I received my copy of the Tools of Titans book 2 days back. I am so excited about this book as a reference that I am planning to gift it to a number of people. I know it should have been before Christmas but I don’t think you need an occasion to gift books. I am a big fan of Tim Ferriess and his podcasts, I am so happy that he decided to get the wisdom of so many people who are thinking and working on the edge into a book format. I think this book will shoot to the classics and best sellers list very fast. I have not read the whole book to write a review yet, I may still do that but in the meanwhile if you really want to be a life long learner and experimenter, I highly recommend that you get this book.
The book is structured into 3 sections
- Health
- Wealth
- Wisdom
The first section has been on mind for the past year and half, I have written about my struggle with Diabetes and Depression. Listening to Tim Ferriss’s Podcast opened my eyes to a different way to deal with my health issues. I am happy to say that I have my diabetes under control without taking any medication and I am no longer depressed. I also believe what fundamentally changed for me is my beliefs, no challenge is a lost cause and I can change my situation no matter what happens. The two episodes in the podcast that really changed my view on things was Wim Hoff and Dom D’Agostino. All other podcasts were just reinforcing the two big ideas around Fasting and Breathing. The chapter in the book about Dom is a great reference for anyone wanting to really understand Ketosis and how our body deals with Food, Metabolism and our misconceptions about nutrition and diet. I have not yet gotten to Wim Hoff, but I have more or less read, listened and seen everything there is about Wim Hoff and his approach to getting strong, staying healthy and feeling happy.
I have written about my own confusion about diets, believe me I read through most of the diet regimes out there. I have recognised that there is no one size fit all diet. What worked for me with regard to food is Intermittent Fasting, staying clear of any form of sugars (ok, I am no saint, I did cheat a bit but with total awareness that I was cheating), staying away from anything to do with processed food and carb rich foods. Again, everything in moderation but I have become obsessive about fasting and the food I eat. I know I can do better with it and I have my fitbit resting heart rate data to validate if I am doing the right thing or not. My resting heart rate goes up if I cheat, it is that simple.
The transformation in my body took a whole year. I took the 10 week video course offered by Wim Hoff last December. I believe my physiology, immune system and endurance have dramatically changed for the better in about a year. I have not gotten the cold, flu, sore throat or any other form of sickness in the past year. Every time I feel I am getting something, you know the tickle in your throat or sniffle. I sat down did 3 to 5 rounds of Wim Hoff breathing technique and took Ice cold water showers for at least 10 minutes, and “vola”! the symptoms just went away. I cannot recommend this enough to all startup founders and entrepreneurs, actually to anyone and everyone who reads this post.
Why am I recommending this especialy to startup founders and entrepreneurs? Because this is my tribe and it is this tribe that abuses their bodies because they are on a mission. My recommendation is be on your mission but work on improving your health and your body because you cannot do anything worthwhile if you are sick or if your body does not have the energy to push through obstacles. If there is one thing that is a constant with entrepreneurship and startup founding is that the obstacle is the way. So get strong, work on your keystone resource i.e your body. A strong body leads to a strong mind and a strong mind is a prerequisite for a founder. I also believe that you can act your way to a certain way of thinking rather than thinking your way to certain type of activity. There is enough evidence that suggests that if you change your physiology it changes your psychology. Try this experiment, when you are depressed or down or things are not going your way, do a simple act of smiling. Just go in front of a mirror and smile… watch how your whole body posture changes and it leads to change in how you see your situation.
This blog post was about my initial excitement and reaction to the book and how the health section has helped me. I hope you get the book and listen to the podcasts so you can see and learn for yourself, how to change your situation. As this year comes to a conclusion I can say without a doubt in my mind it has been a transformative year for me. I cannot wait to see what the next year brings. I don’t plan to write before the new year, so if you have read this far, have a wonderful new year and thank you for supporting Startup Iceland.
