The best podcast I heard this week was Episode #179 of the Tim Ferriss Show: “What’s Important to You?” This episode was not your typical Tim Ferriss Show format, in which he interviews a world class performer. Instead, Tim chose to share an audio chapter from Ryan Holiday’s new book, “Ego is the Enemy”.
I have not read “Ego is the Enemy” yet, but I have definitely been curious about it. Ryan’s last book, “The Obstacle is the Way” which I reviewed HERE, was a fantastic read. Have you read it? I think it could be a slam dunk college graduation gift for a young person just starting out.
The chapter of “Ego” we get to listen to is titled, “What’s Important to You?” It’s read by Ryan Holiday himself. One of my favorite aspects of his last book is how Holiday weaves history into all of his chapters. It seems he carried the same approach over to “Ego”. To set up his point, he starts the chapter comparing the lives of Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman after the Civil War. Both generals were in a position to do as they wanted after the war, yet they took completely different paths. One led a fulfilled life of purpose, the other went seeking “more”. These paths led each man to massively different levels of contentment.
Holiday uses this comparison to dive into the reasons we must figure out what is important to us. And by us, I mean you and only you. How often do you find yourself wanting to do something because someone else is doing it? Or because it is the expected course? This is a surefire way to never feel satisfied. You can see the implications of saying yes based on someone else’s values and desires. According to Holiday:
“We say “yes” because we don’t want to miss out. We think yes will help us accomplish more, when it actually prevents what we actually seek.”
In other words, identify what is important to YOU and you will have a roadmap for your life’s journey. From there, you can make decisions based on your unique destination. It should become easier to ignore what the pack is doing. You can start saying “yes” only to the things that will get you closer to your goals.
Author Ryan Holiday
This Tim Ferriss Show podcast episode is short and sweet. Maybe 12 minutes or so of the actual content once you get through sponsorship talk at the beginning and end. To skip the sponsors and get straight to the content, fast forward to the 4 1/2 minute mark. Listen to it HERE. And let me know what you think!
And if you would like other podcast episode recommendations, find them HERE.
