August 1, 2025
Book blurb:
“Tribe of Mentors is a collection of short life advice from the best in the world, curated by Tim Ferriss, the author of The 4-Hour Workweek and Tools of Titans. Learn from the wisdom and insights of billionaires, icons, and world-class performers in various fields and domains.”
I thought I would channel the questions presented in the book and answer them and so, perhaps encourage you to try it yourself. I found it a very helpful exercise.
So here are the questions and my answers:
“What are three books that have greatly influenced your life?”
The Iliad by Homer (Fagles translation)
The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
I have read the Iliad at least ten times. A lot of what you need to know in life is there, and it is, IMO, the greatest poem ever written, hasn’t been exceeded in 2500 years.
Here’s a good one: What would be the most valuable book ever written? Answer, not the Gutenberg Bible! If it could be found:
Alexander the Great carried a copy of the Iliad with him on his conquests. Homer lived about 450 years before him. And his copy was annotated by hand by Aristotle. Alexander the Great’s copy of the Iliad, written close to Homer’s life, and annotated by Aristotle. I have no clue what it would sell for, but I would guess a Mona Lisa-like price.
Pickwick Papers taught me how to compose humor. I, Robot kindled my lifelong interest in robotics and AI when I was just a kid.
“What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months (or in recent memory)?
Automatic card shuffler, Amazon, $17.00. Inevitably, we pour a drink and play gin, or cribbage before dinner, chat on the day. Shuffling by hand as you age becoming awkward, but even more important, you can drink and shuffle at the same time. Plus, it’s cool.
“How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a “favorite failure” of yours?”
Being fired by my father from the family business.
The town wasn’t big enough for the two egos but at any rate, it was a tremendous blow when it happened. I was jogging daily and on one run, I hyperventilated in the throes of anxiety and thought I was having a heart attack. Three months later, I secured a position at Shearson Hayden Stone and began my career on Wall Street. I learned that what you think is the greatest calamity, shutting doors on your future, can be just the opposite…opens doors to great levels of success. Thus, I say…failure is an imposter. It’s just a doorway through to something else.
“If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it — metaphorically speaking, getting a message out to millions or billions — what would it say and why?
Make memories not regrets.
The evidence is overwhelming, the regrets people have late in life are not the things they did, not the mistakes they made. Rather, what they didn’t do. So instead of regretting that trip you didn’t take, close your iPad and book it, RIGHT NOW. Create a memory instead of a regret. BTW, this is a guiding principle in my life.
“What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve ever made?
The habit of reading.
I was able to escape a very unsettled and difficult economic childhood and (as above) early adulthood. But ultimately, it was my education that got me out and that education was overwhelmingly the result of reading. Hundreds of books.
“What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love?”
Writing with special pencils.
As I trade through the day, I have a pile of 3×5 colored cards on my desk where I jot trading notes, trades to make, reminders of research, ideas to position. And I really enjoy writing with high quality, soft pencils. My favorite would be Blackwing Pencils ($36 for a dozen), very soft, lovely in the hand. But as I’ve travelled the world, I get them everywhere…Mitsubishi 2B’s on our trip to Japan, for example.
“In the last five years, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your life?”
Muonjuro
I always snicker when a celeb loses 70 pounds and attributes it to ‘shifting to a kale diet’ and ‘power walking.’ Sure. I have never hidden the fact that I take Muonjuro, I have lost 30 pounds, thrown away half my meds, and on my last blood test, scored a 100% normal result…never even close to that. It is a gamechanger and if you struggle with weight (as I have my entire life) I think you owe it to yourself to see if it, or a similar, would be good for you. Costs are coming down. See your Doc, obviously.
“What advice would you give to a smart, driven college student about to enter the “real world”?
Figure out what you truly love doing and then do it with passion and joy. But also, be aware of the economics. Don’t be disillusioned late in life if your chosen career didn’t pay you enough.
Also, do your homework. We are in the midst of a radical shift due to robotics and AI and many, many careers will be on the chopping block. Plan today for the future because you will arrive in it and it will have its way with you if you’re not careful in your choices.
And if you love it, then go work your tail off and have fun.
“What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession or area of expertise?”
Taking the conventional route.
When I graduated from the U of Rochester, Kodak was of course the big gun in town. It was a paternalistic career-for-life environment, they didn’t work you hard.
I was encouraged by many people to go to work there. The safe choice.
I eventually chose instead the seemingly risky position as a trainee on Wall Street, where the casualty rate routinely exceeded 95% of all trainees. A few years later, I was secure in my career and Kodak was bankrupt. Ironically, I had lifetime employment with my firm but on paper, it was the least conventional and riskiest thing to do.
“When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do?
After a lifetime of daily challenges and struggle, I never feel overwhelmed. The more experience you get the less overwhelmed you’ll feel.
Remember, being overwhelmed is a feeling not a fact.
But unfocused, yes. Racing brain problem for sure, but…
I work on a problem and one aspect that catches my attention. I go down that rabbit hole and literally forget where I am and become unfocused on the large problem. But then, something in the brain triggers and I can quickly climb out. I can’t explain it, it just is.
When you feel overwhelmed, focus on one or two crucial and important things and put all the rest aside. Stick to the one or two you can do immediately to move the needle.
Example: IRS contacts you, says they want to audit you. Focus on contacting your accountant and discussing with him/her. Let the rest of it go and pick up the phone. All the fears you have should be put aside for doing something tangible to get yourself moving forward. And then build on that.
