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Leo
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Homepage: http://zenhabits.net
Posts by Leo
Relationships are easy
Feb 1st
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Corey Allan of Simple Marriage.
Relationships are easy.
You may have read or heard the opposite, that relationships are hard work. I used to believe that was true. Not anymore.
Relationships are easy.
I understand that making time for someone else or giving up some of the things you love or getting your own way create some struggles in life – but once again, relationships are easy.
Perhaps what people who believe relationships are hard work are actually referring to the difficulty of interacting and living with an immature, childish human.
Why would it be hard work to be in relationship with a mature, caring grown up?
Here’s a couple of other questions to ponder:
Why is it that we are sometimes nicer to strangers than we are to loved ones?
Shouldn’t marriage and relationships lighten our load, not add to our burden? Because if it were the latter, why in the world would any of us sign up for something like this?
Perhaps the problem is that many times we get bogged down in a lot of the unnecessary parts of relationships and lose focus on the essential parts. Or we lose sight of the fact that our significant other is a separate being who is capable of making their own decisions and charting their own path in life.
But this fact isn’t a bad thing at all as it frees you up to do the same! And it also frees you both to choose each other – not feel like you’re stuck in a monotonous existence together.
Why relationships are easy
It all boils down to how you view what goes on within your relationships, specifically your significant ones.
First and foremost, marriage is designed to help you grow up. It’s not about happiness. It’s not about becoming more complete, despite what Hollywood and popular press would like you to believe. Marriage is about growing. Happiness will accompany you at times along the way, but it’s not the ultimate goal.
And second: your growth – your responsibility; your spouse’s – theirs. When you keep this in mind you realize that all you can control in a relationship is yourself.
Many times couples have sought my help in working on their marriage. They come in thinking their relationship is an outside entity that can be fixed. The problem with this is they’ve got it backwards – the relationship is working on them! That’s the way relationships are designed.
When you acknowledge this and live accordingly, relationships are easy.
Here’s how.
How many times has something about your spouse’s behavior driven you crazy? Or how many heated discussions have come from your differences in beliefs?
The best way to combat this is found in this phrase: Rather than trying to adjust the wind, adjust your sails.
Focus on what you can control – and this begins and ends with you!
Simplify things in life so you can savor more of the goodness. This same idea can be applied to relationships.
And it starts by slowing down.
Do you have trouble remembering names when meeting someone new? Do you know why? Most of the time you’re too busy talking or thinking about what to say that you don’t even hear their name.
This happens in regular conversations as well. You’re busy or rushed thinking about something else and you miss the goodness of the moment with your spouse, or kids, or friends.
Slow down. Let their be pauses in the conversation while you think and respond. There doesn’t have to be a banter or speedy exchange of ideas in conversation.
Breathe. Listen. Breathe. Connect.
This will open you both up to more with each other.
Leo’s favorite guide works for most every aspect of relationships as well: “Smile, breathe, and go slowly.”
Just think how much better everything, and I mean everything (wink wink), will be when you follow this guide in your relationship?
Read more from Corey at his blog, Simple Marriage, or subscribe to his feed.
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Note: Zen Habits has been nominated in the 2011 Bloggies. I’d love it if you voted (scroll down the page a bit), if you’re so inclined. Once again I’m in the same category as the awesome Post Secret so I don’t stand a chance!
The Simplest Diet for Lean Fitness
Jan 26th
Post written by Leo Babauta.
I’m in the best shape in my life.
I’m incredibly happy to say that. For years (as many of you know) I was in terrible health — I was overweight and sedentary and addicted to junk food and a smoker and overworked.
Today after more than five years of living healthy I am about 65 pounds lighter. I’m leaner than I’ve been since probably high school with the same pants size as I had in high school (31 inches) — while being much stronger than I was back then. More importantly I am fitter: I can run and play sports and hike and do activities of all kinds better than ever before.
How have I achieved all of this? Slow change. I’ve done no fad diets or quick weight loss. I’ve done nothing extreme. Everything is about living healthier and eating whole foods and being active most days. And about enjoying the journey.
