Tools Of Titans by Tim Ferriss: Book Review:

Two powerful quotes to open up the new book by Tim Ferriss, Tools Of Titans.

Success is achievable if you collect the right filed tested beliefs and habits.

The Superheroes you have in your mind (idols, icons, titans, billionaires, etc.) are all walking flaws who’ve maximized 1 or 2 strengths.

I wasn’t sure exactly what I was going to get out of this book. Tim Ferriss says it’s the collection of his notes he has taken in the past few years from his podcast. This podcast features some of the most prominent and respected athletes, actors, entrepreneurs etc. Tim Ferriss has sit-down interviews with these “Titans” and gets the most out of them on what they do in their daily lives. He gets them to reveal tactics, mantras, and habits that helped them get to where they are today.

Tim Ferriss wants you to get benefits just as he has from reading this “recipe book” of self-help advice. I want to break this into parts so that I can review it as I go along the book. Having just finished the Healthy section this is what I will cover in this post.

I won’t go into major detail because, to be honest, there isn’t any. Its summaries of the tactics his guests use and what has helped that specific person. This isn’t a bad thing but it does jump from one topic to the next.  I will summarize my favorite guests in this section. And provide some insight into what you can expect if you pick up the book.

Remember what I get and you get out of chapters could and will be different. Which brings me to my first point I enjoy about the book.

I love the fact that he puts a ton of different people from all walks of life in the book. For example, his first guest is Amelia Boone. She goes by “The Obstacle Course Race Superstar”. She has won the Spartan Race and The Worlds Toughest Mudder many times.

Am I going to be doing either of those races anytime soon? No. But I like that if I ever got into Obstacle Course Racing I can pick up this book. Open to this section and check out what Amelia recommends. Her own personal tips and tactics for success in that particular area.

A topic that is a theme throughout the book is that these people are the best at what they did. They were not the best athlete, the smartest businessman, or the most wealthy investor. They excel at 1 or 2 parts of their lives that took them to the next level to be a Titan in that area.

Success breeds success. The people in this book have gone on to do other incredible things because they have a no quit attitude. This is a theme in the book and, at least for me, infectious to read. It shows in striving to become great at one strength in your life can trickle into other areas. Thus, making you strive to build other areas that may at one time seemed like a weakness.

One of my favorite Titan interviews was the one with Dominic D’Agostino. Dominic is a scientist who once fasted for 7 days straight and went to set a personal record on the deadlift. The content that is in this section is something I was into.

I am overweight and have always been into looking at the Keto Diet because of the health benefits I read that it has. Dominic goes into all this plus more. He explains the benefits of keto for cancer as well as helping with other diseases such as Lyme disease.

It is an eye-opening chapter and its one of my favorites. I am currently going on a Ketogenic diet and will be using the advice provided here by Dr. D’Agostino. He also has some cool insights into fasting that was an interesting read.

Along with the section on Keto and its benefits is The Slow Carb Diet Cheat Sheet. Having never read The 4-Hour Body I curious about what Tim Ferriss recommended for a diet. It’s a 6-Step program mimicking a Keto diet and is online.

I also enjoyed the chapter delving into psychedelics to help people overcome addictions. Not because I myself have any of the addictions discussed. But because they go into something that I have always wanted to try: The Isolation Tank.

The two guys Tim Ferriss interviews say that it is like a meditation on steroids. I am currently getting back into the Headspace app to meditate more. Meditation is another theme that is gone over about many times in the book. The chapter influenced me to try it and I will be in the coming weeks. I will do posts on both using the Headspace app and trying an Isolation Tank.

The chapters above were my favorite in this section of the book. Like I said, Tools of Titans is great because what resonated with me may or may not with someone else. You might take away a ton of information from other chapters.

A couple of things Tim Ferriss gets into towards the end of the Healthy sections I have been using every day. I will end this post with a few I have started to use in my life immediately after reading them.

1. Make your bed in the morning: This is an easy one. The benefits of something as simple as making your bed. When done in the morning is your first step to doing something good for yourself first thing when you wake up
2. Meditation: Tim recommends this as part of his morning ritual. I have been doing this in the evening. After I get home from the gym and my post-workout protein shake. It helps me get out of my head and relaxes me before I go to bed for the night
3. The 5-Minute Journal: This is FANTASTIC. I downloaded a free app on my phone and have been doing it every morning and evening since I read about it. The journal gets you into a feeling of gratefulness first thing in the morning. I feel most people lack this including me. When you feel grateful you can’t feel angry. Tim also gives tips on how to make the most out of your journal.
4. The Joy of Loving-Kindness: I have been trying to be more positive in the new year. I am trying to make the best out of this year and live my life to the fullest (hence this blog). The Joy of Loving-Kindness is simple: You wish for random people you see to be happy. That’s it! It is a simple exercise that puts you into a good head space and makes you feel good about yourself.
5. The No Complaint 21 Day Challenge: I have found that by doing this challenge. Which is no complaining, criticizing, or gossiping. I have nothing to talk about. I am not a SUPER negative person but I could not believe how much of talk with family, friends, or co-workers fall into one of those three categories. Also, this is the hardest of the 5 tactics here. Currently, I can not get to lunchtime without failing the challenge and having to start over. When you use it and try sticking with it – you feel better about yourself and the people you encounter. I wear a rubber band on my right wrist, as soon as I complain I switch it to the left to wear my defeat for the rest of the day. If you decide to use ONE tactic here use this and commit to it.

I am looking forward to the next sections of the book and I will be writing reviews for all them. I hope you got some insight into this fantastic book so far and hope you will be back for my other parts of the review.

Let me know in the comments below if you read Tools Of Titans and your thoughts on it.

Also, let me know if you would like for me to review any other products out there.

P.S. If you would like to buy Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss for yourself to see what you can get out of it then please click here

 

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