Derek Sivers podcast

Scuba, panic, empathy

26 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I used to scoff at those people who had panic attacks. “The cake is late! Oh no! I’m freaking out! I can’t breathe!” Ridiculous. Hysteric...

Writing one sentence per line

20 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

My advice to anyone who writes: Try writing one sentence per line. I’ve been doing it for twenty years, and it improved my writing more than any...

The joke that changed my life

19 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Growing up in America, I didn’t know much about other cultures. When I was 25, my band got some gigs in Europe — my first time there. It was ...

Ancestors, Luck, and Descendants

24 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

My Sivers ancestors came from Grantham, Lincolnshire, England on a boat to America in 1849. The boat crashed on rocks in the Irish sea, caught fire...

Why I left America

09 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I was living on the beach in Santa Monica, California, and life was perfect. I was in paradise, and deeply happy. Friends wanted to travel, but I...

Balance everything.

27 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Balance everything. All bad things in life come from extremes. Too much of this. Too little of that. When we lack bal...

Make change.

26 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Make change. Change the world as much as you can. All your learning and thinking is wasted if you don’t take action. ...

Make a million mistakes.

25 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Make a million mistakes. You learn best from your mistakes. This is true. So you should deliberately make as many mista...

Don’t die.

24 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Don’t die. There’s only one law of nature: if you survive, you win. Be paranoid. Avoid failure to survive. For so...

Create.

23 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Create. The most valuable real estate in the world is the graveyard. There lie millions of half-written books, ideas neve...

Love.

22 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Love. Not love, the feeling, but love the active verb. It’s not something that happens to you. It’s something you d...

Reinvent yourself regularly.

21 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Reinvent yourself regularly. People say everything is connected. They’re wrong. Everything is disconnected. There i...

Get rich.

20 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Get rich. Suspend judgment. Making money isn’t evil, greedy, shallow, or vain. Money isn’t your worth as a human be...

Live for others.

19 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: for others. Focusing on yourself seems smarter and easier, but it’s short-sighted. It’s ignoring the huge benefit of ...

Prepare for the worst.

18 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Prepare for the worst. Things are going to get harder. The future will test your strength. So far, you’ve lived in a ...

Laugh at life.

17 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Laugh at life. A gorilla, speaking with sign language, makes a joke. We’re amazed. She’s showing the fullest expres...

Follow the great book.

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Follow the great book. You know what your great book is. Whether the Bible, Tanakh, Upanishads, Quran, Think and Grow Ric...

Learn.

15 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Learn. Learning is underrated. People wonder why they’re not living their ideal life. Maybe they never learned how. ...

Value only what has endured.

14 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Value only what has endured. The longer something lasts, the longer it will probably last. Something that’s been around...

Chase the future.

13 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Chase the future. Live in the world of tomorrow. Surround yourself only with what’s brand new and upcoming. That’s ...

Be a famous pioneer.

12 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Be a famous pioneer. Nobody had ever run a mile in under four minutes. It seemed impossible. But one day, Roger Bannist...

Do whatever you want now.

11 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Do whatever you want now. The past? That’s what we call our memories. The future? That’s what we call our imagina...

Pursue pain.

10 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Pursue pain. Everything good comes from some kind of pain. Muscle fatigue makes you healthy and strong. The pain of pra...

Let randomness rule.

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Let randomness rule. We think we see patterns and causes. Really there are none. We think events are meaningful. Real...

Master something.

08 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Master something. Be a monomaniac on a mission to be truly great at something difficult. Pick one thing and spend the res...

Make memories.

07 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Make memories. You recently had a day, or even a month, that you can’t remember. If I asked what you did then, you coul...

Intertwine with the world.

06 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Intertwine with the world. We’re all cousins. Everybody on Earth, no matter how far apart, has a surprisingly recent co...

Think super-long-term.

05 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Think super-long-term. In 1790, Benjamin Franklin gifted £2000 to the cities of Philadelphia and Boston by putting it into...

Do nothing.

04 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Do nothing. The ten commandments said what not to do. Most of being a good person is not doing bad. Don’t be cruel or...

Fill your senses.

03 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Fill your senses. See it all. Touch it all. Hear it all. Taste it all. Do it all. Appreciate this wonderful physi...

Commit.

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Commit. If you’ve ever been confused or distracted, with too many options… If you don’t finish what you start… ...

Be independent.

01 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how to live: Be independent. All misery comes from dependency. If you weren’t dependent on income, people, or technology, you would ...

Considerate book pricing

27 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I love having my own store so I can make things the way I think they should be. For example, I disagree with the usual pricing of books. If I buy...

How many pets do you have?

13 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I used to have too many pets. Each time I adopted one, I was fully in love. I was enamored with the potential. Each new pet was meant to be my const...

$250K books sold. $250K to save lives.

06 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

2023 UPDATE: see “$575K of books sold. $575K to save lives.” Six weeks ago I emailed my private email list with a secret link to buy my new bo...