Today I thought I’d share a bit about how I eat. It’s not meant to be copied exactly but to inform others trying to make a similar journey. Also see the next post: How I Train.
Overall philosophy
My general philosophy of eating:
- I don’t go for anything extreme. I’ve made small changes to my diet over the years and have found this works best: if you try for drastic changes you’ll hate it and won’t stick to it for long. But add a few extra fruits and veggies and it’s not hard. Change soda to water next month and it’s not deprivation.
- I eat slowly. OK … not always but most of the time. Eating slowly allows me to fully savor the taste of the healthy food I eat and at the same time eat less while still feeling satiated (not stuffed).
- I eat real foods. I try for veggies and fruits and raw nuts and seeds and beans and some whole grains. Sometimes my food is processed but mostly it’s just the stuff you’ll find in the produce and bulk sections of a supermarket (or farmer’s market).
- I eat plants. I do that mostly for reasons of compassion (killing animals for pleasure doesn’t feel right to me) but I’ve found it’s also an extremely healthy way to eat. Sure it’s possible to be vegan and unhealthy (eat processed fake meats and sweets) but if you’re a whole-food vegan it’s hard to go wrong. And yes it’s easy to get protein as a vegan.
- I enjoy myself. I look for healthy foods I love — berries for example — and savor them. I’ll eat sweets now and then but in small portions and truly enjoy the few bites I have. I have red wine and love it. I drink beer sometimes and it’s wonderful. I have pizza about once a week and it’s delicious. Eating healthy isn’t about deprivation but about finding ways to enjoy yourself while living a healthy life.
My Diet
This month I’ve cut my less healthy choices down to Saturdays — as inspired by Tim Ferriss’s book The 4-Hour Body. That means I only eat pasta and pizza and sweets and beer and French fries on Saturdays. This has gotten me even leaner and I recommend this way of living.
The rest of the week I eat my own version of Tim’s Slow Carb Diet — the Leo version. That means I eat a little fruit and a few whole grains and I don’t eat the meat. I don’t eat fried foods or drink calories (other than red wine at dinner) or eat white carbs (pasta bread rice potatoes pizza).
What I eat:
- Beans – lentils and black beans and kidney beans and pintos and soybeans.
- Nuts and seeds – raw almonds and walnuts and seeds and olive oil and avocadoes.
- Veggies – lots of greens like kale and spinach and chard and broccoli. Carrots and various bell peppers and sprouts and so on.
- Fruits – berries and apples and oranges and a little dried fruits like raisins. In moderation.
- Whole grains – steel-cut oats and Ezekiel flourless sprouted-grains bread and quinoa (not technically a grain). That’s about it — I don’t eat pastas or whole-grain muffins or the like.
My Meals
My typical day usually goes like this:
- Breakfast: Every day I eat steel-cut oats for breakfast late in the morning (usually between 10:30 and 11:30). I cook it and then mix it with flaxseeds and cinnamon and blueberries and raw almonds and a few raisins and maybe a small amount of banana or raspberries.
- Lunch: Typically a big-ass salad with kale and spinach and sprouts and avocados and beans and raw nuts and a little fruit with balsamic vinegar. Sometimes I’ll eat a tofu stir-fry with greens.
- Snack: If I’m hungry in the afternoon I’ll eat some raw nuts and dried fruit or veggies and hummus.
- Dinner: Beans and veggies or a tofu-stir fry or veggie chili with beans. This meal varies. Sometimes the beans will be Indian style or Mexican style. Usually the veggies will be greens like kale or broccoli or chard. Sometimes I’ll have quinoa. Red wine with dinner.
And that’s about it. Over time I’ve found I need less food than I used to. Eat slowly and you’ll find yourself full on less food.
The Results
I used to spread my “cheats” throughout the week — a whole-grain muffin here and some pizza there and beer more than I’d like to admit. But putting everything on Saturdays has helped me be honest the rest of the week.
I honestly enjoy eating whole foods. I enjoy being lighter and leaner. I’ve gained muscle eating these foods though I might focus on building more muscle later in the year.
I run faster than ever. I can do more intense workouts than ever before. I was tested for various health indicators recently and everything was perfect. Eating this way has absolutely changed my life.
