Playing the Long Game (Good things Come to Those who Wait) : Lessons from Mentors

 



Playing the Long Game

Lessons from Mentors

By Adam Mundorf



Playing the Long Game (Good things Come to Those who Wait)
The power of playing the long game.  In my life I have had many mentors, namely : Steve Maxwell (One of the First American Gracie BJJ Blackbelts) , Jack Bogle (Founder of the Vanguard Group), Ori Hofmekler (Pioneer of Intermittent Fasting) and Ken Fulmer (CEO of Urban Engineers Inc).

You will notice that none of the above men are beneath the age of 50 and most are over the age of 60.  These are the people you want to listen to.  Life does things to a person that can only be taken into consideration when experienced.  Listening to 20 somethings (who are full of themselves) doesn't do anyone any good.  They don't know the true rigors of aging, life and what truly leads to a fulfilling life.  It's only with age you begin to realize what truly matters and all the garbage you worried about in your younger years never mattered at all.  Growing old is a blessing and far too many fear it.  The end result doesn't need to be a nursing home, in pain or poverty.

Below I will list the above mentors with a picture, brief description of why I take their advice and what I believe they bring to the table.  It is with humbleness and gratitude I introduce my mentors :


Steve Maxwell

  • Why I take Steve's Advice
    • Steve is almost 70 years old and still moves like a kid.
    • Steve has been a high level competitor in BJJ and has been extremely active his whole life.
    • Steve isn't afraid to change his opinion.
    • Steve is always accessible.
  • What Steve Taught Me
    • Joint health is of the utmost importance.
    • Joint mobility must be done daily.
    • Exercise quality is much more important than quantity or load.
    • America has an epidemic of 'Fit but Sick People'.  People who look aesthetic but are intrinsically sick.
    • The quality of your thoughts dictate the quality of your life.
    • Your goals must be intrinsic for long term success and true happiness.
    • Consuming garbage content like pornography, social media and being promiscuous destroys the soul.
    • The American dream is a myth.  Society tries to cram people into a small idealistic box.  Life is so much more than the white picket fence, large 401k, huge house and fancy things.  While I may have a large 401k and ability to buy fancy things as Timbaland said : 'Yeah, I got money, take it all from me, Imma be the same.' I was the same before I became wealthy and I'm still the same now.
    • Don't listen to those who aren't intrinsically happy or are living lives of quiet desperation.
    • Gratitude is the best virtue.

Jack Bogle

  • Why I take Jacks Advice
    • Jack pioneered one of the largest asset managers in the United States but never let it get to his head.
    • Jack pioneered index funds even though it wasn't as profitable to him.
    • Jack always puts the investor's interest first.
    • Jack was always accessible.
    • No matter how rich or poor, people have good things to say about Jack.
  • What Jack Taught Me
    • In investing you get what you DON'T pay for.
    • Patience and consistency is the way to result.
    • Delaying gratification is key for financial success.
    • Investing is laughably simple to do.
    • Displays of wealth are a facade.  Nice cars, high paying jobs, large homes and fancy jewelry doesn't show the true picture of someone's financial situation.  In reality most of the wealthy look relatively average.  If anyone would know it's Jack, he was friends with some of the wealthiest individuals in the world.
    • Virtue is paramount in long term success.
    • Being thankful is of the utmost importance.

Ori Hofmekler

  • Why I take Ori's Advice
    • Ori is over the age of 60 is healthy and still moves well.
    • Ori pushed back against the concept of being big (muscle or fat) is healthy.
    • Ori isn't afraid to express himself.
  • What Ori Taught Me
    • Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner is complete malarkey.
    • Eating a large cooked meal once a day, at the end of the day is the way to health.
    • It's okay to be hungry.
    • Life is all about health span.
    • We have the capability as a species to live much much better than we are now.
    • Quality muscle beats muscle size every time.
    • People in America are afraid to go without and that's a huge problem.
    • Virtue is all that matters.
    • Most people are extremely hypocritical especially when it comes to eating habits or love for animals.
    • Gratitude is key to a long and fulfilling life.

Ken Fulmer (Left)

  • What I take Ken's Advice
    • He's a genuinely friendly individual.
    • He's accessible and down to Earth.
    • He runs a fantastic engineering and consulting firm.
  • What Ken Taught Me
    • A smile and a friendly hello can go really far.
    • Taking the reins of life isn't something to be feared.
    • Slow and steady wins the race.
    • It's about how a company is doing intrinsically that matters, not fancy things and fancy/opulent offices.
    • Being virtuous is of the utmost importance.
    • Showing gratitude is important.
Conclusion and a Thought about Virtue
I hope to expand on this list in the future.  These are of course not my only mentors but these are the ones that made a huge impact on me and ones I have spent the most time with.  Just remember that growing old is a blessing and to take advice from those older but more importantly those who got it right.  It's only as you age, you realize that nothing really matters except living a virtuous life.  Living a life of the high road.  Avoiding vices, promiscuity, pornography masturbation, social media and things that are simply not intrinsically good.  These things are just not good and people will argue repeatedly looking for confirmation bias.  As I said in a previous blog, "Be the person you would want your child to be."  Living a virtuous life isn't easy in the short term but long term provides unlimited satisfaction.  I'll leave you with this quote :

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others."

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