Episode
#370.5: Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness, and Saying “No” to Millions (Repost)
1:58:59
Published: Sat May 11 2019
Description
This episode originally aired in 2015. You can find the show notes of the episode here. “To me, ‘busy’ implies that the person is out of control of their life.” – Derek SiversDerek Sivers (@sivers) is one of my favorite humans, and I call him often for advice. Think of him as a philosopher-king programmer, master teacher, and merry prankster.Originally a professional musician and circus clown, Derek created CD Baby in 1998. It became the largest seller of independent music online, with $100 million in sales for 150,000 musicians.In 2008, Derek sold CD Baby for $22 million, giving the proceeds to a charitable trust for music education. He is a frequent speaker at the TED Conference, with more than 5 million views of his talks. Since 2011, he has published 34 books, including “Anything You Want,” which I’ve personally read 10+ times.Enjoy!You can find the transcript of this episode here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.***For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chapters
Tim Ferriss and Seth Godin discuss their professional backgrounds and how they became successful in their respective fields.
00:00 - 04:33 (04:33)
Summary
Tim Ferriss and Seth Godin discuss their professional backgrounds and how they became successful in their respective fields. They also touch upon their thoughts on the business world and offer advice on how to simplify and grow your company.
Episode#370.5: Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness, and Saying “No” to Millions (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker shares their experience of playing in gigs with a circus run by a husband and wife team, where Tarleton, the wife, led the performances with enthusiasm and pizzazz.
04:34 - 10:37 (06:03)
Summary
The speaker shares their experience of playing in gigs with a circus run by a husband and wife team, where Tarleton, the wife, led the performances with enthusiasm and pizzazz. They also talk about the importance of giving the audience what they came for, whether it's on stage or in interviews.
Episode#370.5: Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness, and Saying “No” to Millions (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker reflects on how she initially misinterpreted a woman's kindness towards her and how it affected her communication going forward.
10:37 - 14:41 (04:03)
Summary
The speaker reflects on how she initially misinterpreted a woman's kindness towards her and how it affected her communication going forward.
Episode#370.5: Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness, and Saying “No” to Millions (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The importance of having a mentor or coach in achieving success, as well as pursuing one's passions and making bold decisions.
14:41 - 17:30 (02:49)
Summary
The importance of having a mentor or coach in achieving success, as well as pursuing one's passions and making bold decisions.
Episode#370.5: Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness, and Saying “No” to Millions (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
A man reflects on how a conversation with his mentor in college led him to realize that he could take an exam and get credit for a required course without attending the class.
17:31 - 20:52 (03:20)
Summary
A man reflects on how a conversation with his mentor in college led him to realize that he could take an exam and get credit for a required course without attending the class.
Episode#370.5: Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness, and Saying “No” to Millions (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
In this podcast episode, the speaker discusses how a mentor has taught him to challenge the status quo and question everything to find shortcuts and better solutions.
20:53 - 24:48 (03:55)
Summary
In this podcast episode, the speaker discusses how a mentor has taught him to challenge the status quo and question everything to find shortcuts and better solutions.
Episode#370.5: Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness, and Saying “No” to Millions (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker went for a bike ride every day, but noticed that he was starting to feel less motivated.
24:48 - 28:44 (03:55)
Summary
The speaker went for a bike ride every day, but noticed that he was starting to feel less motivated. He realized that changing his approach to the ride, such as standing up and looking at the scenery, helped him find more enjoyment in the experience.
Episode#370.5: Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness, and Saying “No” to Millions (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker discusses the early days of selling music online through websites like cdnow.com and the challenges faced by independent musicians trying to get their music on these platforms.
28:45 - 34:54 (06:09)
Summary
The speaker discusses the early days of selling music online through websites like cdnow.com and the challenges faced by independent musicians trying to get their music on these platforms.
Episode#370.5: Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness, and Saying “No” to Millions (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
CD Baby is a platform for independent musicians to sell their music.
34:55 - 41:03 (06:08)
Summary
CD Baby is a platform for independent musicians to sell their music. It was built back in 1997 by Derek Sivers and it helped them with barcodes and automated shipping notification.
Episode#370.5: Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness, and Saying “No” to Millions (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The founder of CD Baby shares that his business was the first website to allow independent musicians to sell their music online in the late 1990s and discusses the minimal startup costs for his business.
41:03 - 44:13 (03:10)
Summary
The founder of CD Baby shares that his business was the first website to allow independent musicians to sell their music online in the late 1990s and discusses the minimal startup costs for his business.
Episode#370.5: Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness, and Saying “No” to Millions (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
In this episode, the hosts discuss the infatuation and fetishizing of pivoting in the tech startup world and why it is dangerous to idolize extreme risk-taking.