Notes
A couple notes to answer potential questions:
- Soy is not unhealthy. You might have read various scare articles on the Internet about soy (usually based on misleading articles from the Weston A. Price Foundation) but they’re misinterpretations of science. I eat soy in moderation and try for whole soy in natural forms (tofu, tempeh, edamame, some natural soy milk). I don’t have man boobs and I’m absolutely healthy. Instead of pointing to “scientific” explanations of why soy is unhealthy show me the actual peer-reviewed studies that show that moderate amounts of natural soy (not soy protein isolate) have caused health problems.
- You can absolutely get enough protein and calcium and iron on a vegan diet if you eat whole foods and not junk.
- Sugar is junk and that includes white flour pasta and breads and French fries. It’s worthless calories. Whole grains in moderation provide nutrients and fiber.
- A little meat in moderation is not unhealthy — especially if you choose grass fed and free range. Most people eat unhealthy amounts of meat and eggs and dairy. Those foods in any amount are unethical in my opinion — even if they’re grass fed and free range. Exploitation of animals as objects and their suffering for our pleasure is not compassionate. We don’t need animal products to live healthy lives — as my example shows — so the only reason to eat them is for our pleasure (we like the taste).
The Spiral of Successful Habits
Jan 25th
Post written by Leo Babauta.
Many people have so many things they want to change about their lives they don’t know where to start.
It’s overwhelming: you might smoke and eat junk food and need to exercise and want to be more productive and eliminate debt and start doing work you love and simplify your life to find time for your family and find things to be passionate about …
Where do you start?
It’s doable — this is where I was five years ago. One by one I changed my habits:
- I quit smoking.
- Started running (eventually did a few marathons).
- Started eating healthier (I eat a whole-food vegan diet now).
- Started eliminating my debt and saving money (I’m debt-free now).
- Started simplifying my life.
- Found work I love doing.
- Started waking earlier and becoming more productive.
The list goes on. I’m not trying to brag but to show it’s possible. I did all this with six kids and three jobs (with tons of help from my wife Eva of course).
Many of you might be in a desperate place like I was. A reader named Craig recently wrote:
“The last 5-7 years have just been complete hell for me mentally, physically, and financially. Prior to then I was a confident young man who was able to do anything that he put his mind to. I’m not sure exactly how everything just seemed to go down hill for me, but now I have all but lost my self confidence, I suffer from stress and anxiety, I am probably about 30-40 lbs overweight, I’m a pack a day smoker, and to be honest I can’t stand to look at myself in the mirror these days.”
He continued:
“Every morning I wake up with butterflies in my stomach because it’s almost like I’m afraid to even face the day. I often sleep too late and I just all around feel like crap in the morning. I have tried all kinds of different things to try to fix this issue but nothing has worked. I just wish I could start my day off on a better note.”
He then asked the key question: “How were you able to kick start your life back in 2005 and begin your journey to a better more productive life? How are you able to get up in the morning, jump out if bed, and start your day on a positive note?”
In 2005 I was in a bad place in my life with so many changes I needed to make that it was utterly overwhelming and discouraging.
Then I made one of the smartest decisions of my life (aside from marrying Eva):
I chose just one habit.
The other habits would come later. Starting with just one habit accomplished four important things:
- It became much more manageable. One habit is doable — 15 habits are too hard.
- It gave me focus. I could pour all my energies into one thing. When you have too many habits you’re trying to change it diffuses your energies and you most often fail.
- It taught me how to change habits — and then I could apply that knowledge to the next habit change.
- It allowed me to succeed and then use that energy and enthusiasm to succeed at the next thing.
Every single one of these is incredibly important. I won’t go into much depth for the first three things because I feel they’re self-evident. But the last one is so important that it deserves a little discussion (see below).
Which Habit to Choose
I started with quitting smoking because it seemed the most urgent to me. Looking back it was also the hardest habit to quit. I might recommend an easier habit to get started with.
But the truth is it doesn’t matter much. If you have 15 habits you want to change and they all seem important then just pick one randomly.
