As I wrapped up reading Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World by Timothy Ferriss, I took some time during the Chinese New Year’s break to summarize five key takeaways that resonated with me. These insights, shared by successful people across various fields, are not just reminders but also actionable takeaways that I hope to implement in my own life moving forward.
Discipline = Freedom
Excerpts From JOCKO WILLINK,” Discipline equals freedom.” Everyone wants freedom. We want to be physically free and mentally free. We want to be financially free and we want more free time. But where does that freedom come from? How do we get it? The answer is the opposite of freedom. The answer is discipline. You want more free time? Follow a more disciplined time-management system. You want financial freedom? Implement long-term financial discipline in your life. Do you want to be physically free to move how you want, and to be free from many health issues caused by poor lifestyle choices? Then you have to have the discipline to eat healthy food and consistently work out. We all want freedom. Discipline is the only way to get it.”
Courage Over Fear
Don’t let the weight of fear weigh down the joy of curiosity.” — Peter Guber
Aisha Tyler love that Jack Canfield quote, “Everything you want is on the other side of fear.”
Fear is often just an illusion, preventing us from reaching our full potential. Aisha Tyler’s advice is simple but powerful: when something scares her, she runs toward it. This mindset has helped her achieve both personal and professional growth. Fear can be paralyzing, but by embracing it, we unlock the courage to pursue new opportunities and goals. The more we challenge our fear, the more we realize how capable we are of achieving what once seemed impossible.
Take Action and Experiment
“Try everything you think you might want to do professionally before accepting whatever backup plan you have in the back of your head but are very much hoping to avoid.”— Franklin Leonard
One of the most common regrets in life is not trying more things. Too often, we settle for the “safe” option or hold onto a backup plan. But real progress comes from experimenting and taking action. As Daniel Ek, co-founder of Spotify, shares, the key is to dare to act. Waiting for things to fall into place doesn’t lead to success—working relentlessly and never giving up does. As Bono once told him, “Good things come to those who work their asses off and never give up.” If you dare to act, you’re already ahead of most people.
Embrace Failure
“Trusting that I can weather most failures that might befall me. I lived the first 33 years of my life actively trying to avoid failure. More recently, I’ve worried less about failing and more about not risking failure enough, because I’m reasonably sure that there’s not a failure I can’t survive. Even if the Black List blows up in my face tomorrow, I’m sure someone will offer me a job.” — Franklin Leonard
Aisha Tyler echoes this sentiment: failure reveals what you’re truly capable of and is essential for creative breakthroughs. If we avoid failure, we miss out on the leaps forward that come from taking risks. Embrace failure, learn from it, and use it as fuel to keep moving forward.
Stay True and Aim High
A. H. Almaas: “Ultimately, your gift to the world is being who you are. It is both your gift and your fulfillment.”
Larry King sums it up well: the secret to success is simply to be yourself. Over his 60-year career, King learned that authenticity, not pretension, creates lasting success.
Here’s Whitney Cummings’ answer to “If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it, what would it say and why?”
“Fly high.” In any given situation, I can’t control anything except my reaction and my contribution, so this mantra helps me to not deplete myself with lowbrow responses to problems. Most likely, the problem won’t be around in a year, but my reputation of how I dealt with it will. As long as I can handle a situation with grace, I usually come out having won and don’t waste valuable time and energy feeling guilty or replaying it in my head. In my creative work, “fly high” is a reminder to always strive for an A-plus no matter how tired I am or how late it is. If you run out of time, ask for more. Never settle for “good enough.””
The lessons shared in Tribe of Mentors provide a wealth of wisdom that can help us lead more fulfilling and successful lives. I hope you find these lessons as inspiring as I did and take them to heart as you navigate your own journey.
