You already know the value of having a mentor, so I won’t get into that. Your first mentor was probably your mother or father, as was mine. That caring person set you on the course you are on today. As I moved ahead in my career I had some great bosses and associates that really helped steer me right. But now, the older I get, the harder it is to find a mentor. As I’ve aged there are fewer older people I know that are on the road ahead of me and younger associates hesitate to advise me, even when they are a lot smarter than me. These smart young folks erroneously assume I already know it all. How silly is that!?
A few years ago, I stumbled upon some great mentors from an unlikely source, the Tim Ferriss books and podcasts. Back when I was learning to do real estate investing, I read Tim’s book “The Four-Hour Work Week”. As an engineer, the book resonated with me in presenting a systems-based process for setting up and operating a business efficiently. I liked Tim’s style, so I read his other great books:
Reading “Tools of Titans” and “Tribe of Mentors” opened my eyes to the lives of some of the most successful people in the world. Especially enlightening is the way Tim would deep dive into their daily personal routines –- things they did to control stress, stay healthy, and be productive –- while running some very successful projects. I got an awareness of how these high-profile folks were not much different than us “ordinary” folks. Their main difference is their skill set, but their daily life is not much different than anyone else.
I have continued to find more excellent mentors in Tim’s podcasts. I have listened to a lot of podcasts and Tim’s stands out due to his exceptional interviewing skills and the wide variety of folks he has on. No matter what field you’re pursuing, you are bound to find someone Tim has interviewed that is a leader in that field.
I’ve applied a lot of the gleaned advice in my own life. If you’re interested, you can find a lot of it here Simple Stuff That Changed my life.
Tim also writes a good blog. Go look for yourself: https://tim.blog/ and pull down the pod cast “The Tim Ferris Show” from your favorite podcast site. Learn more about Tim Ferris here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Ferriss. I encourage you to give Mr. Ferriss a try if you’re having trouble finding good folks to bounce your questions and ideas off of.
The blog serves as a personal journal, sharing insights from the author’s life experiences in finance, health, nature, exercise, history, science, and philosophy. It emphasizes the importance of mindset changes for financial management, maintaining health proactively, appreciating nature, regular exercise, learning from history, and understanding philosophical concepts for personal growth and improved living.
Stand by for some good posts coming up in the new year!
Welcome to my blog. I expect this will be more like a personal journal, but I also want to give some insights I’ve gleaned from my travel experiences and studies. Personally, I’ve taken way too many years to learn some simple things that make life and the world a lot better. I hope to share what I’ve learned to younger people (and maybe some of my fellow old farts) so they will not have to do as much catch up as I have.
I will focus on some basic areas that make the most improvements to a good life:
Financial – Struggling through life, pay check to pay check, is not a good plan. It does not have to be that way. Learning to manage your personal finances more like a business is a much better way. Our economy is designed to promote commercialism and this is the trap. Improving personal finances is as simple as controlling expenses and saving for the future. The main hurtle to this is the change in mindset that is required. For example, what are you thinking about the day before payday – “I’ll have the money to go out to eat”, “I can buy that new dress or sports coat I’ve wanted”, or “This paycheck will give me enough down payment for a new car loan”. Or are your thoughts more like – “I get to pay down that credit card a little more”, “I’ll have a little bit to add to retirement savings”, or “I’ll have a little bit to add to saving for a down payment on an investment property”. A change in your mindset is the way out of the commercialism trap.
Health – A lot of folks, my younger self included, think their doctor is all they need to stay healthy. Go through life until you feel bad, then go to the doctor and they fix you. That’s actually a downward spiral. Look around at the older folks you know. How many of them are sitting around watching TV with too many aches and pains to get out much any more? Truth is, our main stream doctors are only trained to “fix” people. They are not trained to keep you healthy, much less improve your health. I’ve finally learned there is a whole other type of doctor out there that is totally focused on improving health, strength, and endurance. They are the sports medicine doctors. I know, if you’re like me, you can’t afford your own personal sports doctor. But fortunately, these guys write books, have web sites, and podcasts. These guys share their knowledge for all of us to benefit from. I’ll be sharing the best of these I’ve found in future blogs.
Nature – Want to feel like you’re rich even if you’re broke? Go outside and learn the different trees and birds. Breath the air. Go for a snorkel and learn about the fish. Plant some new plants in your yard. Go for a walk in your local park. It’s all free or cheap and does wonders for the attitude.
