In this episode, William Green chats with famed author Pico Iyer about how to create a life that’s truly richer, wiser, & happier. Pico has written 15 books & delivered 4 TED Talks that have received nearly 12 million views. Here, he shares profound & practical insights drawn from his vast range of personal experience: he’s spent decades as a travel writer; befriended everyone from the Dalai Lama to Leonard Cohen; lost everything he owned in a wildfire; & built a remarkably peaceful & productive life in a tiny apartment in Japan.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:
00:00 - Intro
04:41 - Why Pico Iyer relishes the calm simplicity of his tiny, uncluttered home in Japan.
08:01 - Why he doesn’t use a cell phone & does most of his work without a computer.
13:45 - What advice he gives to youngsters on making a life & not just making a living.
22:37 - Why going slow has become the ultimate luxury in a world of speed.
26:34 - Why leading business executives are so receptive to his teachings on stillness.
29:55 - How he structures his day to be most productive.
43:57 - Why billionaires like Ray Dalio have embraced meditation.
52:03 - What Pico discovered when a wildfire destroyed everything he owned.
1:17:02 - How Howard Marks applies the Buddhist teaching that everything is impermanent.
1:21:56 - What Pico has learned from decades of friendship with the Dalai Lama.
1:35:55 - How travel shows Pico the limits of what we can ever truly know.
2:03:55 - What the singer & Zen monk Leonard Cohen taught him about inner riches.
Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences.
BOOKS AND RESOURCES
- Pico Iyer’s website.
- Pico Iyer’s TED talk on the Art of Stillness.
- The Half Known Life by Pico Iyer.
- Autumn Light by Pico Iyer.
- The Man Within My Head by Pico Iyer.
- The Art of Stillness by Pico Iyer.
- The Open Road by Pico Iyer.
- Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki.
- Guy Spier interviews William Green.
- William Green’s book, “Richer, Wiser, Happier” – read the reviews of this book.
- William Green’s Twitter.
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