Scientia Potentia Est.

Knowledge is power.

Scientia potentia est. Knowledge is power. It’s a phrase you’ve heard often. In actuality, applied knowledge is power. Knowledge that is executed on with intention, consistency, with intensity, is power. That is, however, the topic of another musing.

Knowledge is also just plain fun, for me; the power is a nice bonus. I’ve always had an insatiable desire to understand things. I believe every child, every human has that urge to learn, to seek challenge and grow. It’s just never nurtured or worse still, beaten out of us pretty quickly. I let that curiosity drive everything i did and it could never be quenched. I pestered every adult around me with questions.

Many of the adults around me didn’t have the answers I sought. You see, I had parents who were constantly pursuing knowledge too and they made time to entertain my questions, even I was annoying them. If they didn’t know the answer, they suggested that I go and look it up.

As early I could remember, I’d make my way to the local library. I’d read about the military practices of the Roman Republic and Ancient Greek civilisations. I’m not sure why, I just wanted to know what those guys were up to. Those cultures valued and celebrated wisdom and the likes of Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great became heroes to a six year old. When my parents made the sacrifice to send me to my local private school, 7 year old Toni couldn’t believe it had a library INSIDE. I didn’t have to nag my parents to make time to take me to the public library anymore. I’d be bullied mercilessly at school for choosing to read instead of playing at recess. The librarian became my only friend. I remained undeterred, I stayed steady chasing knowledge. This knowledge could lead to glory! I wanted to know more so that one day I could do more.

Me and my pops, circa 1999

Fun fact: I’d read the same book in the picture, 19 years later, at his suggestion. I underlined the book with the same pen in this picture and it changed my life. We found this picture after the incident, pure coincidence.

Both of my parents have written multiple books so I literally grew up around ideas. Every house we’ve lived in had a library, no matter how small. Knowledge was a priority, wisdom was currency. I saw my parents invest, probably, tens of thousands in books. Our family’s idea of a fun day out was every Friday we’d go to the book store and go for Chinese after. You could get a book a week as a gift, finish last week’s purchase within the week and you could get two books next week. Ever an opportunist, I made sure to destroy that book weekly because who doesn’t like a bonus. It would prime me for investment banking culture. The school run was spent listening to cassette tapes on spiritual and mental development. Most of our family holidays were centred around Conferences, we’d go to Los Angeles or Miami, but primarily because there was wisdom to be gained. As a young teenager sitting in on those sessions with my parents, I had no choice but to start making plans.

By the time I finished Sixth Form and entered University, the habit was long cemented. My hunger for understanding moved past books, I wanted to consume every course, podcast or video that would give me some edge. The opportunity to study Latin and Ancient Greek earlier in my school career gave me an appreciation for the Sages and I committed to reading the world’s Greats, the foundational texts. At the same time, I’d consume every article on emerging technology and trends I could find. I’ve always found the combination of the timeless and trending to be a lethal combination.

This didn’t give me much time to study for my actual University course. Around the age of 8 or 9, I read Richard Branson’s ‘Screw It, Let's Do It’ and it confirmed what I’d always known. I wanted to be an entrepreneur, I wanted to be one of those crazy guys unreasonably pursuing their curiosities and, if I did it right we’d find something that helps everyone (and that pays us, don’t forget that part). At that age, I guess I already figured I was doing things no one else seemed to be interested in (reading) but I was finding immense value in, so why not make a living out of it? I had to find time to develop myself, train in the gym, play sports for the University, take care of myself spiritually and manage my involvement in a number of ventures. Thanks to tips from older students, I learnt to tear through academic literature at near lightning speed. It gave me time to do other things, like being a 20 year old. It also helped me get a First Class degree from an alright institution, the University of Cambridge.

All whilst I let my curiosities lead me to places I couldn’t imagine. I interned at Clifford Chance, a world leading law firm, and Goldman Sachs. I ran student clubs and Conferences with people who are now dear friends. I became an advisor to the Dean of our University, as well as interning in the Presidency of a country and serving as a Youth Delegate to the G20 Summit. I sat on scholarship committees and charity boards, started a non-profit with friends (now backed by Google) and helped to launch a chain of schools. The work led to features on BBC World News, The Today Programme, ITV News and the Financial Times. We started and ended companies, some were small successes and others were lessons. The latest of which we raised venture capital for straight out of school. Not bad for a kid with no friends and a lot of books.

​I almost always never knew how to execute any of the endeavours listed but I trusted my curiosity to save me. As the stakes got higher on each project, I figured I need to build a system. I decided to study the Rookie Seasons of elite athletes to understand how they handled the pressure of peak performance at an incredibly young age. This birthed the Rookie Szn Mindset: “Rookies are perpetual students of the game, looking for any edge to achieve greatness. Eager to prove ourselves, we bring our energy and enthusiasm to enormous challenges. Every Goliath needs a David. Perspective is everything: we stay grateful. After all, we’ve made it to the League. We have reverence for those who came before us but are hungry to see our name also etched into the Hall of Fame. Our will to win, our desire to make our mark, is our greatest asset. We trust our ability to make a way. Even as Rookies, we play with the best of them. We understand that failure is inevitable but rarely fatal and revel in the fact that there are many more games to play. Win or lose, it’s about the love of the game.” The love of the game, the pursuit of our inquisitions, the acquisition of information that would allow dreams to become realities.

The ‘Rookie Reads’ Newsletter is the culmination of almost 20 years of diligent study. I’ll share the articles and books I’m reading this week, key takeaways, as well as my thoughts on diverse issues from tech to politics and economics, and even sports and the culture. I’ll drop some frameworks for rapid learning too, so you can attack the information with speed, allowing you to grow as fast as possible. You are your greatest asset and the information you consume is the investment you make in yourself. This journey is less about me and my insights, although there will be lots of them, and everything about you and your curiosities, the pursuit of which ultimately leads to the good life. And who doesn’t want the good life?! The good life awaits.