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Tim Ferriss

Lessons and Warnings From Successful Risk Takers (#292)

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Tim Ferriss perched on a large rock in nature.

“Don’t let someone knock you off your course after you’ve put in all the work.” – Soman Chainani

This is a special episode of the podcast, which features three guests: author Soman Chainani (@SomanChainani), author Susan Cain (@susancain), and East Rock Capital co-founder and investor Graham Duncan.

All three are featured in my latest book, Tribe of Mentors, and all three share something in common: they’re experts at mitigating risk. All of them have been great at capping downsides and making various career decisions that have paid off in large ways.

I hope you enjoy this episode with these three brilliant guests!

You can find the transcript of this episode here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

Lessons and Warnings From Successful Risk Takers

Want to hear a conversation with a mentor from Tribe of Mentors? Listen to this episode with Tim Urban, in which we discuss the future, how to deal with procrastination, AI, and much much more. Listen to it here (stream below or right-click to download):

Managing Procrastination, Predicting the Future, and Finding Happiness – Tim Urban

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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

  • Connect with Soman Chainani:

Website|Twitter|Instagram|Facebook|YouTube

  • Connect with Susan Cain:

Quiet Revolution | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

  • Connect with Graham Duncan:

Website |East Rock Capital

Show Notes

  • Introducing Soman Chainani. [06:18]
  • Three books that help Soman work creatively, live genuinely, and explore humanity. [07:11]
  • What recent purchase of less than $100 had the most positive impact on Soman’s life? [11:18]
  • A failure that taught Soman a valuable, but humbling lesson. [13:42]
  • Soman’s billboard and musings on life, death, and meditation. [17:11]
  • One of the best investments of energy, money, or time Soman has ever made. [19:31]
  • An unusual habit or absurd thing that Soman loves, and why he feels the best stories are universal. [22:08]
  • In the last five years, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved Soman’s life? [24:12]
  • What advice would Soman give to a smart, driven college student about to enter the real world — and what advice would he ignore? [26:19]
  • Bad advice Soman hears given often to artists. [28:27]
  • In the last five years, what has Soman become better at saying “no” to? [29:48]
  • What does Soman do to overcome feeling unfocused or overwhelmed? [31:12]
  • Introducing Susan Cain. [32:32]
  • How has a failure or apparent failure set Susan up for later success? [33:30]
  • One of Susan’s most worthwhile investments of time. [36:14]
  • An unusual habit or absurd thing Susan loves. [37:40]
  • Susan’s favorite word in any language. [39:01]
  • What advice would Susan give a smart, driven college student about to enter the real world? [40:02]
  • What does Susan do to overcome feeling unfocused or overwhelmed? [43:06]
  • Introducing Graham Duncan. [44:02]
  • An unusual habit or absurd thing Graham loves. [45:07]
  • What would Graham’s billboard say? [45:43]
  • Books that have greatly influenced Graham’s life and the mental models that guide how he thinks about people and teams. [47:17]
  • What recent purchase of less than $100 had the most positive impact on Graham’s life? [57:44]
  • How has a failure or apparent failure set Graham up for later success? [58:49]
  • Bad recommendations Graham often hears in his field. [1:01:20]
  • What does Graham do to overcome feeling unfocused or overwhelmed? [1:02:59]
  • In the last five years, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved Graham’s life? [1:03:50]
  • What advice would Graham give a smart, driven college student about to enter the real world? [1:04:51]

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