Featured Interview With Dr. Zeev Gilkis
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Originally I was a mathematician. Nobody is perfect…
But the stars were with me and LIFE offered me several opportunities.
I took them all; serving in the mythological 8200 Unit of the Israeli Intelligence, senior positions in high-tech and Venture Capital, and the last, most surprising – establishing and leading an Institute for Biomedical Development.
In parallel, discovering the “inner world”, by practicing yoga and meditation.
My message: LIFE offers us some opportunities, usually not too many.
It’s up to us whether we take them, or prefer to stay in our comfort zone.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I don’t read much. Still don’t have enough free time😊
I usually read only books, which I believe can teach me something.
I believe we all are in an ongoing process of a personal evolution. We can continue improve in all aspects (“get better each day”…), but for that we need to learn and implement what we learned.
It’s worth the investment.
When I read, it’s more like studying. I love to learn; neuroscience, physiology, psychology and more. Learning a new thing causes me joy and elation.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I would mention a few books, which made a major influence on me & my life:
BORN TO RUN, Christopher McDougall
HOW TO STOP WORRYING AND START LIVING, Dale Carnegie
ZEN & THE ART OF MOTOCYCLE MAINTENANCE, Robert Pirsig
SIDDHARTHA, Herman Hesse
THE PILGRIMAGE, Paulo Coelho. I loved it even more than “The Alchemist”. In this book he demonstrates beautifully that the journey toward a goal is much more important than achieving the goal!
Tell us a little about your latest book?
On my 68th birthday I set for myself the goal to run a full marathon on my 70th birthday, and took the courage to announce it (!) so now I have to do it…
I strongly believed that I’ll make it, despite I was just recovering from my second serious knee injury, and was told by two orthopedists to stop running. But it was also very clear to me, that it will not be straightforward and I’ll have to overcome many obstacles.
I thought that sharing these experiences may inspire others to set ambitious goals and go for it. Setting a goal is motivating and cause us to take out from ourselves the best!
I write one book per year. It would be too difficult for me to do it in a shorter time, as I want to enjoy life and to do many other things in parallel. But on the other hand, more that that seems too long for me. So, I set to myself the one-year-deadline😊