A friend of mine recently introduced me to one of the most brilliant entrepreneurs of our time. He goes by the name of Tim Ferriss.
Prior to a few months ago, I had never heard of the guy. I was familiar with his work (most notably The 4-Hour Workweek), but never really looked into the man who built a legendary empire from his own self-marketing genius.
In case you haven't tuned in, his podcast (starting back in 2012) is gold: funny, informational, inspirational, you name it. To put it simply, this guy is the fucking cheese. That's enough fanboy for now - let's turn to the purpose of this article.
In his book, The 4-Hour Workweek, he poses a personal challenge at the end of every chapter. It's supposed to move you out of your comfort zone and help you do things you wouldn't normally have ever considered.
Now, the objective of his challenge (found here) is to get someone of relative importance (CEO of Google, an actor/actress, a professional athlete, etc.) to respond to your email or phone call. He even went to a class at Princeton, posed the challenge to all the students, and offered a round-trip plane ticket to anywhere in the world to the first person who received a response.
Seeing that there was no round-trip ticket on the line, I decided to take a different approach by writing simple thank you emails to individuals I found inspirational while listening to the podcasts. I had no goal of receiving a response, nor did I write emails in the form of expecting one. I merely wanted to express gratitude to those willing to give something back in service of the greater good. To date, I believe I've written about 10 emails to various famous people.
Just a few minutes ago, I received an unexpected email from a cool ass dude named Ryan Holiday. I was happily surprised, especially considering how much bullshit emails they have to sift through on a daily basis. Here's how the conversation went down:
Hi Ryan,
I'm currently listening to your podcast with Tim Ferriss from a few years ago and I felt compelled to write you a simple thank you email. The introduction of the art of stoicism is truly fascinating and something that resonates with me personally.
Your views and beliefs on mentor/mentee relationships is spot on. For the past few years I always thought this had to be some form of professional or institutionalized method (probably due to being brainwashed from the corporate spectrum). After listening to your interview, I realized this was an egregious method. Your opinion on the matter helped clear up some mental blocks that I will use to continue my search for intellectual curiosity and professional friendships.
I have you on my list of authors to read and truly appreciate some of your inspiring wisdom. I just noticed you were born in Sacramento, where I currently live and work (small world).
If you haven't read (or heard of) Christopher Hitchens' work, I highly suggest it. I always try and impart some inspirational literature when reaching out to people who are probably too busy to read this email. I feel it's a good way to exchange knowledge and pass on some "pay it forward" juju.
Strength and Honor.
Jeremy Flash Adams
This email was sent on October 31, 2016. His response on December 14, 2016:
Thanks Jeremy. Much appreciated. Yes I grew up in Fair Oaks and then Granite Bay. It’s a strange city all around.
Hitchens is excellent. Or well, was.
Sorry for the late reply!
This is literally all it took to make my whole week. A few words that probably took him no more than 30 seconds to concoct.
Although the purpose of this exercise was not to hear back from anyone, it was pleasantly accepted. Even if you don't think someone you're reaching out to is reading or hearing what you have to say, there's always a slight chance they do. A little bit of gratitude goes a long way and I'm looking forward to seeing the continued journey of thank you emails.
UPDATE:
Let's make that two author responses! Here's the email I sent to Stephen J. Dubner, coauthor of Freakonomics:
Hello,
I recently finished listening to a podcast Mr. Dubner held with Tim Ferris back in 2014. Your ideas and humble natured attitude towards religion and individual human tendencies are spot on. Your words are refreshingly true and carry an inspirational altruistic weight alongside them. I merely wanted to say thank you as it was a pleasure listening to someone who conveys himself in a similar fashion I attempt to do.
I've had Freakonomics on my reading list for years. I shamefully admit I have yet to start it, but I plan on doing so in the near future after listening to your podcast discussion.
Although I don't know much about Mr. Levitt, I'm sure he's just as brilliant and kind-hearted, and I thoroughly look forward to reading your collaborative efforts on such a fascinating expanse of topics.
Strength and Honor.
Jeremy Flash Adams
This email was sent on November 29, 2016. His response on December 15, 2016:
thanks very much, sjd
Again, nothing to be terribly proud of, but another unexpected surprise to say the least.