Time is personal. Your year changes when your life changes.

30 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A new day begins when I wake up, not at midnight. Midnight means nothing to me. It’s not a turning point. Nothing changes at that moment. A n...

Experiments in music and life

07 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

One approach to music is to do whatever you want. Absolutely anything goes. But to me, that’s too free. It’s anti-inspiring because having infini...

How I got rich on the other hand

30 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

I don’t usually talk about money, but a friend asked me what it was like to get rich, and he wanted to know specifics, so I told him my story. I h...

When in doubt, try the difference

28 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re in doubt about something that’s not in your life, try it. Things are so different in practice versus in theory. The only way to know is...

Why experts are annoying

27 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When someone becomes an expert at something, you know what else they become? Annoying. At a restaurant, your designer friend complains about the fon...

What you learn by travelling

26 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

I wanted to learn about the world, so I went travelling. People in the east are so graceful, I felt like an inconsiderate pig. People up north are ...

PostgreSQL example of self-contained stored procedures

25 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

First, see my previous article about PostgreSQL functions at sive.rs/pg. That article gave tiny examples, but no finished working code. This week...

Mastery school

24 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s an idea: Create a little school somewhere remote. School of what? School of mastery. A place for anyone who wants go focus on a skill of th...

Monthly self-expansion project

23 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s an idea: Every month, pick something you hate or know nothing about, and get to know it well. Spend a few hours per week, for an entire mo...

Living according to your hierarchy of values

22 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

My “daily” blog was silent the last four days, because I took my kid on a spontaneous trip to another country. No phone. No computer. I gave ...

How to ask your mentors for help

17 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

I have three mentors. When I’m stuck on a problem and need their help, I take the time to write a good description of my dilemma, before reaching ...

When you win the game, you stop playing

16 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Someone asked me today why I don’t charge money for the things I do. Why don’t I have ads on my site? Why don’t I exploit my assets and pursue...

Digital pollution

15 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

You couldn’t just roll down the street leaving huge piles of garbage everywhere you go, making life slower for everyone as they climb over your mou...

Cut out everything that’s not surprising

14 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This is my advice to anyone writing something for the public — especially a talk on stage. People listen to a talk, or read an article, because th...

Heed your fears

13 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

People often ask me how they can get over their fears. For example, they are scared to quit their job and start a business. They want me to say so...

Daydreaming is my favorite pastime

12 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Somewhere in our past, we were told it’s bad to daydream, because it meant doing nothing — staring out the window — instead of doing what we’...

Anti-chameleon

11 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

I don’t know why I have this rebellious nature. I tend to want to be the opposite of my surroundings. At serious formal events, I can’t stop lau...

Where we do and don’t want automation

10 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

I used to use Gmail. But one day, as I typed my mother’s email address into the “To:” field, Google popped up a prompt asking if I also wanted ...

Human nature to focus on the one bad thing

09 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today my bus was delayed, and I was really annoyed. Also, I got a really nasty email, which put me in a worse mood. No, wait, I should give the ful...

Back and forth between super-hot and super-cold

08 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The most relaxed feeling I know is after going back and forth between a super-hot pool and super-cold pool. Stay in the super-hot pool until you can...

Err on the side of action, to test theories

07 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

I spend a lot time thinking of alternate ways to approach life. I re-consider my hierarchy of values. When values change, the plan of action needs ...

Blowing off work to play

06 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What do you call it when you skip school or work for a day, to do whatever you want instead? In America, we call it playing hooky. In England, we cal...

What happens when we ignore plans?

05 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

I took my 7-year-old to London today. I made two plans: if it rains, we go to a museum, if not, we go to the zoo. But when the train arrived in Lond...

Tour -isms

04 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Since I’m living in Europe now, I thought it would be good to tour everywhere in Europe, and get to know it better. I’m not into seeing the si...

Meta-considerate

03 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

My friend has a huge crush on someone. He showers her with attention and appreciation. He remembers her preferences, and constantly gives her tho...

Daydreaming the downside, for once

02 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A few years ago, I thought it would be fun to get into camping. I live in New Zealand! How can I not? I daydreamed about it, picturing how much ...

Where to find the hours to make it happen

01 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When you experience someone else’s genius work, a little part of you feels, “That’s what I could have, would have, and should have done!” ...

Your heroes show which way you’re facing

30 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

People with many interests often ask my advice on which industry or career path they should follow. Years ago, I felt I was just a programmer and ...

Don’t quote. Make it yours and say it yourself.

29 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Which sounds better to you? “In his best-selling book on behavioral science, Thinking, Fast and Slow, Nobel-prize winning psychologist Daniel Ka...

Have a private email account

28 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

I used to like the internet. I thought it was cool, creative, wild, untamed, expressive, decentralized, and educational. I guess it was, back then...

Cross the world four times

27 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Cross the world four times. First, in your teens or 20s, to take it all in. See it all, do it all, and learn. Get involved. Stay up all night t...