Here’s the thing: in the long scheme it doesn’t matter a lick which one you started with. Five years from now you’re going to look back on all the habits you’ve changed and the order you started with won’t make a difference. Right now it seems to matter but you’re not in this for just this month — you’re in this for life.
Pick one. Any one. I’d suggest an easy one. The important thing isn’t that you choose the right habit but that you start.
Spiral of Success
Picking one habit allows you to succeed and build on that success. That’s more important than you might think if you haven’t done that before.
I read a book by Bill Gates in the 90s where he talked about his “Spiral of Success”. He built MS-DOS and that succeeded so he leveraged that success for MS-Word and then Windows and then Windows 95 and then Excel and Office and Internet Explorer and so on (the order might be wrong here but that’s not important).
Now I’m not a big Bill Gates fan. But the concept is true not only in business but in anything you do: your success with one habit will make you feel great. You’ll be so excited by that you’ll want to try another. If you focus on just one habit you’ll succeed at that too and you can then build on that and so on.
Soon you’ll be rocking the world and people will ask you how you did it. You don’t have to mention my name but you should mention Bill Gates’ name — credit where it’s due.
More Reading
I don’t have space to get into everything you need to know … but I would highly recommend reading these four articles:
- How to Be a Positive Person, in Under 300 Words
- the insidious perfidiousness of doubts, overcome
- The Habit Change Cheatsheet: 29 Ways to Successfully Ingrain a Behavior
- The One Deadly Sin of Changing Habits
Finding the Elusive Work-Life Balance
Jan 18th
Post written by Leo Babauta.
How do you find a balanced life when you’re overloaded with work?
How do you switch off work when you’re away from the office?
The answers to these very common questions are elusive. It’s never an easy thing. But once you do find this balance you’ll find enormous benefits: more enjoyment of life and better relationships and less stress and a better quality of life overall.
A reader recently asked:
“I’d love to hear advice on how people who work full-time jobs can still manage to attain a well-balanced life. Especially in roles that give you sales targets, monitor you, and can be very stressful. I know it’s best to switch off after working hours, but sometimes (as humans) it is tough.
In Hong Kong, part-time jobs don’t pay well here and are tough to find, and full-time jobs often require overtime and are very stressful (it’s the Hong Kong norm to squeeze out as much as you can from an employee). In this corporate jungle, a part-time would be a perfect job for me (say 9-3 everyday); however it’s very hard to find jobs like that – it’s just not how the job market here is in Asia.
So how does one keep their calm and be grounded and still make time & energy for family, friends, myself, hobbies, interests and let’s face it – sanity? How does one learn to ‘not keep goals’ when that is what is expected from 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. 5 days a week? It’s tough to be 2 different people at work and outside of work.”
That’s a tough one. I should note that in many countries — including the U.S. — this is a common problem even if it’s not as pronounced as in Hong Kong (for example). We all face these problems whether we’re employees or self-employed or free-lancers or own our own businesses.
I’ve created a life where balance is intentionally built-in but it hasn’t always been that way. I’ve worked in the private sector (in the news industry) where they try to squeeze every bit out of employees and we were often asked to work longer hours without compensation. I’ve worked in demanding public service jobs where working into the night and weekend hours (again without more pay) were the norm. It wasn’t easy finding balance.
But don’t despair. Change is possible. These days I have created a life where I work less but on things I love. I make time for staying active and getting outside. I make time for playing with my kids and being alone with my wife. I find time alone for reading and walking and thinking. And as I do these things work isn’t always on my mind.
I have a few key tips that should help no matter what your work situation:
1. Set a time to shut off work. Working all day and night means you are nothing but your job. Your life belongs to your employer (or if you’re the employer then your life belongs to your employees or customers). Take ownership of your life — find variety and ways to burn off stress and find enjoyment in life! Start by setting a time each day when you shut off work. Whether that’s 5 p.m. or 5:30 or 6 or 7 or 9 p.m. Some of you can set it even earlier if you start earlier — say 4 p.m. or something like that. Set that time and make it happen. After that shut-off time you will not do work or check email or think about work.
