Stephen Hanselman

Publisher, Agent, Jazz Enthusiast.

Stephen Hanselman began his career as a bookseller more than 30 years ago at Fresno Pacific College. He continued to pursue his passion for bookselling at Harvard Divinity School, where he graduated in 1986 with a Master of Theological Studies degree, then founding Divinitas Books, a New England specialty chain and direct-mail operation focused on books from all religious traditions. After selling his business in 1991 he joined HarperSanFrancisco’s marketing department, beginning a 13-year tenure at HarperCollins in a variety of roles including marketing manager, marketing director, sales manager, sales director, director of product & market development, editorial director, and from 1999-2005 as publisher of HarperSanFrancisco. From 2002 to early 2005, Steve was also group publisher responsible for all activities of HarperBusiness and HarperResource, as he led all three imprints to an 85% increase in annual sales and record profits. He left HarperCollins in 2005 to found LevelFiveMedia.

PhilosophersNotes on Stephen Hanselman's Books All PhilosophersNotes

The Daily Stoic

366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living

by Ryan Holiday, Stephen Hanselman

This book combines two of my favorite things: Stoicism + Ryan Holiday’s wisdom. Stoicism was one of the most influential philosophy of the Roman world and has continued to influence many of history’s greatest minds. As Ryan says: It’s time to bring it back as a powerful tool “in the pursuit of self-mastery, perseverance, and wisdom.” This is one of the my favorite books ever. Big Ideas we explore: the #1 thing to know about Stoicism, how to create tranquility, a good answer to “What’s the latest and greatest?!,” the 2 essential tasks in life and the art of acquiescence (aka amor fati).

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Antifragility & Modern Hērō & Stoicism

+1s Inspired by Stephen Hanselman All +1s

The Serenity Prayer
#133

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Serenity + Courage + Wisdom = A Winning Combo

In our last +1 we talked about Byron Katie’s idea that you can be in one of three businesses: someone else’s business, God’s business or YOUR business. Quick recap: We want to stay out of other people’s business and we want to stay out of God’s business as w...

+1 inspired by Note: The Daily Stoic

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Conquering Anxiety & Stoicism

Mind Power self-awareness success

You, a Farmer and His Horse
#375

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A Zen Fable on Good and Bad Luck

Once upon a time in a land far away, there was an old farmer. This man had a horse. Then, one day, his horse ran away. All the neighbors said, “Gah!! That’s such a bummer. What bad luck.” The man said, “Maybe. It is what is.” Then, one day, the horse return...

+1 inspired by Note: The Daily Stoic

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Antifragility & Stoicism

Growth Mind self-awareness Wisdom

How to Reclaim Lost Time, Energy + Brainpower
#557

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Pro Tip: Practice Saying “I Don’t Know” + “I Don’t Care”

As we’ve discussed, Ryan Holiday is a modern Stoic. I think of him several times a day when I take his “Memento Mori” coin out of my pocket and flip it as I do my warm-up hike on...

+1 inspired by Note: The Daily Stoic

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Conquering Digital Addiction & Stoicism

conquering-digital-addiction memento-mori Mind Philosophy stoicism technology Wisdom

Pankration = "All Strength"
#571

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Q: What Kind of Boxer Are You?

In our last +1, we talked about being an Optimus-Champion in our Big 3. We had fun with one of my new mantras: Champ Champ Champ. (Laughing.) (You come up with a mantra that makes your soul smile?) Today I want to talk a little m...

+1 inspired by Note: The Daily Stoic

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Antifragility & Confidence

antifragility confidence courage Grit Mental Toughness Mind persistence

The Optimizer in the Arena
#572

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Daring Greatly Daily

In our last +1, we talked about daring greatly, being willing to enter the arena of life and getting up every time we get knocked down. If that isn’t the perfect segue into Theodore Roosevelt’s wisdom from what is now known as his “Man in the Arena” speech, I don’t know what is.

+1 inspired by Note: The Daily Stoic

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Masterpiece Days & Modern Hērō

Actualization big-picture commitment courage masterpiece-days modern-hero soul Spirit

The Optimus Medallion
#708

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Coming Soon to a Pocket Near You!

As we prepared for our inaugural Optimize Coach program, we were thinking about some cool stuff we could send our Coaches that would symbolize our commitment. Of course, everyone will be getting an Optimize-blue t-shirt but we were trying to come up ...

+1 inspired by Note: The Daily Stoic

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Greatest Year Ever & Modern Hērō

Areté big-picture Coach Eudaimonia greatest-year-ever modern-hero soul Spirit Virtue

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Stephen Hanselman

Publisher, Agent, Jazz Enthusiast.

PhilosophersNotes on Stephen Hanselman's Books All PhilosophersNotes

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The Serenity Prayer #133 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

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You, a Farmer and His Horse #375 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

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How to Reclaim Lost Time, Energy + Brainpower #557 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

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Pankration = "All Strength" #571 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

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The Optimus Medallion #708 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

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The Serenity Prayer
#133

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You, a Farmer and His Horse
#375

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How to Reclaim Lost Time, Energy + Brainpower
#557

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Pankration = "All Strength"
#571

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The Optimizer in the Arena
#572

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The Optimus Medallion
#708

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