Tribe Of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World

In Doug Adam's "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" there is a super computer named "Deep Thought " that humans want to learn the "Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything". We learn later that the computer's answer is the number 42. The Deep Thought super computer rightfully points out that the answer seems meaningless as we don't know what the "Question" is. In this book, Tim has reverse-engineered and demonstrated the value of asking good open ended questions to some of the most interesting and inspiring people on the planet. I think it really works well! I have found some answers super short and concise and others a much longer form, but I have already learned so much from both types of answers! When I see some of the negative reviews, I'm a little taken back. I know books are personal and speak to people in different ways, so everyone who reads the book is entitled to their own impression of the work.

Here is a list of what I specifically like about this book:

1. The questions are an algorithm for success and result in interesting and though-provoking answers. I love the diversity and similarities of answers. It shows that Tim didn't choose an echo chamber of interviewees, yet there are still themes that ring true throughout.
2. I really like the format. The small nuggets of wisdom can be consumed quickly, yet digested over a longer period of time. It seems to be a unique and very useful technique. Sometimes I prefer to just reflect and go deep in on one quote versus having a firehose of many disparate concepts as the longer form interviews in Tools of Titans could sometimes do (I still consider Tools one of my favorite books).
3. I really enjoyed the fact that the majority of interviewees were new to me, meaning not covered on Tim's podcast, or were on the podcast at some point, yet provided new material that was not previously heard by most.
4. I really enjoyed the last section "Some Closing Thoughts" written by Tim. Not only is the story good, the supporting poem deep and the conclusion simple. It's a profound end to everything that I think should be read first. it's a perfect complement to everything else you read in the book. "Don't try so hard", read the book piece by piece, enjoy it, ponder it, meditate on it and allow intuition to guide you. One personal example, I decided to just randomly open to a page and the person I selected was someone I never heard of before. She happened to recommend a book I heard on the Ray Dalio podcast and have been contemplating buying, yet haven't yet for some reason. The fact that it showed up again, when I wasn't thinking about it at all leads me to think it's even more important for me to read. The section was Esther Dyson on pages 243-245 and the book is "From Bacteria to Bach and Back: The Evolution of Minds" by Daniel C. Dennett.
5. The book question is a great question. The recommendations and the thought processes alone is hugely valuable to anyone who wants to learn and be mentored from the best. Reading good books is an essential ingredient to a well seasoned life and all the book recommendations are invaluable in my opinion.
6. This book was less than $20, which makes it a steal!
7. The quotes throughout the book and the nice aesthetic design elements throughout makes it an enjoyable experience to read.
8. The repeat and reflective value this book offers, including the note section and Tim's personal note taking tips really shows his heart is to help people, not just recycle and take shortcuts to make money like some reviewers have suggested.

Thank you Tim for putting together this gem of a book. I'm sure you will hear of the lives it's helped improve many years from now!

I don’t recall exactly how I was turned on to Time Ferriss, but he’s been a constant in my journey since I began seeking my true self and searching for my purpose.  He’s directly or indirectly responsible for a large chunk of my influences and post graduate adult learning.  I listen to most podcasts he releases and I own all his books.  I haven’t read all the books cover to cover for various reasons, but all of his books aren’t designed to be read cover to cover from page 1 to “The End”.  I did however read Tim’s latest book, "Tribe of Mentors", cover to cover.  And I did it in a fairly short amount of time (for me) considering it’s 570+ pages.

The full title is “Tribe of Mentors:  Short Life Advice From the Best in the World”.  Copyright 2017.  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing New York, New York.  I pre-ordered this book and received a 1st Edition Hardcopy.  I can’t remember the cost; just shy of $30 probably.

My first impression of the book was its familiar size.  Very similar to rest of his books approximately 9” tall X 7” wide X 2” thick.  It doesn’t weigh as much as it looks like it should.  Mostly black and gold colored cover with Carolina Blue highlights. No jacket.  The paper is off white, grainy, and kinda sticky.  Got that good “new book” smell.  (Come to think of it, old books smell good too.)  It’s bound in a way to create ridges on the fore-edge so thumbing through the book and quickly flipping pages is easy.

As I mentioned, Tim’s books aren’t story books.  They more resemble reference books.  This particular book is a collection of interviews and the table of contents is the list of 100’ish names of the questionees and where their answers can be found.  As a cool twist Tim includes a few of the rejection letters he received from people he’d asked to participate.  This addition emphasizes how folks with couth and courtesy say “Thank you but no thank you”.