2. Find something to immerse yourself in after work. What do you love doing besides work? Do you love to read or run or play sports or hang out with friends or play with your kids or build model ships or play games? If you don’t already have a passion then pick something that sounds fun and give it a try. It doesn’t have to be expensive — it could be as simple as hiking around your neighborhood or volunteering at a charity or helping friends with household projects. Schedule it as soon after work as possible. And while you’re doing it try to completely immerse yourself. Don’t think about work — only think about the after-work activity.
3. Learn to be mindful and present. It’s not easy to just switch your mind off work but it’s a skill you can learn over time. The way to learn this isn’t to try to block work from your mind — it’s to learn to bring your mind back to whatever you’re doing after work. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing: it could be household chores or exercise or talking with someone or taking a bath or eating. Whatever it is … that’s all you want to focus on. Your mind will inevitably slip into something else. That’s OK. Bring it back gently and without reprimand. Slowly with practice you will get better at being present. Which means your work won’t always be on your mind.
4. Take breaks at work. Not everyone will have this flexibility but it’s worth doing if you can manage it. Basically if you’re working for 8 or 10 hours you don’t want to do it non-stop. You need to find balance even at work. So at least once an hour get up and walk around. Get outside if you can and take a walk. Stretch and massage your shoulders and get your blood moving. Do some squats or pushups if you want to start getting fit. Talk to someone. Drink water. Eat fruits and vegetables. Your break just needs to be 5-10 minutes but it’s important.
5. Increase your skills while at work — to prepare for leaving work. If you are very skilled at what you do then you become worth more. In fact it’s often possible to quit your job and start your own business if you’re good enough. And it doesn’t take a lot of money to work for yourself — you can start a business with practically no money. I started mine while still working full time: my job funded my startup business. Even if you don’t go into business for yourself you’ll be worth more with a high skill level. So devote your work hours to learning and perfecting your work skills.
6. Find ways to increase your income while decreasing hours. As your skills increase your value increases. Slowly pick jobs or projects that earn more money per hour. This often means changing jobs but it might be a promotion or change in roles. It could mean starting your own business or becoming a consultant. If you already have your own business or work for yourself then you should slowly be picking jobs or business projects that pay more for every hour you spend working on them. By increasing income you can decrease hours and free up more time for yourself.
7. Learn that you are not defined by work. You can be happy without your job. Your value isn’t completely tied to your work. For example: I’m a writer but it’s not the only thing I am. I’m also a father and husband and know that those are my most important roles — not my role as a writer. I am more than that as well: I run and read and learn and help others and am constantly experimenting with life. I can do things other than my job and be fulfilled. So can you. And once you discover this you’ll free yourself to find a life outside of work. Then balance is simply a matter of logistics — you just need to make it happen by taking small steps.
Small steps is always the answer. You don’t need to be perfect at shutting off work or being present or pouring yourself into something after work. You just need to start doing it and in doing so you’ve already started down the road to balance.
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le Twitter
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Read more about focus and getting great things done
in Leo’s book, focus.
The Essential Zen Habits of 2010
Dec 28th
Post written by Leo Babauta.
I am overjoyed.
Zen Habits has just finished its 4th year of existence and every year has been better than the last. This year has been no exception.
How great a year has it been? Zen Habits grew from 150,000 subscribers to well over 200,000 and topped TIME magazine’s Top 25 blogs for 2010 (after also making it in 2009).
But the joy has gone beyond numbers — for me both professionally and personally:
- I finished and self-published my new book focus and it has done exceedingly well.
- I moved my family from Guam to San Francisco and have been loving it here in this beautiful city.
- We gave up our automobile completely for the first time and truly love the car-free life.
- I lost more weight at the beginning of the year and am fitter slimmer and healthier than ever. By far.
- I completely eliminated ads here on Zen Habits and rely entirely on my lovely readers and on selling my own stuff.
- I also removed photos from Zen Habits. Some of you have expressed regret that the photos are gone and I understand this feeling. But it was an important change for me: it put the focus on the content and not on a superficial image. I enjoy posting more now that I don’t have to choose some image that’s only slightly related to the content.
- My other blog mnmlist.com has grown to 11,000 readers and (quietly) celebrated its one-year anniversary in September. More importantly: it has helped the minimalist movement grow by leaps and bounds this year.
