820. Feeling Most Alive Through Curiosity and Lifelong Learning

Tommy Baker

“I think the biggest thing has been just a deep-rooted commitment to being the humble student and always learning. That’s when I feel most alive. Through putting myself in experiences and situations, and programs and books, and immersing myself as the best possible student, then that’s when you can become the best possible teacher at the same time. That commitment has been very intense for me, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”

Tommy Baker helps dreamers, visionaries, and entrepreneurs bring those dreams to life and create a life they cannot wait to wake up for. As the author of “UnResolution,” “The One Percent Rule,” and “Leap of Your Life”, Tommy believes living up to your potential is what we are here for.

How Did You Start Using Your Talents?

“I was blessed to grow up in two completely different places. One was in South America, in Bogota, Columbia, and one was in New York and Connecticut on the East Coast of the United States. These two places could not be more different. One was a small suburban town and one was a capital city in South America. But the gift that it gave me─even though it was challenging and hard growing up in a Third World country─was the power of perspective. When I came back to the U.S., I had a deeper perspective and gratitude for life because I knew that a lot of the world is in a state of poverty and lack.”

The Most Impactful Turning Point?

“It was 2008, right around the time of the financial crisis. I’m interning for a financial services company, and I’m on the train. Almost everyone on that train was part of the financial services industry in some capacity. I noticed the look on people’s faces and said, I can’t be on this literal and metaphorical train any longer. That was one of those insights. And I thought, okay, now is the time to create a shift in my life.”

The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?

“Curiosity is so important for me. If we follow our curiosity, great things will happen. And I noticed my curiosity was not in the physical surface side of things. It was all about what was happening in between our ears. What was the neuroscience? What was the human behavior? Why do some people change and some don’t? I went on a quest to discover what creates human behavior change. My vehicle was fitness at the time, but I knew that my mission was much bigger than that. And I knew I had to get honest with myself. I had another inflection point and I asked myself, do I want to continue on this path?”

On His Bookshelf

The Leap of Your Life: How to Redefine Risk, Quit Waiting For ‘Someday,’ and Live Boldly, by Tommy Baker

The 1% Rule: How to Fall in Love with the Process and Achieve Your Wildest Dreams, by Tommy Baker

UnResolution: How to Ditch Resolutions Forever, Live Life by Design, and Achieve Your Dreams, by Tommy Baker

Steps to Success from Tommy Baker

1. Get to know who you are and what you want, what you value, and then integrate your life around those principles.

2. Start by following what you are most curious about, then watch what happens.

3. Every single day, step into one thing that creates fear in you. On the other side of fear is magic.

4. Develop a personal toolbox of introspection and growth, with tools like journaling, meditation, spending time in nature, and doing something you love to do, just to disconnect from all the noise around you.