Ben Feder: One Man's Journey from the Boardroom to Bali and Back

Ben Fedder is the former CEO of Take 2 Interactive, the video game company responsible for producing Grand Theft Auto, NBA 2k, Max Payne, and many others. He's now is a senior executive at Tencent, the Chinese global conglomerate that owns WeChat and dominates China’s internet-related media and technology industries. Ben is also the author of the book Take Off Your Shoes: One Man's Journey from the Boardroom to Bali and Back. You can learn more about Ben and his mission at benfederauthor.com 

Key Points

1. Develop Your Sense of Presence

One of the most powerful ways that you can improve your relationships, career, and life is to cultivate a deep sense of presence. 

Most people live in a state of constant distraction. 

They're constantly thinking about what they said yesterday or what they need to do tomorrow, but they never slow down and focus on what's happening around them right now. 

When you slow down and learn to get present in this moment, right now, you open yourself up to an entirely new way of being. 

All great work, all great relationships, and all well lived lives require high levels of presence. 

When you are completely focused on what you're doing in this very second you can give 100% of yourself to the task at hand. You can be more compassionate and considerate in your conversations, perform faster and more effectively at work, and truly enjoy the quiet moments that you have for yourself. 

Whether you choose to cultivate this sense of presence through meditation, yoga, or mere awareness, following a simple mindfulness practice will have profound and far-reaching benefits in every area of your life.  

2. Engage in Activities that Help You See the World in a New Way 

As much as we would like to believe otherwise, the world is not black and white. 

There are thousands, even millions, of perspectives through which you can choose to view the world, but most people live their entire lives through the same lens that they adopted as a child. 

By engaging in new activities such as art, travel, and music, you can teach yourself to view the world in a new light. You'll gain a deeper appreciation for the nuances of life and learn to spot patterns and details that you would otherwise have missed. 

I strongly encourage you to identify a small handful of new activities and hobbies to pick up that will challenge the way you think and your current paradigm. 

Whether you pick up painting, playing the guitar, dancing salsa, playing strategy games, or doing standup comedy, find something that you truly enjoy that will help you cultivate new perspectives and a fresh outlook on life. 

If you do this, it will radically transform the way that you approach your life, business, and pursuit of success. 

3. Make Deliberate Choices About How You Want to Live Your Life 

Every single one of us has the ability to deliberately choose the way we want to live our lives. 

While there are undoubtedly constraints and extenuating circumstances that might prevent you from having total autonomy over your path, in this very moment, you can choose to live your life (even in a small way) more deliberately. 

Ask yourself who you want to be, how you want to think, and how you want to see the world. 

Make the deliberate choice to live a life by design. A life of virtue and value of your own making. 

Then go and do it. 

Next Step

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