On the Modern Wisdom Podcast, Living Philosopher Derek Sivers, and Hiring Translators

The podcast “Modern Wisdom” was recommended before. I started listening to the anchor Chris Williamson because of his looks and body. Later, I discovered that there is a lot of wisdom behind his sexy British voice.

The lineup of guests on this podcast is very wide. The previous episode was about philosophers discussing the meaning of life, and the next episode was about porn actors sharing their filming experiences; scholars and scientists analyzed the current political situation and research reports, and film and sports stars talked about their inner circles. An untold story… This week’s 500-issue milestone for the Modern Wisdom podcast, host Chris shares what he’s learned from guests in the past 500 episodes, briefly summarizing:

1. SEAL Instructor Jocko Willink : Bravery is not a positive emotion, but an act of fear and action. The same is true of motivation. You may not feel the inner driving force, but you still do what you should do. This can also be called motivation. Therefore, motivation is short-lived, and self-discipline is eternal. The key is to take action and remember Nike’s slogan “JUST DO IT!”

2. Writer Gurwinder Bhogal: People hold seemingly absurd ideologies and religious beliefs not to actually believe in them, but to be able to integrate into a particular group, not to be excluded or isolated.

3. Weightlifting coach Zack Telander: Difficulty will always come, it is better to invite it and move closer to it than to avoid it. Especially in the field of creation, deliberately limiting the freedom of creation and creating some difficulties will allow you to focus on the essence of creation, burst out unprecedented creativity, and see things that others cannot see.

4. Entrepreneur and author Alex Hormozi: People often seek success because they think it will bring us more happiness and meaning. But most people sacrifice happiness and joy in the pursuit of success, and what they get in the end is very different from what they imagined in their minds. Fear is often more motivating than motivation.

5. Oliver Burkeman, Reporter: Most people fall into the trap of trying to be productive. They believe that being able to get more work done in less time brings greater satisfaction. But there is no end to productive life, and people end up doing one task after another without stopping until they die. The solution is to set yourself a concrete and achievable goal, what does the end of a productive life look like to you?

6. Brain scientist Andrew Huberman : Humans can control the brain by controlling the body. Instead of struggling with problems such as inability to concentrate, poor sleep, and mood swings, it is better to pay attention to your diet, drink enough water, get sun exposure, get along with friends, etc. , control the brain by changing the function of the body.

7. Writer Kyle Eschenroeder: Do you want to be someone or do you want to do something? The two are not mutually exclusive, but they are far less connected than we think. Looking back at history, we find that celebrities are often recognized for doing great things; but today’s celebrities are those who are committed to the pursuit of fame. Modern celebrities empower the notion of self to those who follow them, measuring self worth by the reactions of others rather than their own actions. Fame can bring you happiness, and naturally it can also bring you pain. How do you know that your motive for doing something is not to become famous? Try to imagine that if the results of doing this were unknown, would you continue?

8. Psychologist Roy Baumeister: The reason why we are afraid of change, although the result of change may save us from pain, but because of the fear of complexity and the unknown, let us choose to continue to suffer.

9. Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, Data Scientist: Traditional factors such as height, appearance, income, etc. for choosing a partner have a very low correlation with whether the two will be able to live happily in the long-term in the future. The happiness of long-term relationships is mainly affected by each other’s psychological stability, growth mindset, life satisfaction and security.

10. Shane Parish , well-known host and blogger: People need to be wary of turning a hobby into a job, sometimes because of the money involved in the original intention of doing something. If you can find your passion, you need to protect it well and avoid being driven and controlled by money as much as possible.

11. Well-known anchor and investor James Altucher : No one can beat you when you are yourself. If you have unique qualities and backgrounds, including the way you speak, past trauma and life experiences, this is what sets you apart. The more eccentric you are, the more unique, the more unique, the more competitive and interesting you are. You have to fully enjoy what you have and share it all.

12. Brian Greene, Theoretical Physicist: Life is not a movie, and a 20-minute montage will not take us from nothing to fame and fortune. It will be a long and arduous journey to reach the goal from the current state. Only by continuous reflection and perseverance can we finally achieve the results we want.

13. Law professor Jason Parkin: The heroes you worship are not gods, they are just ordinary people. They may have accomplished one thing by ignoring and sacrificing everything else. As you climb towards the apex of a field, you will be overtaken by those who decide to focus only on that field.

14. Writer David Robson: People tend to overlook the power of the mind’s thoughts on how the body works. Why do optimists live longer? Because they are convinced that they are capable of overcoming difficulties. Don’t underestimate the power of hope. You used to think that you could not pass the hurdles, but now look back and see if you have passed them all? So, in the face of present problems and setbacks, why not expect you to be able to overcome them again?

This week, I successfully invited my online mentor Derek Sivers to be a guest podcaster. A talk with you is better than ten years of reading! In the process of chatting with Derek, in addition to being touched by his sincerity, I also realized that those people who seem out of reach are actually ordinary people like us.

Don’t be afraid to take the first step of self-introduction, the big deal is that you won’t receive a reply, but if the other party happens to be interested in your introduction and the content you share, won’t you earn it? I also met a lot of seemingly unattainable Twitter bosses with this “cheeky”. Gained knowledge, gained opportunities that were never thought of, and provided value to the other party.