Exercise – Strength training and cardio are not an option. Find some activities you enjoy doing to keep you going. Move it or lose it! It’s well known we lose muscle mass and blood flow as we age. Work those muscles and get the blood flowing to the brain. That, good sleep, and diet are the keys to better quality of life at any age. Don’t neglect flexibility and balance, as these are the first to go as you get older. “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” Don’t let that happen. Yoga does it for me, but there’s plenty of other ways.
History – The German philosopher George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel famously said, “What experience and history teach is this—that people and governments never have learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it.” Politicians depend on this fact, but we don’t have. Learning human history will demystify and filter the fire hose of news we get everyday.
If you want to be less frustrated by the silly actions of society and governments, start reading more history. I acquired an interest in history when I started traveling around the Caribbean. At first glance, the islands appeared to be “third world” to me. I saw a lot of old run down buildings and folks living below standards I am use to. Upon closer look I realized that was not the case at all. These islands are “old world”, their post Columbian societies being formed a couple hundred years before that of the states. That change in perspective sparked my curiosity about how civilization began and changed shape through time. I started studying the explorations of the European’s discover of the “New World”, but then backed up and got interested in man’s first emergence on the planet. You will find some great recommendations in my reading list that will explain a lot about what is going on in your world today.
Science – I am very interested in many facets of biology and physics. While not much of a scientist (my math skills being way out of date!), I just like to try to understand more about the world and the universe. I’m presently learning more about AI. Did you know that AI development has helped us learn more about how our own brains work? There is just so much to learn and so much more yet to be discovered.
Philosophy – Learning some basic philosophical theories is a good way to learn more about yourself, the folks in your life, and society. I lean towards stoicism for personal and business decisions and Zen Buddhism for life perspective.
In early October 2024 I made my annual trip to the island of Saba to scuba dive and participate in the Sea & Learn event. The diving was great, I did 36 dives in two weeks. Sea & Learn was as good as ever with many great presenters and field projects.
When ever I mention Saba to anybody their typical response is “Where’s that?”. Saba is a small island in the middle of the Caribbean just 30 miles south of St. Maartin. Not many have heard of Saba since there are no real beaches and not on the list of well known tourist destinations. Saba is a little hard to get to, accessible only by one or two occasional ferries and a single airline that must land on the shortest commercial runway in the world. The pilots must have special qualifications to even land on Saba. But, once you do go there, you’ll be back as the island is truly special. The diving is world class and the natural environment is spectacular. This tiny five square mile island has a 3000 foot inactive volcano mount comprising seven unique environments from tropical seashore up to elfin forest with miles of really cool trails!
The diving is unique due to the surrounding volcanic formations. The reefs on the leeward side (west) grow on top of ancient lava flows while the reefs on the windward side are biologic, growing on top of ancient coral skeletons. The sea mounts a little off shore offer divers quite another experience. There are several of these around Saba and they call them The Pinnacles. The top of most of the pinnacles are at about 80 feet and go down to around 200 to 300 feet. The pinnacle named The Needle is a whole other adventure. These three distinct types of reef; geologic, biologic, and offshore pinnacles; offer a vast variety of sea life and terrain to explore.
The Sea & Learn event on Saba is every year for the whole month of October. Experts in fields that pertain to Saba, our oceans, and the environment are invited to do marine and terrestrial field projects (think citizen science) and give presentations. I like to do the marine field projects. We go out on the dive boat and help the scientist do experiments or gather data. I’ve helped count dusky damselfish, surveyed queen chunk, observed sponges breathing, and countless others. The presentations are in the evening at one of the many great restaurants. You grab a beverage and get up close and personal with the presenters. I’ve learned about all sorts of sea life, land life, geology, volcanism, climate, all sorts of things. I go every year. I know of nothing else like Sea & Learn anywhere in the world. Oh, by the way, it’s free!
It’s a small island, so the scientists are in the same resorts as guests and you run in to them in the restaurants and stores. I’ve had many great conversations over breakfast, dinner, or beers. Where else would you get to chat with the director of the World Whale Shark Institute in Madagascar or Paul Human the fish ID guru?
Having breakfast with Paul Human, renowned figure in the diving industry as the co-founder of New World Publications and the Reef Environmental Education Foundation.
The wonderful woman that started Sea & Learn, Lynn Costenaro, was inducted into the Women’s Divers Wall of Fame for her efforts. From Faces of Saba: “Lynn Costenaro is a passionate environmental advocate who has made a significant impact on the island of Saba though her work with the Sea and Learn Foundation. With a deep love for the island’s unique ecosystem and cultural heritage, Lynn strives to educate and inspire both the local community and tourists about the importance of preserving Saba’s natural beauty and ensuring that the beauty is preserved for future generations”. Check it out at:
The Blog of Tim Schmitz 
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