The Most Powerful Tool That Isn't AI

Last week were the most replies back I have ever gotten back on a Diary post. You people were amazed by the power of AI, as you should be.

It’s a truly powerful weapon that most industries should be taking advantage of. Don’t be afraid it!

Embrace the fact robots will be invading our culture over the next several years and human connection will become meaningless.

JK, but seriously, open your mind to the fact that AI can help you get more efficient.

So, am I going to use AI to write today’s Diary post?

No.

Do I want to save time so I can spend my Sunday morning playing 18 holes instead of 9 and absolutely glued to an octo-box screen of NFL RedZone… kinda, yeah.

But, I will NOT be using Mr. Roboto to crank this puppy out.

This is Human Danny.

Human Danny will continue to write these posts moving forward.

Why, when it’s so easy to do an entire post that is valuable in 3.7 seconds using AI?

Because I think love writing about things I care about. A newfound love actually. So here we go!!!

The Power of a Mentor

Imagine having a Bill Belichick in your corner guiding you through life?

Ok maybe not Bill, he’s kinda scary and polarizing these days (still the GOAT).

Let’s go with Gregg Popovich.

A mentor doesn’t have to be to this high caliber of a human.

It could be as simple as your mom, dad, friend, co-worker or anyone in your network.

As long as you have someone you can run advice through, not be afraid to ask tough questions to, or get critical feedback from. Having someone you can TRUST in that situation is KEY.

A mentor is someone that you always trust. They will always have YOUR best interest, and they are not looking out for their best interest when helping you make decisions.

Their best interest is you succeeding because they care!

You can also have different mentors for different aspects of life.

A life mentor: Someone who helps you navigate through the crazy rollercoaster of life. Whether that’s relationships, friend drama, family stuff. This is a shoulder you can cry on or ready to party when it’s time to celebrate success.

Typically, this is a person you are closer with vs. a work mentor.

A workplace mentor: Someone who helps you navigate your career and shows you how to make the right moves to climb the business ranks and achieve your goals.

This mentor doesn’t have to be someone you’re super close with either. Just a trusted acquittance you check in with time from time for advice.

A lot of the times a mentor doesn’t even know they are being a mentor.

You might be thinking, how do I find one of these people? How does that work?

Here’s my personal experience finding mentors and who these DAWGs actually are…

My Mentor Squad

Let’s start with a couple folks who probably have no idea I even use them as a “mentor”.

Peter Farnsworth - “Pistol Pete”, which no one has ever called him including me but feeling frisky today, maybe it’ll stick!

Peter is a legend in the sports industry. He spent most of his career working in the NBA front office. Most recently he started Foxrock Partners and SALA Series.

Quick shoutout to SALA Series which is network of hundreds of events and media extensions highlighting issues of societal importance, dozens of brands and nonprofits work with SALA as part of their commitment to social impact and business-to-business partnerships.

I don’t want to date Peter here, but I’m going to do exactly that. He graduated from Colgate, my alma mater, in 1992 and was a member of the very esteemed lacrosse program!

So, pretty much when I graduated Colgate in 2019, I felt like I wasn’t good enough to break into the sports industry. It was very uncommon for any Gate Lax alumni to work in sports, the guys loved the route of the finance bro lifestyle.

I connected with him on LinkedIn after seeing he was a Colgate guy with NBA experience and immediately reached out and asked for a phone call.

That first call we hit it off, he appreciated my ambition to work in sports.

Then that call turned into a bi-weekly call and a budding relationship.

He began connecting me with other studs in the industry and eventually he gave me the confidence to leave the “finance world” (a very fancy phrase for insurance) and jump into sports.

This is a situation of Peter probably not even knowing he was a mentor to me, but he was a guy I went to for advice, and he always delivered. #mentor #savage

Pete, what, we’ve met in person maybe twice??

But that just shows the power of the internet and accessibility to just people in general these days.

Speaking of #mentors #savages…

Benjamin Rawitz

My man is an absolute savage and has been a mentor to me over the last 5 years.

I’ve mentioned this cat before, but here’s the quick bio on Ben:

He’s been managing Tom Brady for 15+ years touching all aspects of Tom’s businesses and off-the-field ventures. He is also a co-founder of Shadow Lion, a media company rocket ship just completely disrupting the space. Unbiased opinion, of course.

Maybe his most notable accomplishment is his recent star appearance in Tom Brady’s new Vlog series “Last Week with Tom” . Just fantastic work.

I told the story of how I met been in this Diary post about “The Power of Networking”, but I hit him in the IG DMs asking to connect and he did!

Another quick phone call that bloomed into a beautiful relationship.

Ben has really helped me navigate the sports media industry, especially in Boston.

Ultimately how I ended up at Shadow Lion .

He strongly believes in TRUST. Once that bond of trust was developed, he was quickly a guy I could come to with a problem or an ask and he would help me solve.

Again, he’s not a mentor I talk to every single day, or even every week, but a guy I know I can trust when I bring him questions.

It’s so important to find people like that in business and life.

Speaking of life, finding one of my biggest mentors in the “life” portion of this thing, came more naturally than an internet DM.

He created me. My father….

Dan Healey

He’s always been an easy person to turn to for any type of life advice. I’ve never been embarrassed to bring him a situation and ask for his help/input.

That’s when you know you’ve found a mentor.

Whether it’s lady drama, business scenarios, football gambling or other boy stuff, he’s been a trusted source of feedback and advice.

Now this is one of the #mentor #savages that I talk very often.

Every mentor can be different. Hands off, hand on. Familiar, distance. Old, young.

The commonality with a mentor is TRUST.

Can you go to someone and trust they will deliver you with critical feedback?

If you don’t have one of these useful Gregg Popovich tools, go get one!

LinkedIn is in a good place to start.

Or I charge $99.99 an hour for my mentorship program. This includes a weekly phone call where I give 5 of my best NFL bets.

Jokes aside, I might not be the right mentor for you, but I am happy to help you find one or just chat.

Hit me up! Reply to this post or DM me.

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!

DAL -5 on Thursday Night Football. Sprinkle over 45 total points.