The Dead and the Digital
Need a mentor? Try a dead one. Makes happy hour a little difficult but not impossible.
Let’s get one thing straight: there’s no such thing as a self-made human.
This is an American Myth that needs to be put six feet under. The whole independent human that goes out into the wilderness and comes back rich, and successful, and all-knowing? It’s never happened. And it’s a dangerous mythology to believe. We do not succeed alone. And being alone is a type of failure all unto itself. (This is not an introvert versus extrovert thing. I lean towards introvert but still look to connect with people and society as much as possible. My connections just look different than an extroverts connections.)
Go on, smile. It’s not a bad thing—it’s a great thing. We’re better together. We lift each other up. No one does it alone. No one.
We’re shaped by the people around us—parents, siblings, teachers, coaches. Friends influence us. Books mold us. Experiences, sights, smells, and conversations carve our our psyche from the available material we offer up. We are social animals.
And as social animals, we’ve got an evolutionary ace up our sleeve: collective intelligence. Each generation stands taller, on the shoulders of the last great or not-so-great generation, solving bigger problems, dreaming bigger dreams. At our best, we come together to tackle challenges as a group.
We learn from the mistakes and triumphs of history. We do not have to start over. We don’t have to learn how to make fire. When we work together, not only do we have the knowledge of our ancestors, we have the knowledge of the group. It’s more information. It’s a generational collective intelligence combined with the group intelligence.
And together, we don’t just survive—we thrive.
What is collective intelligence? It's shared or group intelligence that emerges when individuals collaborate and combine their knowledge and skills to solve problems or make decisions, creating a collective outcome that is greater than the sum of individual contributions. It arises from the interactions within a group and cannot be predicted by simply looking at individual abilities. A diverse group, with various perspectives, and knowledge sets, and life experiences is considered more likely to generate superior results. It's connecting disparate ideas and thoughts to create something unique and better. Simply; two brains are better than one.But what happens when we’re stuck? When the problem isn’t solved by smashing it with a hammer, but requires a little finesse? Or, you find yourself wandering around in the wilderness alone, struggling with a problem, stuck? That’s when a mentor can make all the difference.
Why a Mentor?
Here’s the truth: life is hard. Business is hard. The kind of hard that takes longer than you think, costs more than you budgeted, and has more layers than a wedding cake.
So yes, go meditate, exercise, or take that “fresh air” walk your mom always recommends. But sometimes, what we really need is a no-nonsense voice that says:
“Snap out of it. You’re being lazy. Let’s get moving.”
Or maybe:
“You’re doing great. Don’t stop now.”
Whether it’s a kick in the pants or a pat on the back, a mentor is your secret weapon. They help you see past today’s obstacles, guiding you to those small, daily changes that snowball into success.
And a mentor will realize you need a team. Teams are the foundation for collective intelligence. You may be hesitant to ask for help but a good mentor will demand you get help.
The difference between success and failure? Sometimes it’s just one spark—a single connection between two ideas that weren’t obvious before. That’s the Eureka moment. That’s leveraging collective intelligence. And a good mentor? They know how to help you, and your team, craft and shape an idea that was once flotsam into inspiration.
How to Get a Mentor
Getting a mentor isn’t easy. It takes time, effort, and—brace yourself—actual human interaction. Here’s how to start:
Just Ask.
Just ask. Find someone you admire and reach out. Start slow. Just a quick coffee break will do. No more than 15 minutes. And respect the time. If you say 15 minutes, then keep it to 15 minutes. This is a get-to-know-you first meeting. Ask first meeting type of questions; their hobbies, favorite books, family. It doesn’t have to get all business-ey yet. Send a thank you and a follow up immediately.Be of Assistance.
Help others. Make yourself useful. Volunteer your time, solve problems, make connections. Generosity has a funny way of attracting mentors.Join Business Associations.
Dive into your local or an online community. Attend events, meet people, and listen more than you talk. You’ll find others who’ve been down your road—and they’re usually eager to share their wisdom.Be a Mentor Yourself.