The Essential Posts of 2010
Each year I choose the top posts from Zen Habits for the year but this year I decided to let you guys do the choosing. I don’t keep track of stats anymore so I don’t know which posts you guys liked best. It was interesting to see the results.
Here are the Top 20 posts as chosen by all of you:
- you’re already perfect
- the lost art of solitude
- The Case Against Christmas Presents
- Simplify, and Savor Life
- the best goal is no goal
- Why I don’t care about success
- the zen of doing
- the elements of living lightly
- Life’s missing white space
- The No. 1 Habit of Highly Creative People
- A simplified morning routine
- a brief guide to life
- Kill Your To-Do List
- How Not to Hurry
- kindfully + mindfully
- achieving, without goals
- How to Be a Positive Person, in Under 300 Words
- The Little Book of Procrastination Remedies
- the tao of productivity
- Get Inspired
A few other posts I’d recommend:
- the barefoot philosophy
- the insidious perfidiousness of doubts, overcome
- lessons from a car-free life
- The Little Guide to Inspiration
And more
For more best of Zen Habits:
- Best of Zen Habits in 2007.
- The Essential Zen Habits of 2008.
- The Essential Zen Habits of 2009.
- The Beginner’s Guide to Zen Habits – A Guided Tour.
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el Tweeto
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Read more about focus and getting great things done
in Leo’s book, focus.
Vote for your favorite Zen Habits posts of 2010
Dec 23rd
Post written by Leo Babauta.
It’s that time of year when we look back and reflect. I usually pick my top posts of the year to share with those who missed them, but this year I thought I’d let you guys pick.
I no longer keep stats on Zen Habits so I don’t know which posts have been the most popular. So you guys have to judge — on quality, not popularity.
Vote for up to 10 posts in the poll below (you can choose fewer than 10 if you like). Deadline for voting is 11 am Pacific on Dec. 27, 2010.
And thank you.
How to find opportunity
Dec 21st
Post written by Leo Babauta.
When we are faced with a crisis or struggle we often despair.
But it’s in this struggle that the best opportunities emerge. If we’re keeping our eyes open.
A crisis is an opportunity to change grow learn reflect and become better. It’s where we discover who we are and how we can find a new way we couldn’t have imagined before the crisis presented itself. It allows us to practice patience and acceptance and find renewed hope — which is the most beautiful thing.
When I’ve lost my job it was an opportunity for reinvention and to strike out on my own.
When I’ve lost a family member to the unrelenting grip of death it was an opportunity to reflect on that loved one’s wonderful life and for our family to come together in a way never possible before.
When I failed at work I learned to improve and grow better.
When I injured myself I learned patience and new ways to be healthy.
When my children throw tantrums they are teaching me more patience and the power of raw emotions and the wonder of childhood and what happens when you lose perspective.
When my wife and I had arguments it was an opportunity to learn more about each other and grow closer and become better at finding common ground.
When I moved and missed my family on Guam terribly it was an opportunity to learn introspection and self-sufficiency and grow closer to family here in the States.
When I daily face the terror of the void staring at me face to face it is my chance to push back and assert my will and imprint my soul upon this malleable world.
And that my friends is beauty. It is the finding of renewed hope and growth when all else seems bleak and lost.
In the struggle is the possible if we dare to look.
When In Doubt Simplify
Dec 20th
Post written by Leo Babauta.
It’s the time of year when everyone is in a crazy rush: to shop to decorate to get ingredients to go to parties to travel to get last-minute work done to go to the kids’ Christmas pageants to go caroling to get those to-dos done.
There is a single answer to just about all your problems — Christmas or otherwise:
Simplify.
It’s the answer to your time-management problems: instead of trying to figure out how to manage your schedule try simplifying it. Do less. Say no to projects and meetings. Cut back on commitments. Have less on your schedule and you’ll eliminate the problem of trying to manage it all. You’ll also have less stress and love life more.
It’s the answer to your financial problems: instead of trying to manage all your bills and debts try simplifying. Spend less. Shop less. Do without for a bit. Cut back on your bills. Have fewer credit accounts. Eliminate debt and have less stress.
