Student

As a person you are either growing or shrinking, there is no middle ground. On average, I push myself to learn around 3 hours of additional content outside of work every day. I do this for enjoyment because learning makes me appreciate how much knowledge is in the world. I can easily leverage my learning habits into a new company and industry to quickly adapt and become a top performer.
Books
Books are my favorite way to learn. No matter what issues you are addressing, someone has gone through the same problems and written about it. Smart people learn from their mistakes, wise people learn from other’s mistakes. I usually read 25-50 books a year. I have read terrible books, books I can’t put down, and insightful books. The most important books to me are the ones you take action from and bring the books message into your own life. Here is a quick list of the most influential books I have deeply incorporated into my life:
  • On the Shortness of Life by Seneca
  • Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini
  • Spirit of Adventure: Eagle Scouts and the Making of America’s Future by Alvin Townley
  • The One Thing by Gary Keller & Jay Papasan
  • How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
  • Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More than IQ by Daniel Goleman
  • Atomic Habits by James Clear
Podcasts
Podcasts are one of the most undervalued learning tools available. I listen to them whenever I am commuting, traveling or going through my morning and evening routines. I listen to no more than 9 different podcasts and each one needs to earn their spot in my list. Over the years I have stayed with a core group that I am always fascinated and impressed by:
  • All Digital Additive Manufacturing [Adam J. Penna]
  • 3Degrees Discussions [Mike Vasquez]
  • The Drive [Peter Attia]
  • The Tony Robbins Podcast
  • The Tim Ferriss Show
  • Big Questions [Cal Fussman]
  • Exponential Wisdom [Dan Sullivan and Peter Diamandis]
  • Bigger Pockets Real Estate Podcast [Brandon Turner & David Greene]
  • Straight Up Chicago Investor [Mark Ainley & Tom Shallcross]
Online Courses
I have often thought about my next steps in education. I thought the only way to get a great education is go to a university. I’ve been cautions because many people go to grad school not quite sure why they are there. I have never had a crystal clear path that absolutley required an additional degree. It is too expensive in time, money and opportunity cost.  Now, I can find the best teachers in almost every subject possible through focused courses. I use a combination of free and paid courses, here is a list of the ones I focus on:
  • Additive Manufacturing for Innobative Design and Production by Masachuttes Institute of Technology (MIT)
    • A 12-week in depth course on the fundamentals, applications, and business implications of 3D printing for design and manufacturing. First hand projects with design for additive manufacturing, building a business case for a 3D printer and understanding design guidelines.
  • Top Performer
    • An 8-week process of deeply understanding your career path and identifying the specific changes you can make that will bring big results. The course has served over 5000 students from all career stages and professions, helping them become top performers.
  • Rapid Learner
    • This six week program teaches you how to master the process for acing tough classes, accelerating your career and learning anything quickly and efficiently. Course by Scott Young & Cal Newport
  • The Great Courses
    • Of the more than 500,000 professors, only the top 1% are selected to teach for the great courses.
  • The Society International
    • Exclusive, high-level, international personal growth, networking and mastermind group created by seven-time New York Times bestselling author, Neil Strauss.
  • IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com
    • The names sounds like a scam, but this website is one of the best investments I have made in my life. Ramit Sethi gives coursework on finding your dream job, negotiating, creating a business, and being effective in communication. His approach of pyschology to business and finances is unmatched.

Mentors
Being a mentor and learning from a mentor are the most important things you can do for a successful life. What I look for in a mentor consists of one or more of the following:
  • Quickly go from unconscious competence to an well respected expert (~under 2 years)
  • Person who masters a skill and teach others that excell to the top level
  • Their message surpasses their lifetime
  • Expertise in a niche market
Here is a list of my current top mentors:
Seven-time New York Times Best Selling Author. One of Neil’s books started my journey in personal development. He fabricates amazing non-fiction content into a story because he believes we learn better through metaphors of a story. I attended his exclusive, high-level, international personal growth, networking and mastermind group. I had the privilege of meeting him and he gave me constructive feedback on my personal goals during a mastermind session.
A master of breaking down high-level performers and analyzing the key components that make them great. He is my only mentor that I follow through his books, blog and podcast.
Professional beach volleyball champion, New York Times best selling author, first female spokesman for Nike, health and fitness expert, and co-founder of Extreme Performance Training (XPT). Her greatest lesson to me is, “treat your life as an experiment”.
A finance guru that focuses on psychology. I value his approach to creating systems, testing your own theories, and all his programs (I have completed 2 of his programs already) go through rigorous research and testing before being released to the market.
One of the most impressive athletes I have ever encountered. She is a full-time attorney and the world’s most decorated obstacle racer.
His two books So Good they Can’t Ignore you and Deep Work had a impact in my life. His blog focuses on rapid learning and productivity habits
One of the best future outlook minds with a primary focus on disruptive technology. I am blown away by what he shares in the possibilities of the world. He believes that the world’s biggest problems are the biggest opportunities.
An expert in rapid learning. most well known for his year without english and MIT challenge, where he successfully completed MIT’s 4 year undergraduate computer science curriculum in 12 months.
The most impressive and successful life coaches of our time. He believes success is 80% psychology and 20% tactics and is a avid user of neuro-linguistic programming.