44 Comments

One can only be impressed by such single-minded dedication but, as you said ‘We don’t all want to be number one’. I regard you as something of a polymath, Dominic, whose prolific output I admire and value. So stay as you are, old chap - you’re doing just fine!

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Thank you very much Richard. you’re very kind

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Dominic, I believe you are on the right path. Some of us are driven. Look at concert pianists & football stars. But some of us want to know a bit about everything, how a clock works, flying a plane, scuba diving, changing the oil on a car, using a chainsaw. You get the picture!

If you’re like me, you become master of one trade & jack of all others…

It’s a mindset. If you want to be really good at anything, or even a number of things, that number has to be small.

Thanks for all your great contributions to Substack.

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Thanks so much, Den. All the best to you too

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Happy New Year Dominic,

Thanks for your great output on Sunstack and youtube.

David Haye is the best David Haye he could be and you are the best Domimic Frisby you could be.

Don't change , just be you, you're great !

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What a lovely comment, Alan thank you very much. Happy New Year to you too.

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I think ( for what its worth ) that ' being the best Dominic, or Lewis whatever - that you can be is the better goal.

Sure you can pay more attention to some of your attributes than others, but the phrase 'don't throw the baby out with bath water, comes to mind. HNY ;-)

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And to you too!

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Whether you like his political views or not, Scott Adams, author of Dilbert, espouses the "be very good at several things rather than exceptional at one" theory. And let's be honest, he's been incredibly successful.

I don't want to put the link here because I'm never sure of how people will react when I add links to comments. You can read it on "The dilbert blog: Career Advice" if you care to. I'll summarise :

Being a top athlete, singer, writer, comedian etc is incredibly hard and also, in part, down to luck and taste at the time you are around. It is far more likely you will be a success and have an interesting career of you pick several things you can be in the top 25% of the population and link them together in a unique way. Scott isn't a great artist, nor a great comedian, but linking the two you get what most would agree are very, very funny cartoons.

The final piece of advice Dominic already has covered (and is in the top 5% imo) :

"At least one of the skills in your mixture should involve communication, either written or verbal. And it could be as simple as learning how to sell more effectively than 75% of the world. That’s one. Now add to that whatever your passion is, and you have two, because that’s the thing you’ll easily put enough energy into to reach the top 25%. If you have an aptitude for a third skill, perhaps business or public speaking, develop that too."

Happy New Year Dominic!

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Thank you very much. I shall take a look at that.

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As someone who played for Premiership football clubs into my late teens but didn’t ‘make it’, and as a business owner, finance professional, and singer-songwriter, the jack-of-all-trades (and certainly master of none) rhetoric resonates.

I think a hedging mindset was instilled in me, and reading David’s inspiring text message in this post makes me reflect on how I want to parent. All I would say is that, I'm proud of the fact that my skill set appears somewhat diverse. Variety is the spice of life, as they say.

And as for you Dominic, I believe your being a comedian makes you a better financial writer. (Although I'm not sure if the reverse applies).

Happy new year, and best of luck on the 2025 goal: do fewer things better. It sounds like a plan.

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Many thanks, Lewis. I didn’t know that about you being a footballer. I enjoyed your comments Take care Happy New Year.

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My father was an international footballer & cricketer. He had that mindset. In his playing days he was a self-centred pain in the arse. His heyday was the 1950s and he played sport professionally in to his forties. When he retired in the mid 1970s he was broke and found it difficult to re-adjust. It might make you a champion but it may not make you an easy person to live with. Back in those days the maximum wage meant there weren't the financial rewards there are now.

For all his talents my awkward childhood was not compensated with luxury.

I'm a bit more like you, have done lots of different things and have had various careers. I have tried to be a better person than my father by striving not to emulate the behaviours I despised growing up.

I agree with most of the other posts here - we like you as you are. Thanks for all that you do and all that you share. All the best for 2025.

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Many thanks Richard!

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Really impressed with your brother in law

I have been to a helluva lot of fights

Over 60 years.

