Anyone who has talked to me about books in the past four or five months has most likely heard me rave about The Four Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss, and a recent update on his blog has prompted me to start thinking about New Year’s resolutions in a whole new way. For those unfamiliar with the writings and philosophies of Timothy Ferriss, he is the wunderkind of the entrepreneurial and tech enterprises world; Larry Page and Sergey Brin have nothing on him. In light of the success of his New York Times best-seller (found at http://www.fourhourworkweek.com), he posts frequent updates on his blog, making suggestions as to how the average person can streamline his or her day, boost productivity, and live life to the fullest.
Today’s aptly titled entry, “How to Get George Bush or the CEO of Google on the Phone,” is an excellent how-to for those interested in establishing contacts with the luminaries of society: the politicians, the business leaders, the doctors and lawyers and Indian chiefs. I cannot express how strongly I believe in the impact that early attempts at networking can have on the lives of young, motivated students; the article is printed in full here.
In a similar vein, Ryan Holiday, another mover-and-shaker whom I have much admiration for, posted some interesting tips for those looking to find a mentor.

I am forever seeking guidance, be it a teacher, a boss, or someone with slightly more influence, and anyone preparing for – or already in – college would benefit from doing the same. One tip in particular stood out:

“Bring something to the table. Anything. Quid pro quo. Even if it’s just energy. Even if it’s just thanks. You cannot ask and ask and not expect to give anything in return. The bigger the payoff you can offer, the longer they’ll take you under their wing. Figure out what you can offer and actually give it. Here’s a freebie: Find articles and books that relate to their field and pass on a recommendation and then they won’t have to waste their time searching.”

Of the suggestions made by Holiday, nothing compares to this. I believe that a vast majority of my successes, even at this time in my life, have stemmed from a can-do, energetic approach to whatever has come my way.
How does mentor seeking relate to finding the personal e-mail address of Mark Cuban? Timothy Ferris is productivity, and all of his advice is practical, organized, and user-friendly, utilizing open-ended questions designed to prod the brains of his readers. In his latest blog post, he introduces the question: “If you could choose only five people in the world to get to know in 2008, who would they be?”
In response, the five people I want to get to know in 2008 (be it through brief e-mail contact or, ideally, by establishing some amount of dialog), in no particular order:

  1. Tucker Max
  2. Dr. James L. Peacock
  3. Thomas Friedman
  4. Ryan Holiday
  5. Gary West

Who are some of these people? Three are best-selling authors, two are involved in the revolutionizing of American media, and all are experts in their respective fields. By February 2008 I will have had the solid opportunity to meet two of the five in person, and I am likely to establish e-mail contact with one more within that time period.

Who are your top five?