The Chairman and Managing Director of the ARTOC Group for Investment & Development on morning sunlight and his inspiring daily habit.
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?
Shafik Gabr: Smile and say good morning to Gigi , look for the sun, go to the bathroom for a tooth brush.
TG: What gives you energy?
SG: Smiles, music, the sun, making people happy and success.
TG: What’s your secret life hack?
SG: Mental gymnastics.
TG: Name a book that changed your life.
SG: Too many books to cite. I read daily and learn daily.
TG: Tell us about your relationship with your phone. Does it sleep with you?
SG: Phone is charging and closed in my dressing room at night.
TG: How do you deal with email?
SG: I answer my email.
TG: You unexpectedly find 15 minutes in your day, what do you do with it?
SG: I make time always to connect with family and friends.
TG: When was the last time you felt burned out and why?
SG: It happens every few months when I travel too much or there is a crisis or multiple challenges. Still learning to flatten the course.
TG: When was the last time you felt you failed and how did you overcome it?
SG: Failure is part of life. It happens you learn from it and keep going.
TG: Share a quote that you love and that gives you strength or peace.
SG: Tomorrow is another day and may the best of yesterday be the worst of tomorrow.
M. Shafik Gabr, Chairman and Managing Director of the ARTOC Group for Investment & Development, is a renowned leader in international business, one of the world’s premier collectors of Orientalist art, and an accomplished philanthropist. ARTOC Group for Investment & Development celebrated 45 years of successful investment activities in November 2016 and is a multi-disciplined investment holding company with subsidiaries operating in the fields of industry, automotive, airport terminals, energy, real estate and technology. Moreover, over the past three years ARTOC has focused on technology start-ups and VC investments.
Originally published at medium.com