A Bible for Heroes — The Influential Book Read By History's Eminent Men

We live in a world of pervasive noise. Even when we're alone and our surroundings are quiet, our devices bombard us with an endless stream of inputs — messages, news, opinions, entertainment — and we feel constantly connected.My guest argues that this lack of both silence and solitude isn't just generating stress and fragmenting our attention, but doing real damage to our souls. His name is John Mark Comer, and he’s a pastor and the author of Into the Quiet. Today on the show, we discuss what noise is doing to the deepest parts of us and how engaging in silence and solitude can help us cultivate inner stillness. We explore the monastic tradition behind these spiritual disciplines, why engaging in them can sometimes feel like a negative experience, and what happens when all our usual distractions disappear. We also get into simple ways to bring more quiet into everyday life.After the show’s over, check out the show notes at aom.is/silence.Resources Related to the PodcastGet the Book: Into the QuietJohn Mark's previous appearance on the AoM podcast: Episode #1,013 — Practicing Spiritual Disciplines as an Act of ResistanceJohn Mark's Previous Book: Practicing the WayAoM Article: The Spiritual Disciplines — Solitude and SilenceClear Creek Abbey in OKNew Camaldoli Hermitage in Big SurA Time to Keep Silence by Patrick Leigh FermorConnect With John Mark ComerJohn Mark's website0:00 Introduction1:33 What Prompted "Into the Quiet"5:42 Soundless Noise in the Digital Age7:39 What Noise Does to Our Souls11:02 Loneliness vs. Solitude13:57 Cultivating Inner Stillness19:02 The Eremos: Jesus' Practice of Solitude23:58 The Desert Fathers & Monastic Tradition29:06 What Happens in the Silence39:17 Confronting Inner Demons in Solitude47:36 Practical Ways to Practice Silence & Solitude51:47 Outro See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Modern life is filled with conveniences designed to make things easier. We can order dinner without leaving the couch, check ourselves out at the grocery store, communicate instantly with anyone, and stream nearly every movie and song ever made.So why do we often feel busier, more stressed, and more, well, inconvenienced than ever?My guest today argues that many supposed advancements don’t actually save us time, money, or energy — and that even when they do, they can eliminate forms of friction that made life richer, more enjoyable, and more human.His name is Gabe Bullard, and he’s the author of Against Convenience. Today on the show, Gabe and I discuss how self-checkout, mobile ordering, digital communication, streaming services, food delivery, and even smartphone cameras can paradoxically make life more annoying and less satisfying. Gabe also shares questions to ask yourself to decide which conveniences are worth keeping, and why deliberately adding a little friction back into your life can sometimes make it better.0:00 Introduction1:45 Why Convenience Isn't Working4:22 Self-Checkout & Starbucks App Failures11:29 The Illusion of Technological Progress17:28 Phones as a Single Point of Failure18:20 How Digital Communication Hurts Relationships23:49 Dating Apps & Making Friends27:15 Smartphone Cameras & the Value of Photos32:41 Streaming & Entertainment Disappointment40:10 Food Delivery Problems46:30 Wendell Berry's Questions for New Tech50:12 Practical Tips for Embracing Friction See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We all have things we’ve always wanted to know how to do, but have never gotten around to learning. Speak a foreign language. Play an instrument. Write a book. Take up surfing. Maybe you’ve even started one of these pursuits a few times, only to drop it after a couple of weeks.My guest calls this collection of abandoned or deferred desires your “invisible list” and is the author of a book of the same name.Today on the show, Ravi Gupta presents a plan for tackling the things on your invisible list by picking one hobby-like activity each year and working your way to an intermediate level in it. He explains the different categories these pursuits can fall into, from the liftoff project to the mental marathon to the skillbatical, and how to pick the right one for your season of life. We also discuss how camps for grownups can make skill acquisition more enjoyable, why you should consider taking up an adult-appropriate sport like tennis, why Ravi decided to take the MCAT even though he doesn't plan to become a doctor, and how working on your invisible list can give your life chapters and, over the course of a decade, turn you into a Renaissance-man badass.After the show is over, check out the show notes at aom.is/invisiblelist0:00 — Introduction1:45 — What is the Invisible List?4:38 — Examples & Bucket List Comparison8:46 — Why a Year Creates Life Chapters11:10 — Making Time: Family & Constraints15:44 — Five Rules of the Invisible List18:39 — Why Aim for Intermediate?21:19 — The Five Archetypes26:50 — Liftoff Year: Powerlifting & Journaling37:30 — Skill-Batical: Surfing & Adult Camps43:17 — Age-Appropriate Sports: Tennis45:46 — Mental Marathon: Taking the MCAT See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When people are faced with problems and complexity, our instinct is to add instead of subtract. As a result, we have a tendency to make our work and our lives more and more complex, and less and less effective and fulfilling. Even when what we add is new technology that promises to make us more productive, it often only seems to bog us down and give us even more to do.My guest says that to fight this drift toward complexity, especially in the modern age, you’ve got to be ruthless about cutting out the superfluous and focusing on what’s most important. His name is Jim VandeHei, and he’s the co-founder and CEO of Axios and the co-author of Simplify.Today on the show, Jim explains how to simplify your work and personal life using a three-step process: confront, delete, and amplify. We discuss how to identify the “slop” we’re all inundated with (and he’s not just talking about what’s generated by AI), rules of thumb for what to say no to, why you should spend more time developing your strengths than fixing your weaknesses, and the importance of getting clear on what you want out of life, both personally and professionally.Resources Related to the PodcastJim's Book: Simplify: Do 50 Percent More with 50 Percent LessJim's last appearance on the AoM podcast: Episode #987 — The No-BS Secrets of SuccessSmart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with LessAoM Article: The Spiritual Disciplines — SimplicityAoM Podcast #699: The No-Nonsense Guide to Simplifying Every Aspect of Your LifeConnect With Jim VandeHeiJim at Axios0:00 Introduction & Website Redesign0:48 The Problem with Complexity1:56 Interview Begins: Why Another Book on Simplifying?3:00 How AI Makes Life More Complex5:42 The Confront, Delete, Amplify Framework8:14 Why Complexity Creeps Into Everything11:35 Identifying Slop in Work and Life17:43 How to Confront Your Habits24:59 Rules for Saying No29:48 Amplify Strengths Over Weaknesses37:35 Simplifying Communication at Work42:29 Using AI to Simplify Your Life See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When Mark Hertling learned he was deploying for Operation Desert Storm, he decided to start a journal.Back then, Mark was an Army major and cavalry officer with two young sons. His unit would be out in front of the main force, and during an intelligence briefing, he was told it could suffer casualties as high as 50 percent. Mark realized there was a real chance he might not come home. So he began writing down what he was experiencing, along with the lessons about life, leadership, and character that he wanted his boys to know if he wasn’t there to teach them himself.Mark did come home, and went on to serve 38 years in the Army, including as an assistant division commander in Baghdad and later commander of the 1st Armored Division in Iraq during the 2007–2008 surge, before finishing his career as commander of U.S. Army Europe.Decades later, that wartime journal became the basis for his new book, If I Don’t Return. Today on the show, retired three-star General Mark Hertling and I talk about the reflections it contains on making every day count, planning for friction, marriage and friendship, handwritten notes, casual profanity, the moral weight of war, and what it means to build a man.Resources Related to the PodcastMy LifeOn War by Carl von ClausewitzAoM Article: Clausewitz on Overcoming the Annoying Slog of LifeGeneral Douglas MacArthur’s Prayer for His SonConnect With Mark HertlingMark on LinkedInMark's faculty page See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.