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Curiosity Chronicle · September 4 · 5 min

A Lesson From a Mentor I'll Never Forget

I first met Tim Cook in 2014. I was just starting my career in finance and had signed up for a local gym that opened at 5:00am. I started arriving at 4:45am so I could get to the office by 6:30. Each morning, there was a small handful of others who would congregate outside the doors at that time. Tim happened to be one of the people in that group. For the first six months, I talked to him almost every day and had exactly zero idea who he was. As our friendship grew and I came to consider him a mentor, I realized something deeper was going on. A few years later, he was still there. Doing the exact same thing. Every single day. He became the best example I've seen of an old Zen saying: What do you do before enlightenment? Chop wood, carry water. What do you do after enlightenment? Chop wood, carry water. In this piece, I talk about the lesson I learned from seeing it up close: The outcomes may change. The titles may change. The scale may change. But the work doesn't... ••• This episode brought to you by: DeleteMe - DeleteMe makes it quick, easy, and safe to remove your personal data online. Origin Financial - Your personal AI Financial Advisor. Track your spending, investments, and net worth—all in one place. Innerbody Labs - A Higher Standard. After reviewing thousands of health products, we built formulas we wished existed. Lemon - The Al agent that turns your voice instructions into finished tasks.

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I first met Tim Cook in 2014.


I was just starting my career in finance and had signed up for a local gym that opened at 5:00am. I started arriving at 4:45am so I could get to the office by 6:30.


Each morning, there was a small handful of others who would congregate outside the doors at that time. Tim happened to be one of the people in that group.


For the first six months, I talked to him almost every day and had exactly zero idea who he was.


As our friendship grew and I came to consider him a mentor, I realized something deeper was going on. A few years later, he was still there. Doing the exact same thing. Every single day.


He became the best example I've seen of an old Zen saying:


What do you do before enlightenment? Chop wood, carry water. What do you do after enlightenment? Chop wood, carry water.


In this piece, I talk about the lesson I learned from seeing it up close: The outcomes may change. The titles may change. The scale may change. But the work doesn't...


•••

This episode brought to you by:

  • DeleteMe - DeleteMe makes it quick, easy, and safe to remove your personal data online. 
  • Origin Financial - Your personal AI Financial Advisor. Track your spending, investments, and net worth—all in one place.
  • Innerbody Labs - A Higher Standard. After reviewing thousands of health products, we built formulas we wished existed.
  • Lemon - The Al agent that turns your voice instructions into finished tasks.
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