I recently came across a TED talk given by Tim Ferriss called “Smash Fear, Learn Anything.” Ferriss — known widely for his productivity secrets in “The 4-Hour Workweek” — speaks about working with smarter techniques to learn skills faster and more easily. And doing so even in the face of anxiety and low-confidence — or fear and phobia.
His talk does double duty. He shows the importance of facing the hard stuff in life head-on, resolving your anxieties and working your way through to solutions. In addition, he actually teaches some effective techniques in learning to be a good swimmer, speak a new language and dance the Tango (or any other kind of dance.)
While I applaud a great deal of what Ferriss writes in his books, I also take issue with an equal amount of his ideas. This 16-minute talk, however, is full of insights and tips that fall on the applause side.
(Besides, even when Ferriss writes stuff I disagree with or find ultimately inappropriate, I still find him interesting.)
So, here’s the video:
