The Art of Learning

An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance

By: Josh Waitzkin

Narrated by: Josh Waitzkin

Josh Waitzkin knows what it means to be at the top of his game. A public figure since winning his first National Chess Championship at the age of nine, Waitzkin was catapulted into a media whirlwind as a teenager when his father's book Searching for Bobby Fischer was made into a major motion picture. After dominating the scholastic chess world for ten years, Waitzkin expanded his horizons, taking on the martial art Tai Chi Chuan and ultimately earning the title of World Champion. How was he able to reach the pinnacle of two disciplines that on the surface seem so different? "I've come to realize that what I am best at is not Tai Chi, and it is not chess," he says. "What I am best at is the art of learning."

The Art of Learning takes listeners through Waitzkin's unique journey to excellence. He explains in clear detail how a well-thought-out, principled approach to learning is what separates success from failure. Waitzkin believes that achievement, even at the championship level, is a function of a lifestyle that fuels a creative, resilient growth process. Rather than focusing on climactic wins, Waitzkin reveals the inner workings of his everyday method, from systematically triggering intuitive breakthroughs, to honing techniques into states of remarkable potency, to mastering the art of performance psychology.

In stories ranging from his early years taking on chess hustlers as a seven year old in New York City's Washington Square Park, to dealing with the pressures of having a film made about his life, to International Chess Championships in India, Hungary, and Brazil, to gripping battles against powerhouse fighters in Taiwan in the Push Hands World Championships, The Art of Learning encapsulates an extraordinary competitor's life lessons in a pause-resisting narrative.

©2007 Josh Waitzkin LLC (P)2014 Tim Ferriss

Fascinating Memoir

What made the experience of listening to The Art of Learning the most enjoyable?

Josh has incredible passion for chess and martial arts. This came across in his reading and it is what makes this memoir memorable and inspiring.

What did you like best about this story?

This really isn't a book with a story. rather a memoir of his life experiences and what he learned from that. There is a complication to this that needs to be overcome by the listener. Josh is beyond brilliant and dedicated. His approach probably shares characteristics with savants and obsessive compulsive driven individual. this is not to diminish his incredible accomplishments but the listener needs to reconcile this. As an avid average amateur athlete and marital artists I identified with what Josh discussed. But it is simply not possible to put some of his approaches into practice. I personally do not posses that level of talent. However it is an inspirational memoir that resonated with me and I took a lot away from listening to it.

Which character – as performed by Josh Waitzkin – was your favorite?

Josh. He is a remarkable person. I found it fascinating that he was able to be successful at such a young age and be a fully functional

What did you learn from The Art of Learning that you would use in your daily life?

Ultimately I thought the memoir was a study in the practical applications of Buddhist thought. Define your own path, nurture it and dedicate your self to its perfection. In this way I found the ideas presented inspirational to myself as a martial artist and amateur athlete.

Any additional comments?

I would recommend this book since the concepts could be applied to anybody in any walk of life. Whether you are trying to be a better parent, student or professional there are ways you can focus and learn how to develop your personal skill set. This is a short book, but I am glad I read it.

Fantastic and inspiring!

Absolutely loved it! Josh is a great storyteller and this book is evident of that! Definitely something that inspires me to continue to cultivate my love of learning!

A deep look at the repeated journey to mastery

While Josh does not break the book down into clear cut tips for success, he does dive deep into his journey of learning. His focus on changing learning for your own style is consistent with how the story is told. This is a wonderfully told story of two separate journeys to mastery and the lessons learned along the way. how those lessons crossed the border between chess and taichi and how different players in his life affected the journey. Fantastic read!

Wow! Now one of my favorite books!

It was well written, deeply insightful, riveting at times and yet had me feeling deeply at peace. I love biographies in large part because of the insight I get into what elements and Dynamics are present in the lives of accomplished people but Josh took to time to not only tell has story but also extrapolated what the processes we're that got him there.

The Mind of a Master

Very much enjoyed The Art of Learning. I am one those who discovered Josh Waitzkin through the movie; however, years later when I started to get back into chess and searched from Mr. Waitzkin, I discovered how far he has gone outside the chess world. Picked up the audiobook and it is filled with so much knowledge and insight on the matter of human performance. Will definitely be listening to it several times.

From Chess to push hands then Jiu Jitsu

This book was so great. It selves deep into the origins where learning stems from. I’m trying to sound smart here but honestly I love digging into what makes someone perform at a higher level then others. A lot of times what I learn is super cool but I don’t feel like I could replicate it. With Josh you get an understanding to how he did it and it doesn’t feel so far fetched. This is easily one of my Top 10 all time favorite books!!!!

Awesome

I really am motivated for being a high performer in my niche. I’m recommending it.

Entertaining and Insightful!

Josh Waitzkin is widely known for his accomplishments within competitive Chess and Tai Chi Push Hands. He’s lived a life of learning various systems within those disciplines to get the most out of his performances. Through the lens of his own life he provides the reader with context to the principles/soft skills with his own life experience from a young boy to an adult. It’s fascinating seeing the maturation process occur with Josh as he grew up and switched disciplines while being World Class in both (Also just as a human being). There’s a mix of concepts expressed between mindfulness, philosophy, sports performance psychology, intuition, and etc... I personally found the overall story both entertaining and thought provoking. Josh also expresses that you don’t need to accept everything he says and to take what you find useful and apply it to your life. Also to think critically and in a general ‘problem-solving’ type of manner, which I think has helped him along his personal journey.


The only potential cons I see are people finding him coming off as pretentious/arrogant when discussing himself. However he’s only being objective about his accomplishments, and even recognizes at times his own ego has caused him to fail at critical moments. Though they became important learning experiences. And the other con is for better or for worse he takes his time talking diving into the minutiae/nuance of things, which people might be impatient about. I like when topics are delved deep to the smallest detail, so it didn’t bother me he took his time making his point on various subject matters.

Overall there’s a lot of value here both in terms of the entertainment of Josh telling his life’s story to the lessons he imparts with the readers from said experiences. There’s also an interview at the end with Tim Ferris talking retrospectively on these moments years after the original release of this book which is a nice bonus and listen too. I highly recommend!

great listen!

loved it. very inspirational and a lot of knowledge in this book. . . .

Excellent in all areas.

Amazing story. Amazingly delivered. Kept the listener engrossed and learning from beginning to end. Even my add 12 yr old slowed down and.wants to listen to it again. So many great lessons, and not at all like self help out text book.