I admire people who can do several things well Churchill Douglas Fairbanks junior

Douglas Bader and you.

Don’t give up on your day job or your night job either.

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Thanks so much, David For your never-ending support. You are a good man

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Have enjoyed one of your books (not read the others) your writing and comedy feel that your breadth of interests enrich all of your output. When you write the type of book you write - are you not writing for other people, similar to your lectures, comedy ? Wonder if you can choose your personality type - internal v external focus. Like this note on how difference tennis champions warm up - perhaps the answer is to be more you rather than less you ? Best wishes for 2025 https://x.com/george__mack/status/1797318465272823819?lang=en

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Thanks, Simon. What an interesting thought. I love George Mack

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Don't alter your life because of your b.i.l's ethos. You must be happy/comfortable with your life. You are in your 50's so know what you want out of life. It just seems a bit strange to alter your life because of someone else. Be who you are. Anyway you are famous - I live in Yorkshire - so that is the pinnacle of fame having a Yorkshire lady who finds you amusing etc. Stay as you are.

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Hahaha thanks Kathleen. I’m always looking for ways to improve :)

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I met David Hayes once at a Bloomberg charity event - I was struck by how friendly and approachable he was despite his star status. A lovely man

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Thanks Simon

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Survivorship bias can’t be ignored here.

If you drew a pyramid diagram where the tip is people who succeed with a single endeavour - basketball players, boxers etc. it’s rare. Tallest tree in the forest analogy applies here. Lots of factors needed to make it so.

The next step down on the pyramid is broader, where one combines a small number of talents - engaging communication and an interest in social subjects in your case, Dom.

Being ruthless with one’s aims is something many of us could improve on for sure.

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Thanks Chris!

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I can relate to what you say Dominic. Like you I have been a jack of many trades but I'm now focusing on becoming the best investor I can be.

have a happy, healthy and prosperous new year and beyond!

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Many thanks, Mike, And to you too

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Very interesting piece Dominic.

I am almost 60 and am still deciding what to do with my life. I've lived and worked in Australia, London and Switzerland. Sold all manner of things when I was young including bonds and unit trusts for Lloyds Banking Group. Studied law at a good London University, qualified and worked as a barrister then went in to the City as a derivatives lawyer working for large investment banks for almost 20 years. In the meantime, I acted, wrote and qualified as a ski instructor. I'm now living and working as an instructor and mountain guide in Zermatt, Switzerland. I plan to retire to Cornwall where I shall go fishing and do something new.

Dedicating yourself to one thing will only work if you have the talent and luck to do it. No amount of effort will make you a successful ski racer, best selling novelist or PGA golf tour pro unless you have such magic.

Those that touch life at many points can be more interesting and just as fulfilled.

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Thanks, Matthew. What a wonderful comment and what an interesting life.

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I think you are too harsh on yourself. Not everyone can be top dog, and I’ve met many failures along the way who didn’t have a plan b and whose life didn’t go according to plan. We do the best with what we have; that’s the core of contentment. I like the fact that you are a polymath; it’s what makes you interesting.

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Why thank you sir :)

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Your point about specialising versus being a jack of all trades is interesting as it could just be a question of perception. I was just listening to a podcast with Rory Sutherland and he made the point that people or businesses who focus on one thing appear to be better at that particular thing (whether there is any merit in that judgement).

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It might well be perception but if the wrong perception of you results, then I guess you have to change behaviour to change perception ...

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Maybe it's a bit of both. He also said, "The advice I would give to anybody is to be good at two things, not one, know about two things rather than one, and if possible make the two things overlap a bit."

Interesting piece anyway.

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Speaking of conquistadors, have you heard of the story of Manataka

It’s in Hot Springs, Arkansas the zigzag mountains because they don’t go north and south they go east to west. That’s why the Indians calling the zigzag.

Hernando do Soto , that weasel died in what they called devils field something like that, and the women kicked his armies ass of the Tula tribe

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