36 and Thriving: A Young Entrepreneur’s Letters to His Kids

A noted author once said that a great book should leave you with many experiences — enabling you to live several lives just by reading.  As Read Across America Day rolls around this month, I want to recommend a recent book that did that for me.

This is an easy read by an author who, at age 36, has already accomplished more than most people do in a lifetime. In “How to Live An Extraordinary Life,” Anthony Pompliano offers 65 brief letters he wrote to his children, with lessons on success in business and life. It is almost like a memoir to his kids.

Pompliano was on the battlefield in Iraq by age 20 and has since found success as an entrepreneur, investor, and parent. I like the way Pompliano uses his letters to highlight what he finds important in life. He embodies many of the things I strive for. He encompasses the picture of a successful business leader who also has a successful family life, and he is very charitable as well, giving back when and where he can.

One of Pompliano’s tenets is “how you do anything is how you do everything.” Even the small things count. The person who is always on time is the same person who keeps promises, is trustworthy and is dependable. As I’ve written in this newsletter in the past, it’s one thing to behave in a certain way because other people are watching, but it’s an entirely different thing to hold yourself accountable when you are alone, and no one is watching.

Each of Pompliano’s chapters offers a nugget of wisdom, such as “Carve your ethics in stone, write your opinions in sand,” and “Have a bias for action.” Pompliano writes about how starting his first company gave him the skills to start a second one and then head growth teams at a major tech company. The moral of the story? “Today is practice for tomorrow.” He writes of the tenacity required to build a skyscraper, make a fortune, or simply lose weight or build muscle. The principle is, “The best things in life take time.”

Another worthy piece of advice is to always finish what you start. Pompliano has helped hundreds of companies get off the ground, including Lyft, Coinbase, and placer.ai, and he has been interviewed on various financial outlets, including CNBC and Fox News Money.

Pompliano’s principles resonate with wisdom I’ve heard from other authors and speakers formerly in the military. Jocko Willink, a former Navy SEAL and author of “Extreme Ownership,” holds that if you lead a team and something goes wrong in a mission, it’s your fault because you didn’t prepare your people well enough.  You don’t throw other people on the sword when you lead like that. You create a culture of responsibility, and people follow you wholeheartedly as a result.

What emerges from Pompliano’s collection of letters is a similar picture of a highly energetic, responsible, worthwhile role model. “How to Live an Extraordinary Life” is an inviting read from someone who has led a cool life. As we approach Read Across America Day, I hope you can take the time to dive into a book you love and recommend it to others. It’s a great way to enrich and deepen your life!