My favorite feature of the book is that all the interviewees were given the same 11 questions to ponder and respond.  Tim dissects each question and reveals how and why he crafted them and what he’s looking to get out of them.  The feature of repeated questions makes reading the book very rhythmic.  The pages go by quickly and the mind switches to auto-pilot.  It’s more like to listening to a conversation than reading.  The 11 questions are:

What is the book (or books) you’ve given most as a gift and why?  Or what are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life? What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months or recent memory? How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a “favorite failure” of yours? If you could have one gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it—metaphorically speaking, getting a message out to millions or billions—what would it say and why? It could be a few words or a paragraph. What is on the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve ever made? (Money, time, energy, etc…) What is an unusual habit or absurd thing that you love? In the last five years, what new belief, or behavior, or habit has most improved your life? What advice would you give a smart, driven college student about to enter the “real world”? What advice should they ignore? What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession or area of expertise? In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to (distractions, invitations, etc.)? What new realizations and/or approaches helped?  Any other tips? When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do? Only high performers were questioned (some of which I was familiar, some not) and they lead us down a rabbit hole with their answers.  They suggest enough books, TED talks, poems, articles, authors, etc. to keep anyone busy for years to come.   Tim also lists each interviewee’s social media handle(s) so readers can connect and follow on the interwebz.

Tim’s organization of the massive amounts of information in this book is meticulous.  He includes a list of recorded conversations from respondents and where to find them online.  He includes a mentor index.  Not every respondent answered every question so Tim includes an index of questions answered by interviewee.  He even includes blank lined pages for readers to use in making their own notes and indexes.

Style and substance of “Tribe of Mentors” is lockstep.  An amazingly informative book presented in a friendly conversational style.  The books organization is on par with everything else TF has done.  “Tribe” didn’t call for as many organizational asides as “Tools of Titans” and that was welcome in my opinion.  No decoder rings necessary.

“Tribe of Mentors” will appeal to anyone who’s looking for more shit to read, learn, and get better.  It’s a red pill type book that I personally read through one time, took notes, and now leave lying around in the open to conveniently revisit.  As a coffee table book intelligent friends will pick it up to read a few passages and instant meaningful conversation should break out.  If not, you may want to re-think the folks you let hang out at your place.

Tim, I’m writing to you because I just read 5 bullet-friday and you said you are reading the amazon reviews, so I figured I could share with you and others my opinion of Tribe and what you, in general, have done for me.

I am only halfway through Tribe it is just as amazing as when I first read Tools, just as amazing as when I first listened to a podcast episode of your show. Before hearing about you and what you do, which was exactly 1 year ago, I would have never in a million years dared to write an online review for the public to see.

I understand that you want to hear honest feedback on the book, which could help you improve and write an even better book in the future. But please don’t beat yourself up for not even one single bad review. If a person is writing a bad review, he or she, through no fault of his own, does not “get” what you are trying to accomplish.

My honest feedback is that Tribes is very similar to Tools and I feel it is at times somewhat redundant. But I don’t believe your intention was to do something different, but a continuation, a refinement of your Q&A model as a way to get those life-changing nuggets out there to the people who need them. Even if similar advice/tips come up, it is helping me reinforce them, strength my beliefs, and enhance my perspective. I don’t agree with 100% of what you say and do, but I don’t have to. I shouldn’t. That would be wrong. You made me realize the importance of understanding other people perspective, thoughts, and way of thinking.

This book, your work, is priceless. You are truly saving lives. Please never stop inspiring others and helping them to find their way. I am eternally grateful for having found you, your books, and podcasts. You not only opened me to your world but to other people’s worlds through your recommendations of books, podcasts, movies/documentaries, which all combined have radically changed my life for the better. You have given me a new life, and want to thank you for that.

This book could sell just 1 copy and it should be a massive success for you, because you believed in it, because you created it and should proud of it, no matter if others don’t approve. You showed me this and this why I am not scared anymore of failure, of taking risks, stepping outside my comfort zone. What others think shouldn’t matter. What matters is what you believe in, and being true to that. I look forward to your next project.

Me encantaría invitarte un día a Puerto Rico para que inspires a miles de jóvenes a crear un nuevo y mejor Puerto Rico.

Pura Vida Amigo, Marco Teixidor

If you liked "Tools of Titans", this book is a worthy successor. Tim Ferriss interviews high-achieving professionals in various fields and asks them for their advice on what to do when they get overwhelmed, what failure they've learned from the most, and what investment they made that was the most valuable, amongst a few other standard questions. Unlike "Tools of Titans", which was very specific to each individual and expounded a lot on specific attributes and advice pertaining to their field, "Mentors" focuses on big-picture, philosophical advice. It's the what, how, and the why - not the who or where. I did really enjoy this book, perhaps even more than "Tools", because in my particular field (medicine), I didn't really benefit much from the venture capitalist tips or how to bodybuild (I'm a petite female who does yoga and barre, a far cry from a lifter) that were offered up in "Tools"- whereas "Mentors" has more broadly-reaching, how-I-tackle-the-big-questions tips. Some advice is very specific (Robert Rodriguez on how he tackles distractions) and others is much more abstract, but most of it is very good.

