When you have the opportunity to ask some of the most interesting people in the world about their lives, sometimes the most fascinating answers come from the simplest questions. The Thrive Questionnaire is an ongoing series that gives an intimate look inside the lives of some of the world’s most successful people.
Thrive Global: What’s the first thing you do when you get out of bed?
Omri Yoffe: Shower. It helps to stimulate all senses and start the day ahead with clear mind.
TG: What gives you energy?
OY: I exercise at least 45 minutes a few times a week, preferably with Vi, to keep my physical engine energized and going strong. But honestly my soul-level energy is the work that we’re doing at Vi and notion of WHY we do it – democratizing fitness & health for all. Just the thought of that is what powers me every day.
TG: What’s your secret life hack?
OY: I believe that effective time management combined with real time sharp decision making (to deal with daily unknown events) are the two keys to keep things going and stay top of the truly meaningful goals over time. You need to handle time as by far the most precious asset you manage.
TG: Name a book that changed your life.
OY: The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz, the cofounder and general partner of Andreessen Horowitz. It’s a great outline of his experience in taking his company from startup to growth. Extremely honest and inspiring. Ben is the type of CEO and human being I admire.
TG: Tell us about your relationship with your phone. Does it sleep with you? Which phone?
OY: As I’m growing a business, I fear having regret of any type and need to ensure that I am on top of everything 24/7. While personal time to reset and refresh is important for my overall effectiveness, when I am working the phone is by my side.
TG: How do you deal with email?
OY: I set designated time to clean-up my box daily, mainly from my desktop intentionally. I also make sure to keep no more than 15-20 remaining emails in my inbox at any point of time.
TG: You unexpectedly find 15 minutes in your day, what do you do with it?
OY: Never stop learning has been a key guideline to live by. When I have 15 minutes of free time, it’s spent reading an article or post that will help me learn and improve myself, my family and/or my business.
TG: When was the last time you felt burned out and why?
OY: I think it’s normal for any entrepreneur to experience temporary burnouts, especially when you hold extremely high expectations, like I do. But whenever I start feeling overly frustrated or tired, I remind myself that achieving perfection on a first-of-its-kind health and fitness product at first shot is almost impossible. I am okay with that and always try look on the bright side of things.
TG: When was the last time you felt you failed and how did you overcome it?
OY: I have been traveling a lot recently, leaving those behind that I love the most in life and that can be overwhelming at times. I’m lucky enough to have family and friends that truly believe in what I’m trying to accomplish, so I do everything in my power to ensure I dedicate the time to stay connected on a regular basis – whether its a quick video call session or end of day email to let them know I am thinking about them.
TG: Share a quote that you love and that gives you strength or peace.
OY: “Everything you can imagine is real” — Pablo Picasso
Omri Yoffe is the co-founder and CEO of LifeBEAM, a leader in AI wearable innovations that has developed technology for NASA and the Air Force. He and his team are also the brains behind Vi, the world’s first AI personal trainer. Omri is a former Israeli Air Force pilot and founder of Clear Cut and C4 companies. In parallel to his business activity, Omri founded “OFEK” – a non-profit organization that integrates young people from low economic status in the Israeli workforce environment. He holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and Singularity University GSP program.