I learned about Derek Sivers when I listened to the Tim Ferriss podcast in 2018. Derek is a musician, entrepreneur, TEDtalk speaker, author, programmer and publisher. Lived in the US, Singapore, UK and Europe for many years and currently lives in Wellington, New Zealand. His personal website is as direct, minimal, sincere, and as deep as he is.

I went to Wellington to visit him. When I first met him at the airport, I was impressed by his enthusiasm. I talked about cultural differences between East and West, blog and podcast creation, children’s education, love life, self-recognition and other topics. Later, we had a meal together and went to the beach where he often took his son to play. Derek’s philosophy of life has guided me out of my confusion, and it has also made me more courageous to embrace the unknown, wander around the world, and experience the culture I want to know firsthand.

Derek Sivers founded the NOW Page Movement in 2015 because he is often asked “what are you doing now”? In order to answer this kind of question, and to remind himself to always focus on the projects that have been announced, and to help him say “no” to unnecessary invitations, Derek has added an additional page to his website – the Now page, which will be updated at any time. Hundreds of people then joined the event. Welcome to the website to join the sport.

Finally, I attach some quotes from Derek and recommend his three best-selling books:
– “Your Music and People” is a philosophical book for creators, teaching you that the life of an artist does not need to be compromised.
– “Hell Yeah or No” is a book for people with difficult choices to teach you how to think and make decisions.
– “How to Live” is written for everyone, life is yours, find the way that fills you with energy and creates value for the society.

1. Derek has a well-known life philosophy: “Hell yeah or no”, which is actually knowing how to say no. If doing something doesn’t make you feel “great”, the answer is “no” (this method doesn’t work for students or new hires).

2. Ideas are worthless, but ideas + actions are worthwhile.

3. There is no real failure in the world, only giving up.

4. Reading also depends on fate. If you read a good book at the wrong age, you will miss the truth because of your insufficient cognitive level at that time.

6. Derek’s Six Philosophy of Life: Prepare for the worst; Anticipate disaster; Have as little as possible; choose between chance and loyalty; choose options that give you more opportunity when making decisions; life is impermanent , plan less.

7. Derek thinks that he can be summed up in the following three points: always changing his mind; like to see things from multiple perspectives; creating valuable content.

8. “Marketing” means empathy.

Don’t confuse “marketing” with advertising, publicity, spam, or giving away branded junk products.

Marketing means getting people to notice you, think of you, remember you, and talk to their friends about you.

Marketing means listening to people’s needs and creating surprises tailored just for them.

Marketing means getting to know people, building deep connections with them, and staying connected.

All of this is empathy – seeing things from the perspective of others and doing what’s best for them.

A lot of people say, I hate marketing! Yes, if you think marketing is about shutting down your own creativity, spending a lot of money, and annoying people, you certainly have a reason to hate it. Nobody likes marketing like this.

So, find a creative and empathetic way, that’s the best marketing.

9. All past experiences do not actually determine your future, but depend on your interpretation of the experience.

10. Everyone in life should be responsible for their own decision-making. How others see you is their decision. It is none of your business. It is more important to be yourself and take care of yourself.

11. Desire can take you far, but if you keep following it, you become its slave.

12. In many cases, although people hate the status quo, they give up thinking about the time and energy it takes to change their current lifestyle.

13. In many cases, people always think “if I want to change I can change at any time, but not now”, but end up doing nothing for a lifetime, and then living in a “possibility” dream until death.

14. When you want to be yourself, no one is your competition.

15. Relationships that limit each other’s freedom can’t last long. If one party is always compromising and sacrificing, even if there is passion in the relationship, it won’t last long. When a person feels in a relationship that “I can be completely myself”, this is true love. The most important thing in interpersonal relationships is the “sense of distance”, just like reading a book, you can’t see anything if you put the book on your face and look at it.

My podcast with Derek is out! Major platforms? Chiwi Journal can listen.​

Finally finished reading Balaji Srinivasan’s new book “The Network State” this week! This book, which has been sought after by the bigwigs in the technology circle once it was launched, has a huge amount of information, and some concepts are obscure and difficult to understand. The current V1 version has been very exciting, and the V2 version, which is expected to be released at the end of the year, will double the content based on the collection of existing feedback and comments, and use more examples of theoretical and practical projects to illustrate the feasibility of “cyber nation” .

After reading it, I really wanted to introduce this book, which is likely to change the world pattern, to Chinese readers, so after communicating with Balaji, I got his permission to translate it. I have tasted the joy of teamwork when translating Jordan Peterson ‘s “The Twelve Rules of Life” , and this time I want to recruit friends to participate in the project of translating this book.

Specific requirements:

– Familiar with Balaji Srinivasan ’s philosophy and content, listened to his podcast interviews or followed his twitter.

– Please read this book first and then decide whether to participate in translation. If you don’t get the Hell Yeah impulse while reading this book, it may not be a project worthy of your participation.

– This book may make you uncomfortable ideologically, and may even be in danger of being banned after publication, please consider the consequences first.

– The remuneration cannot be said to be generous, but it is certainly much higher than traditional translation standards. The most important thing is that you can communicate and learn directly with the boss, this opportunity is a rare opportunity.

Interested friends, please send me a private message with your email address and attach your personal profile (website, social media link or text version) and previously translated works, and I will email to notify you of more details about this project.