What I Learned Listening to Tim Ferriss Interview Derek Sivers

I listen to the Tim Ferriss Show from time to time. I find Tim’s interviews compelling and his questions insightful. I’ve usually got a page or two covered with quotes and notes, after each episode. 

Tim interviewed Derek Sivers a while back, and it’s stuck with me. Remixes and different takes on the wisdom Derek shared spring forth from the stew of ideas swirling around my mind regularly. 

I’d like to share a few of them with you here today. Below you’ll find some of my biggest takeaways from their conversation. 

• What you know doesn’t mean squat, it’s what you do consistently that matters. You must act.
• Expect disaster.
• Be expensive.
• Think slow and deliberate.
• Think long-term. You can do everything you want. You just need foresight and patience.
• If you feel anything less than "Hell yes!" just say, "No." Otherwise, you’ll say "Yes" to many lesser things.
• Busy is out of control. Lack of time is a lack of priorities.

Give their conversation a listen if you’d like some context to go with these quotes. I've linked to it below. There’s no telling what great idea it might spark down the road. 

 Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness and Saying “No” to Millions

Success Is Often Found On The Other Side of Drudgery

I’m not sure why inspiration waxes and wanes like the ocean tide. It just does. At least that's been my experience. There isn’t a big ‘a-ha!’ every time I sit down to work. Sometimes work is inspired play, it comes easy and fills my heart with joy. Other times it’s a battle of perseverance, that has me barely hanging on. 

But, I charge on, and so should you. All things worthy of our aim require great effort. We're going to have to roll up our sleeves and get things done the old fashioned way. 

We have to push through dry spells until at last inspiration strikes and work becomes play once more. We must soldier on, showing up each day. 

I wish I had something more uplifting and encouraging for you today, but this is all I have. A message to hang in there, and trust the process. 

It’s a lifetime thing becoming the painter, photographer, writer or whatever you want to be. “Nothing else matters,” Steven Pressfield said, “except sitting down every day and trying.” 

Go to bed a little earlier tonight, set your alarm across the room and get up tomorrow, ready to hone your craft once more and try. That’s all you can ask of yourself. 

The Scariest Moment

You know that thing you need to do? That thing that scares you? That thing that everything within you dreads doing?

That thing is only scary and fills you with fear because you haven’t jumped in. You haven’t started yet. 

“The scariest moment,” King said, “is always just before you start. After that, things can only get better.”

Most of the things we dread don’t turn out as terrible when we get up close and personal with them. Once you overcome your fear and begin things only improve. 

So hear’s to getting started. To rolling up your sleeves and taking the first step. That's the hardest part. It's all down hill after that.

On the other side of that first step is the freedom that comes from beating fear. The freedom that comes from engaging discipline and doing things inspite of fear. 

Raving Fans

Ken Blanchard was famous for his concept of creating raving fans. He used to say that satisfying customers wasn’t the goal. Creating situations where they’re absolutely blown away is.  

Creating those experiences isn’t as difficult as you think. It takes going that extra inch to make every encounter with you and your business remarkable. It’s being different in a way that improves how your customer feels about working with you. 

You want people to walk away not only satisfied but raving about you. You want them obsessed and telling everyone about it. 

Put others first. Be interested in the lives of others. Be present everywhere you are, not distracted by your phone or what’s going on around you. Look people in the eye. Smile. Care enough to listen. Say “please,” and “thank you.” 

These are simple things. We can all do better at creating raving fans. Whether they’re fans of our business or fans of us personally. 

Aim to leave a great impression on everyone you meet. 

Do this and you’ll have a stellar reputation. Not only that, but you’ll have a life full of more love and kindness than you thought possible. 

Capturing The Power In Small Moments

While in college I took part in an aptitude assessment. For two days they put problem after problem before me to see how I responded. It felt more like a game than series of tests until I reached one involving spacial awareness. The test was simple. They showed me a square block composed of several different pieces, like a puzzle. They would then have me turn around as they dissembled the block. After turning around they asked me to put it back together as they timed me. I couldn’t do it the way they wanted me to.

I kept “failing” the test because when faced with a complex problem, I broke it up into smaller ones. I made two different blocks out of the pieces and then put those two together. I couldn’t do it the other way, the “right” way, no matter how many chances they gave me.

This is how I solve complex problems, I break them up into smaller more manageable ones. I don’t try to eat a steak all in one bite, and I don’t attempt to tackle large goals or issues in one bite either. I chop them up into many smaller pieces, solve them and get to work putting them back together.

My wife and I do this as a team on a daily basis. Most divide most projects between the two of us. We split a wedding day evenly for instance. While she is capturing the bride getting ready, I’ll do the same for the guys. While she is shooting from the aisle, I am getting a different angle. While she is taking family pictures, I'm calling out names and lining up the next photo. At every moment and in every way we divide big things, like weddings, into small bite size chunks.

Chunking like this not only helps us do big projects at work, it also aids us in reaching large personal goals. No area is this more evident in my life than my reading habits. I determined to continue learning and growing the rest of my life many years ago. I read a lot as a result. I don't read with the prolific nature of Tim Challies—who reads over 100 books a year—or the determined spirit of Stephen King— who prescribes reading four to six hours a day—but, I still read more than a lot of people.

I read in the neighborhood of thirty books covering the span of the literary world each year. Some books stretch my mind, some inform my heart, and others show how stories get told. Regardless of the genre or style each page I turn helps me become whoever it is I’ll grow up to be.

The same could true for you. You don’t have to set aside hours for reading or take a speed reading course do the same feat. All you have to do is carve out small moments of focused effort.

Read in small bits here and there. I break it up into three small bite size bits. I read three pages when I wake up, three more over my lunch break, followed by three more before bed. That’s almost ten pages without breaking a sweat.

Why three pages? It’s a number so small, it’s not worth not doing. Why would I skimp on reading such a small number of pages? We look at the stack of books we want to read and chicken out before trying because it all seems too big. Three pages is a number so small in comparison, that it’s laughable not to take them on.   

The funny thing is I rarely stop at three pages per sitting. Once I’m deep in a book, there is little knowing how many pages I’ll end up turning. It varies day to day, but it’s far more than I’d read otherwise.