Yes, you. Even if you think you don’t know enough, trust me—someone out there could learn from your journey. And as you teach, you’ll learn too.
Dead Mentors: Wisdom from the Grave
Not every mentor needs to breathe. Books, speeches, PDFs, and newsletters are packed with the distilled wisdom of history’s greatest thinkers.
Want advice from Abraham Lincoln? Read his letters. Curious how Frederick Douglass overcame insurmountable odds? Download his speeches. With resources like Project Gutenberg and Open Library, the greatest minds in history are just a click away.
Imagine Lincoln and Douglass in your corner, whispering strategy in your ear. “Try this—it worked for me.”
Of course, there’s a catch. Dead mentors can’t join you for happy hour (unless we’re counting their spirit, and no, I couldn’t resist). Worse, they demand work. Their wisdom is locked behind pages and paragraphs, waiting for you to unlock it. It’s on you to connect the dots and apply their lessons to your life.
The AI Mentor: Bringing the Dead to Life
Enter AI—a technology that transforms how you interact with knowledge. AI tools like bundleIQ, act as a second brain, taking your curated data—books, quotes, speeches—and turning it into a living, breathing mentor or chatbot you can have conversations with.
Imagine feeding all of Shakespeare’s works, Dostoevsky, and your favorite book of quotes and apply the knowledge to our modern problems. Create your own board of directors with the writings of Buffet, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Sheryl Sandberg, or anyone you’ve admired. Ask them questions. Instead of flipping through pages, your AI whispers relevant insights exactly when you need and ask for them.
How to Have a Happy Hour with a Dead Mentor
Want to try it the old-fashioned way? Grab a book and head to your favorite coffee shop or bar. Read. Reflect. Chances are, someone will ask about what you’re reading, sparking a conversation that might just lead to your next big opportunity.
Or take your computer and query your chatbot on business development. It’ll create curiosity.
Dead mentors don’t just teach. They connect.
You never know who they’ll introduce you to next.
BundleIQ allows people to create their own chatbots and share them. It’s like a marketplace for knowledge. Most are free. Check it out. It’s fun. And just so you know, I’m a co-founder and investor with bundleIQ. I’m biased, so sue me, but it’s the best AI knowledge management system in the marketplace.
Next week’s article: The ABC’s of Crypto
Read it…
Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari
I’m a Harari fan. But. I saw a few reviews of this book and it seemed to be all doom and gloom about our future and AI. Wasn’t interested in another AI-is-going-to-destroy-the-world paradigm.
But I read it anyway.
And yes, there are some loud warnings screamed in this book but I believe there is a level of optimism as well.
This book is about the evolution of information. Information is power. It can be manipulated. It can be structured. It can be used to create ignorance. And in the past, we have usually believed that the answer is more, more, more information.
But is this really true?
AI is about information. The more information, data, that we pour in the models, the better our AI responses will be. The fewer hallucinations we will get. Right? Scientists make better decision and better discoveries with more information. Scientists build teams to capture knowledge in multiple disciplines. They create diversity of thought. Why isn’t it the same with AI? Is it the same with AI?
These are some of the questions the book covers.
There is a difference. AI is the first creation in history that has the potential to act autonomously. It’s not just a tool. If singularity is reached, AI can begin making decision and discoveries and possibly even life itself — writing genetic code. AI is an agent.
No matter how powerful that new chainsaw is it needs humans to wield it.
But AI can process information by itself. It comes up with it’s own conclusions. It can make it’s own decisions.
Whether you believe we are living on borrowed time or AI will usher in a type of utopia with credible information available to all and disease, famine, global warming just blips in our past: this is the book for you.
It’s a must read. AI is changing the world. You should know something about it. Nexus.
History isn’t the study of the past; it is the study of change. History teaches us what remains the same, what changes, and how things change. — Yuval Noah Harari; Nexus.
If you want to check out some great reading list and see which books have influenced, surprised, educated, and entertained me, check out my book shop here. The lists grow monthly and I don’t recommend any books I haven’t personally read. Or use my book recommendation engine and specific author chatbots. Check it out. It’s fun.