One striking thing I realized was that the same few books tended to receive mention several times over by different individuals, most prominently "Tao Te Ching" and "Man's Search for Meaning" (the latter of which is by Victor Frankl, a concentration camp survivor who wrote this book about finding meaning despite the horrors and atrocities that were being committed around him). I have not read these yet, but have moved them high up on my to-read list as a result of the recommendations. I did find a lot of actionable advice here: keeping a gratitude journal, daily meditation, working out daily, and making monthly rather than yearly resolutions (these were my favorite, I think everyone who reads this will come away with their own favorites). Some overarching themes that could be translated into actionable advice were: utilizing and cultivating a flow state, feeding the inner child in you as well as the responsible adult (or, how to make room for play and joy), learning how to say no and avoid overcommitment, living below your means, and ignoring sunk-cost fallacies.

I came away with a few tips I plan to implement into my own life, a lot of books I'd like to read as a result of reading this one, and an appreciation for some of the universal aphorisms we could all learn from. If you like Tim Ferriss' blog, podcasts, or last book (Tools of Titans), I do think that this book was in line with his previous work. Two bits of critique here - I do agree with other posters that a better index would have been helpful, especially for those of us who prefer hard copies that we can't electronically word-find, and i thought the Larry King stories didn't fit in with the rest of the advice being offered. (Sidenote - I listened to the Larry King podcast awhile ago, and highly recommend it, as he is a phenomenal storyteller - I just didn't think reprinting the stories in this book was really the right forum nor really did King's audio justice). But I did thoroughly love this book, and earmarked many pages that I'll likely return to in the future.

Short Version of this review.

"Tribe of Mentors" is a book where Tim Ferris collects and shares deep, meaningful, practical and life-changing tips and hacks. These tools give you the power to positively improve or radically upgrade the way you live. Your upgrade will be on a personal, emotional, spiritual and practical level. Tim's teachers include a wide range of amazing people from legendary investor Ray Dalio to Navy Seal Jocko Willink (look him up) to Rabbi Lord Jonothan Sacks. These mentors become your mentors.

You can spend decades trying to reinvent the wheel in order to improve your life. Or you can pick up this book and learn from Tim's "Tribe of Mentors" and exponentially accelerate your learning curve. Instead of pushing a stone-age vehicle, drive a Ferrarri!

Long Version of the Review

I don't write many reviews, but I felt compelled to write this review out of gratitude; gratitude to Tim for writing "Tribe of Mentors", an amazing and valuable book.

I'm a big fan of Tim Ferris and his other books. However, due to some of the negative reviews, I considered not purchasing "Tribe of Mentors". Some reviews states that the information in the book was shallow and unorganized, etc....or at least compared to "Tools of Titans". But I am so glad I purchased the book. To understand why, lets look at "Tool of Titans" and compare its purpose to "Tribe of Mentors".

"Tools of Titans" was a compilation of Tim's best interviews as well as how he has applied this knowledge in his personal life. "Tribe of Mentors" is Tim choosing his 10 or so best open-ended questions and emailing them to "Mentors" that he's never had the chance to meet in person.

Since "Tools of Titans" is culled from podcasts which are off cuff, their spontaneous flow results in many low-hanging juicy nuggets. This contrasts sharply with "Tribe of Mentors" where Tim emails his mentors questions and they take hours or days to write thoughtful and sophisticated answers. Some of these answers are very deep. Many of these answers are very practical and can have an immediate impact on your life. At the same time, since the written answers are more thought out they often make more nuanced points and employ a more sophisticated vocabulary.

It follows that "Tribe of Mentors" doesn't give you the same instant gratification feeling imparted by the conversational style of "Tools of Titans". Don't get me wrong, it flows and is easy to read. But at the same time, you need to apply yourself more.

There is one aspect of the book that some reviewers criticized and I find fascinating; Tim asks everyone the same questions! While Tim only shares the best answers, the same questions do keep on cropping up over and over again. I completely understand how some can find this tedious. But let me tell you, "I love it". Here is why:

Every Mentor gives different answers to the same questions, providing a breadth and range of personality and knowledge on the topics; a range that I have never seen paralleled. It also shows you the strategies and mindset that different leaders and heroes use to defeat failure and thrive. These are real poeple so it follows that some of their strategies contradict each other. To me this shows the authenticity of the human experience as well as gives you a choice of tools to choose from. What strategy works best for you? This diversity and color also opened my mind towards valuing the diverse and sometimes contradictory parts of my personality. (At the same time, even I get tired of the same questions over and over and over and over again! Mix and spice things up!)

Some other really fun aspects of the book are that Tim has included links to interviews and other resources from many of the Mentors. He includes an index of the top books these leaders have purchased. There is also an index of best "under $100" purchases Tim's mentors have discovered.

I've gained so much from this book. It's fantastic and life-changing. I give it my highest recommendation.

If you'd read this far, thank you for joining me on this review. Leave me a reply after you've read the book letting me know what you think.