It’s also the answer to your storage problems: instead of trying to find more storage for all your stuff try simplifying. Reduce clutter. Having less stuff requires less storage (even a smaller home) and is less stressful. You’ll also save lots of money in storage and maintenance.
Want to lose weight? Simplify your diet. Want to change a habit? Simplify the process: do just one habit at a time.
Having trouble getting things done? Eliminate distractions and find focus.
Want to get out of the craziness of Christmas shopping? Do less of it.
Simplicity isn’t always easy. It requires the courage to be different. To say no. To make difficult decisions. To question the way we’ve always done things.
But the result is lovely: simplicity means more space. More quiet and peace. More focus and less craziness. Less stress. A happier healthier life. That’s worth the effort.
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på Twitter
The 4-Hour Body: The Tim Ferriss Interview on Zen Habits
Dec 14th
Post written by Leo Babauta.
Tim Ferriss’ new book The 4-Hour Body is now out and I’ve been reading it for a week now. It’s utterly fascinating.
Tim as you know is the author of The 4-Hour Workweek, a huge best-selling book, and his new book looks to be just as successful.
I had the pleasure of talking with Tim this week about his book. It was a great conversation — full of interesting and useful stuff. My apologies for the quality of the video.
Some highlights:
- Why The 4-Hour Body is the book he always wanted to write [2:40].
- Why he made himself a guinea pig for crazy experiments [2:59].
- Whether or not I’ll have a Tim Ferriss body if I replicate his experiments [7:20].
- The ins and outs of self-experimentation [8:20].
- The most extreme experiments he conducted on himself [13:24].
- Tim’s sex experiments and how he found willing subjects (including an effective pick-up line) [16:56].
- The changes he recommends starting with, for those looking to lose fat and gain muscle [22:20].
- The effectiveness of a “before” photo in losing weight [28:25].
- Whether (and how) his methods can work for vegetarians and vegans [29:50].
- Leo’s hopes of becoming a testosterone sex machine [32:30].
- Why this book is by far the most important thing Tim has done [34:30].
It was a fun conversation, and again, Tim’s new book is a fascinating read.
As a bonus for you guys, Tim has given me a copy of The Slow-Carb Cookbook: Volume 1 (compressed zip file).
Check the book out on Amazon (affiliate link): The 4-Hour Body.
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an twitter.
Get Inspired
Dec 5th
‘You owe it to us all to get on with what you’re good at.’ ~W. H. Auden
Post written by Leo Babauta.
Yesterday as I walked among the mass of humanity near Union Square in downtown San Francisco, a man with a megaphone and a “Trust Jesus” sign started preaching the good word to the crowd.
He was ignored of course, but what caught my attention was his radiant smile, and his evident energy and enthusiasm.
Say what you want about him (he’s possibly a little crazy), this man was so much more excited about something than any of the holiday shoppers walking boredly by him.
He was inspired, moved to get up on a soapbox and do something!
How many of us can claim to be that excited about anything we do? If you don’t get excited by what you do, why not? Is it something we can change?
I can honestly say I am excited by what I do. Not to the point where I’m screaming about it on a street corner (though you can argue what I do here on Zen Habits isn’t much different than that), but excited nonetheless.
What most people are missing is inspiration, and the conviction that they are doing something good, that might change the lives of others.
This week, with the spirit of these wonderful holidays all around you, find inspiration.
Find something that moves you.
Get inspired, and stand up and sing Hallelujah! (video via Shawn Blanc)
Then go out and do something good.
I promise you, it will change your life.
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A friend who I believe is truly excited about the things he’s doing is Scott Dinsmore, who I’ve had the honor of going on some amazing runs with the last couple months here in San Francisco.
Scott is applying for a blogging job, to be a happiness blogger, and while there are other worthy applicants, I would love to see him get it. Please, take the time to vote for him.
Scott is a humble, thoughtful, compassionate, sincere person, and while I think he’ll go on to do great things whether he gets this job or not, he deserves this. Vote for him, then get inspired by him on his blog.
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il Tweet, il Volto Libro (Facebook)