44:13 - 52:40 (08:26)
Summary
In this episode, the hosts discuss the infatuation and fetishizing of pivoting in the tech startup world and why it is dangerous to idolize extreme risk-taking.
Episode#370.5: Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness, and Saying “No” to Millions (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The host and guest discuss the positive outcomes of pausing work and focusing on new projects.
52:40 - 58:35 (05:55)
Summary
The host and guest discuss the positive outcomes of pausing work and focusing on new projects. They also touch on the topic of the pressures of being "busy".
Episode#370.5: Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness, and Saying “No” to Millions (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The use of AI can help individuals teach their decision-making process to others and ultimately lead to successful businesses, as seen in the example of the owner of CD Baby teaching his employees his decision-making philosophy.
58:36 - 1:05:12 (06:36)
Summary
The use of AI can help individuals teach their decision-making process to others and ultimately lead to successful businesses, as seen in the example of the owner of CD Baby teaching his employees his decision-making philosophy.
Episode#370.5: Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness, and Saying “No” to Millions (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The episode discusses the legendary return policy of Nordstrom's that they accept even burnt products from other stores.
1:05:12 - 1:12:42 (07:29)
Summary
The episode discusses the legendary return policy of Nordstrom's that they accept even burnt products from other stores. They also talk about how people tend to trust products with a lot of positive reviews and internal stories like the Zappos pizza story.
Episode#370.5: Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness, and Saying “No” to Millions (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker shares their method for internalizing what they read by reviewing notes and underlining important parts of books, which they then type out into a plain text file for future reference.
1:12:42 - 1:16:08 (03:26)
Summary
The speaker shares their method for internalizing what they read by reviewing notes and underlining important parts of books, which they then type out into a plain text file for future reference.
Episode#370.5: Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness, and Saying “No” to Millions (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The host shares how he was inspired by the value of summarizing information into specific sentences for people who do not have the time to read lengthy books.
1:16:08 - 1:24:44 (08:35)
Summary
The host shares how he was inspired by the value of summarizing information into specific sentences for people who do not have the time to read lengthy books.
Episode#370.5: Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness, and Saying “No” to Millions (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
A discussion about the ambiguity of language and how it affects conversations, particularly around topics such as life; a mention of a mind-blowing fact about Japan's street naming system.
1:24:44 - 1:31:10 (06:26)
Summary
A discussion about the ambiguity of language and how it affects conversations, particularly around topics such as life; a mention of a mind-blowing fact about Japan's street naming system.
Episode#370.5: Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness, and Saying “No” to Millions (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
This podcast episode provides tips on how to prepare for the worst, expect disasters, choose opportunity over loyalty, and own as little as possible in order to thrive in an unknown future.
1:31:10 - 1:34:41 (03:31)
Summary
This podcast episode provides tips on how to prepare for the worst, expect disasters, choose opportunity over loyalty, and own as little as possible in order to thrive in an unknown future.
Episode#370.5: Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness, and Saying “No” to Millions (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The author shares Seneca's passage that advises setting aside some time each month to subsist on the cheapest and roughest clothing/food and ask oneself whether this is the condition we feared.
1:34:41 - 1:41:08 (06:27)
Summary
The author shares Seneca's passage that advises setting aside some time each month to subsist on the cheapest and roughest clothing/food and ask oneself whether this is the condition we feared. He also talks about Marcus Aurelius' practical meditations on pessimism.
Episode#370.5: Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness, and Saying “No” to Millions (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The podcast host expresses their interest in understanding the philosophy and cultural norms of different countries, viewing them as a form of modern applied philosophy.
1:41:08 - 1:49:01 (07:53)
Summary
The podcast host expresses their interest in understanding the philosophy and cultural norms of different countries, viewing them as a form of modern applied philosophy. They request book recommendations that delve deeper into the mindset of different nations.
Episode#370.5: Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness, and Saying “No” to Millions (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker shares their biggest advice to their younger self, which is to not be like the donkey from the fable who stands between two choices and cannot decide.
1:49:01 - 1:56:08 (07:06)
Summary
The speaker shares their biggest advice to their younger self, which is to not be like the donkey from the fable who stands between two choices and cannot decide. Instead, focus on pursuing one thing at a time in order to make progress and reach goals.
Episode#370.5: Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness, and Saying “No” to Millions (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss invites his audience to receive a short email every Friday, named Five Bullet Friday, containing some of the coolest things he has found or pondered over the week, including gizmos, gadgets, and other weird stuff from the world of the esoteric.
1:56:08 - 1:58:38 (02:30)
Summary
Tim Ferriss invites his audience to receive a short email every Friday, named Five Bullet Friday, containing some of the coolest things he has found or pondered over the week, including gizmos, gadgets, and other weird stuff from the world of the esoteric.