Future posthumous autobiography

27 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

I’ve started writing my autobiography. I’ll keep writing it for the rest of my life. It’s private now, but will be released the week I die. ...

What I did belies why

26 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine you host a dinner party with two doctors and two accountants. You introduce the doctors to each other and the accountants to each other, as...

Would you make your art if you were the last person on earth?

25 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Musicians, photographers, writers, and artists of all sorts: Would you make your art if you were the last person on earth? For me, it’s an i...

Travel without social praise

24 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

I met a couple who were thinking of quitting their jobs and travelling the world for a year. They asked my thoughts. I suggested they should only...

Travel without a phone

23 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The first time, it was an accident. I’d always wanted to go to Korea. I was so excited. I set out to explore and forgot my phone in the hotel....

initialize

22 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

I’m starting a podcast today. Subscribe to https://sive.rs/podcast.rss.

My old clothes don’t fit

31 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

I was uncomfortable, unhappy, and restless. I didn’t want to meet new people, because I felt I was giving the wrong impression. Something wasn’...

Doors and windows and what’s real

01 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Like everyone, I live in a little house with many doors and windows. One door goes out to my neighborhood. The local kids come to play with my do...

Benefits of a daily diary and topic journals

28 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

You know those people whose lives are transformed by meditation or yoga or something like that? For me, it’s writing in my diary and journals. ...

Subtract

05 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Life can be improved by adding, or by subtracting. The world pushes us to add, because that benefits them. But the secret is to focus on subtracti...

The art of selfishness

18 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

David grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, with five brothers and sisters. When he was 18, he got accepted to a very prestigious art school in Vie...

You don’t need confidence, just contribution.

06 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Years ago, I was so confident and so naive. I was sure I was right and everyone else was wrong. After I sold my company, I felt ready to do somet...

Unlearning

07 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Things I learned in the past are now wrong. Times have changed. Beliefs that were true are now false. They were based on old limitations that ar...

If you’re not feeling “hell yeah!” then say no

03 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Most of us have lives filled with mediocrity. We said yes to things that we felt half-hearted about. So we’re too busy to react when opportunit...

About this book

01 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In my first book, Anything You Want, I told the story of how I started, grew, and sold my company. As part of selling the company, I signed a non-...

Moving for good

31 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

You are the way you are because of what you’ve experienced. Your country, family, town, random circumstances, and friends have shaped the way yo...

Detailed dreams blind you to new means

18 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a fable of a man stuck in a flood. Convinced that God is going to save him, he says no to a passing canoe, boat, and helicopter that offe...

Include everyone in your success

07 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone who is drawn to you before you’re famous is thinking the same thing: You might be famous soon! fans who want to help you professio...

Keep in touch

05 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

When I was promoting myself as a musician, I noticed an interesting pattern. If I had a good conversation with somebody in the music business, then...

Be an extreme character

28 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This is both fun and considerate. When people say that a movie has a great character, they mean it was someone especially shocking, funny, or hone...

Get specific!

25 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This is one of the most useful lessons I’ve learned in life. When you don’t know your next step… When you’re feeling unmotivated… Wh...

What it means to be resourceful

23 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

I was at a musicians’ gathering in Memphis. I met a lot of people complaining that their various forms of online distribution weren’t earning t...

Rock stars have a boss?

18 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

I was 20 years old. I had just moved to New York City. And I was working inside the music industry. I ran the music library at Warner/Chappell. ...

Never wait

17 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

One of the top music industry lawyers in Los Angeles was speaking at a conference. She’s an expert in copyright law, so someone asked her advice...

The higher the price, the more they value it

16 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Psychology experiments have shown that the more people pay for something, the more they value it. People given a placebo pill were twice as likely...

Considerate communication

15 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

You get a big long email from someone and think, “Ooof. I’ll come back to that later.” (Then you never do.) Someone tries to contact you us...

Creative communication

15 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The way you communicate with people is part of your art. For people who have never heard your music, it’s the start of your art! If you make d...

Get personal

14 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Before I got into the music industry, I had an idea of what it would look like: Some powerful manager or agent calling me into his office to discus...

Pedestals prevent friendships

13 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

I was a struggling musician, with big ambitions but not much success, when I went to a music industry conference in Las Vegas to promote my music. ...

Move to the big city

11 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

I hate to admit this, but it’s true. One of the best things you can do for your career is to move to a big city — one of the major media cente...

Why you need a database

09 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A database is just an organized collection of information. You could have a database of your music or your books. But I’m going to talk about a ...

Shed your money taboos

05 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone has weird mental associations with money. They think the only way to make money is to take it away from others. They think that charging...

Pricing philosophy

23 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

For years I made a living playing at universities. One time a college far away in Ohio — about a 12-hour drive — asked what I would charge to ...

Art doesn’t end at the edge of the canvas

22 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine you see a caged feather on a museum wall. The sign underneath says the artist is a political activist in jail. Imagine that same caged fe...