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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