In this book, Anthony Pompliano shares his life lessons through 65 letters to his children. The letters cover a wide range of topics, including how to use childhood experiences for character development, understanding that luck is not real, living life as if it were a documentary, developing unshakable resilience, and becoming a happier person. Pompliano draws from his diverse experiences, such as living in a war zone, building successful businesses, and interviewing the world's wealthiest individuals. The book emphasizes a holistic approach to life, focusing not just on financial success but also on nurturing great relationships, maintaining health, and achieving personal happiness. The writing is engaging and straightforward, making complex concepts easy to grasp and apply.
The book describes the 100 years following 1870 as the 'Special Century,' a period of revolutionary growth and prosperity driven by innovations such as electric lighting, indoor plumbing, motor vehicles, air travel, and television. Gordon argues that this era of growth has been flatlining since 1970, marked by growing inequality, stagnating education, an aging population, and rising debt. He contends that the productivity growth of the past cannot be repeated and identifies several 'headwinds' that will continue to slow American economic growth. The book is divided into two main parts, covering the period from 1870 to 1940 and from 1940 to 2010, and includes detailed statistical analysis and historical anecdotes to support its arguments.
In 'How Will You Measure Your Life?', Clayton M. Christensen, along with co-authors James Allworth and Karen Dillon, explores how business principles can be applied to personal life to achieve happiness and fulfillment. The book addresses three key questions: how to ensure happiness in one's career, how to build enduring relationships with family and friends, and how to maintain integrity. Christensen emphasizes the importance of allocating time and energy wisely, avoiding the trap of short-term gains, and focusing on long-term personal and relational investments. He also discusses the 'jobs to be done' concept, encouraging readers to understand and fulfill the emotional needs of those in their lives[2][4][5].
In this heartwarming and insightful book, a knight named Sir Thomas Lemuel Hawke writes a letter to his children in 1483, fearing he may not return from battle. The letter contains a series of ruminations on solitude, humility, forgiveness, honesty, courage, grace, pride, and patience, drawing on ancient teachings and great spiritual and political writings. The book serves as a guide for living an upright and noble life, using stories, metaphors, and anecdotes to convey its messages[2][4][5].
This book is a rich collection of autobiographical stories and vignettes by Peter F. Drucker. It paints a portrait of his remarkable life and the larger historical realities of his time, from his early teen years in Vienna through the interwar years in Europe, the New Deal era, World War II, and the postwar period in America. Drucker introduces readers to a diverse group of individuals, including Sigmund Freud, Henry Luce, Alfred Sloan, John Lewis, and Buckminster Fuller, who reflect and refract the customs, beliefs, and attitudes of the times. The book sheds light on a turbulent and important era and reflects Drucker's imaginative sympathy and enormous interest in people, ideas, and history.
The Art of Learning takes readers through Josh Waitzkin’s unique journey to excellence in both chess and Tai Chi Chuan. The book explains how a well-thought-out, principled approach to learning separates success from failure. Waitzkin discusses how achievement is a function of a lifestyle that fuels a creative, resilient growth process. He shares his methods for systematically triggering intuitive breakthroughs, honing techniques, and mastering performance psychology. The book also emphasizes the importance of embracing defeat, making mistakes work for you, and turning weaknesses into strengths. It is divided into sections that cover his rise in chess, his transition to Tai Chi, and the similarities in preparation and execution between the two disciplines.
Anthony Pompliano — investor, entrepreneur, and media powerhouse — returns four years and 228 episodes later to discuss his new book, How To Live an Extraordinary Life, a collection of 65 heartfelt letters to his two children.
At just 36, Anthony has already invested in circa 200 companies, served in Iraq with the U.S. Army, built and sold multiple businesses, and created one of the world’s largest independent media platforms. You don’t accomplish all that without learning a thing or two, and in this episode we dig into his hard-earned insights — from the uniting traits of the world’s smartest people, to the luxury of pessimism, to why luck isn’t real.
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!”, check out our Substack.
Important Links:
Show Notes:
- The hidden power of “I don’t know”
- Why Anthony started writing letters to his children
- Today is practice for tomorrow
- Carve your ethics in stone, but your opinions in sand
- How bad positioning poisons decision-making
- Are there any parts of the book Anthony no longer believes in?
- What unites the smartest people in the world
- Why luck isn’t real
- The luxury of pessimism
- Power laws everywhere!
- Anthony as Emperor of the World
- MORE!
Books, Articles & Podcasts Mentioned:
Infinite Loops 
