April 20, 2015

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Ryan Holiday on Stoicism, strategy and creativity

Best selling author Ryan Holiday discusses how Stoicism can help us transform trials into triumph. It's a pragmatic episode, full of strategies to invert obstacles and wrest opportunity from adversity.

By Scott Barry Kaufman

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This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

Best selling author Ryan Holiday discusses how Stoicism can help us transform trials into triumph. It’s a pragmatic episode, full of strategies to invert obstacles and wrest opportunity from adversity. The conversation includes invaluable advice for aspiring creatives, research affirming the Stoic approach, how great historical figures have used Stoicism and more…

In this episode you will hear about:

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  • The intersections of Stoicism, creativity and positive psychological research

  • Ryan’s alternative track to success and the importance of mentorship

  • How Steve Jobs employed Stoicism

  • The importance of understanding reality objectively

  • How blessings and burdens needn’t be mutually exclusive

  • Passion vs. purpose

  • How modern psychology is affirming the truths of timeless philosophy

  • Psych research that could help creative professionals

  • The effects of meditation on creative output

  • The high ROI habits that help Ryan’s creativity

  • “Contemptuous expressions” and stripping things of the legends that encrust them

  • Scott and Ryan’s views on the importance of living as your authentic self

  • Harmonious passions

  • The importance as a writer of having something valuable to say

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Resources:

“Ryan Holiday is a media strategist and prominent writer on strategy and business. After dropping out of college at nineteen to apprentice under Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power, he went on to advise many bestselling authors and multiplatinum musicians. He served as director of marketing at American Apparel for many years, where his campaigns have been used as case studies by Twitter, YouTube, and Google and written about in AdAge, the New York Times, and Fast Company.” -Blurb taken from Ryan’s blog

Scott Barry Kaufman is a humanistic psychologist exploring the depths of human potential. He has taught courses on intelligence, creativity and well-being at Columbia University, N.Y.U., the University of Pennsylvania, and elsewhere. He hosts the Psychology Podcast and is author and/or editor of nine books, including Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization, Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind (with Carolyn Gregoire), and Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined. Find out more at http://ScottBarryKaufman.com. In 2015 he was named one of "50 groundbreaking scientists who are changing the way we see the world" by Business Insider. He wrote the extremely popular Beautiful Minds blog for Scientific American for close to a decade. Follow him on X.

More by Scott Barry Kaufman

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