself. 40:58 - How he taught himself to be a successful investor. 01:34:51 - What habits he practices every day, including his favorite affirmations. 01:47:53 - How he remains optimistic amid adversity. 01:51:56 - Why he’s betting big on gold, silver, uranium, oil & natural gas. 01:51:56 - Why he thinks the S&P 500 “is one of the worst things you could buy.” 01:57:54 - Why he warns against long-term Treasury bonds & “anything with leverage.” 02:02:24 - How he & his firm are harnessing Artificial Intelligence. 02:09:59 - What brings him the greatest happiness. 02:19:02 - What you’ll learn from his favorite book about the “real secret to life.”
Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences.
BOOKS AND RESOURCES
- Join Clay and a select group of passionate value investors for a retreat in Big Sky, Montana. Learn more here.
- Join the exclusive TIP Mastermind Community to engage in meaningful stock investing discussions with Stig, Clay, Kyle, and the other community members.
- Inquire about William Green’s Richer, Wiser, Happier Masterclass.
- Arnold Van Den Berg’s investment firm, Century Management.
- Write to request Arnold’s report on one-pointed focus.
- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow.
- Victor Frankl's Man’s Search for Meaning.
- Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov.
- James Nestor's Breath.
- Leslie Lecron's Self Hypnotism.
- Harry Carpenter's The Genie Within.
- Harry Carpenter’s audio recordings for relaxation & self-hypnosis.
- James Allen' Mind is the Master, including “From Poverty to Power”.
- William Green’s 2022 podcast interview with Arnold Van Den Berg.
- William Green’s 2023 podcast interview with Arnold Van Den Berg.
- William Green’s book, “Richer, Wiser, Happier” – read the reviews of this book.
- Follow William Green on X.
- Check out all the books mentioned and discussed in our podcast episodes here.
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