In Tools of the Titans, the author asks over 50 top successful people the same pointed set of questions and then gathers their resulting profiles into one book.

The first quote …

"I'm not the strongest. I'm not the fastest. But I'm really good at suffering."

Tim Ferriss starts his Book, Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers, with the above quote. I read it about 3 am when I started to write this review. It woke me up. I sat there stunned wondering if I had caught all the meaning. What an auspicious start for a book about advice from the top successful people in the world.

When I read that, I had to waste no time to find out who that person could be and what their claim to success was. I found out that during the day this modern day Superwoman is a full time attorney for Apple.

… And who the quote belongs to ...

It turned out to be Amelia Boone, the most decorated obstacle racer. Back in 2012 she finished second in a 24 hour World's Toughest Muddler competition where the vast majority of competitors were male, 80%. I can see why Ferriss chose her profile and quote to open his book on advice from the world’s top successful people.

(Not Boone depicted in the above photo)

The man behind the book

Ferriss who hosts his own podcast, “The Tim Ferriss Show,” which has gotten over 200 million downloads on iTunes. His podcast is the #1 business podcast on all of iTunes.

On his show he likes to analyze "world-class performers from eclectic areas (investing, sports, business, art, etc.) to extract the tactics, tools, and routines you can use. This includes favorite books, morning routines, exercise habits, time-management tricks, and much more."

His book was inspired by the format of his show. The idea behind his project, Tools of the Titans, was to ask 25 top successful people the same pointed set of questions and then gather their resulting profiles into one book.

The opening profile of a top successful person

Boone answered Ferriss's first question, “What would you put on a billboard?” by saying, "No one owes you anything."

Ferriss asks questions in his book that ordinary people can relate to like, "What was your best $100 or less purchase?" to which Boone of course answered by referring to a purchase to tend to the wounds suffered from her sport, Manuka honey bandages.

Boone answered what was probably his favorite question, "What is your Most-gifted or recommended book and why?" by offering up House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski. House of Leaves is a terrifying tale about a couple who wind up living in a haunted house and their children are somehow trapped in another terrifying dimension where they discover a gripping story that slowly unfolds in this novel as the reader turns the pages.

Boone gives her WHY on the book from no doubtedly her endurance athlete perspective as she talks about how the book has, "an entire sensory experience." Before that she explained that it is "a book you have to hold, because there are parts of it where you need to turn it upside down to read it."

Boone’s reaction to the book is a great example of how you get some very valuable takes on powerful books from the subjects of Tools of the Titans.

The profiles also include a listing of “Tools and Tactics,” to which Boone gave much attention. She included one simple tip of rolling your foot on a golf ball placed on a towel to strengthen your hamstring. Few readers will have to suffer through long competitive athletic endurance trials like Boone, but this tip will help us get through those long walks or runs we sometimes have to endure.

Ferriss concludes Boone's profile with her answer to the question, "Who do you think of when you hear the word 'successful'?" to which Boone answers - probably inspired by her own life of lawyer by day and obstacle athlete by evening and weekend and other times off - by offering up Triple H as an example of someone who did extremely well in transitioning from athlete to business executive.

Carp, coywolfs, falcons and even beavers come into play in this book as choices of spirit animals and are used to illustrate the top quotes of the opening profile pages.

Beyond the questions about how to become successful

Tools of the Titans does not just hold a collection of lists of answers to questions from its subjects, the reader is also treated to some detailed mini manuals provided by the interviewees related to their disciplines.

In a great example to show he puts his actions where his mouth is, was from gymnastics coach Christopher Sommer. In addition to saying, "If the best in the world are stretching their asses off in order to get strong, why aren't you?" he provided a detailed illustrated stretching guide to be placed after his profile.

That is just one of many interesting looks into the worlds of the people populating the pages that readers will be able to gain inside insights from.

What you will take away from the book to take on your own journey to become successful

As a foretelling of what you the reader might very well get from the book is the story that Ferriss told in the conclusion of his book. Even he was surprised to find how calm he was when he was finishing up the work on Tools of Titans. It took his researcher to point this out to him, when he asked why he was so relaxed when there was still so much to do. Ferriss answered by saying that he was absorbed in playing out the lessons from the people he interviewed without quite realizing to the extent it was happening.

Ferriss hopes that his readers will gain such experiences from reading his book to the extent that some of the words of wisdom from reading his work will be their companions for a lifetime.

It is his hope that when "you read and reread this book, you feel the spirit of these titans with you. No matter the hardship, challenge, or grand ambition before you, they are here.

You are not alone, and you are better than you think, as Jocko would say: Get after it."

Maybe you’ll be inspired while you read it to hold it upside down and shake it.

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