346 - Nell Scovell: From Old to Original: How to Take Tired Ideas and Make Them New

I would've taken the money. A couple hundred million. He could've sold the business for a 100, 200 million dollars. Bill Gates wanted to buy it. But he didn't sell. I wanted to know why Steve Case, co-founder and former CEO of AOL said no to being a millionaire. "The simple answer is I really believed in the idea of the internet and believed in AOL and believed that it could change the world," he says on today's podcast. Investors said, "What are you talking about? This internet thing? Why would normal people ever want to get connected to this?" People thought he was crazy crazy. But he could see the future. That's the thing about the future. Nobody wants to see it coming. Back then, nobody wanted to connect to the internet. They missed opportunities. "It was a hard struggle for a decade before we finally broke through," he said. The future paid off for Steve Case. And now it can pay off for you. He believed they could change the world. He was right. "Six, seven years later, [AOL] had gone from a few hundred million dollars to tens of billions to then over 150, 160 billion." But he didn't stop there... The Third Wave is coming. Steve talks about it in his New York Times bestselling book, The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future. These are the opportunities you haven't missed yet. We're offering you the future. In my interview with Steve Case, you'll learn about the first wave (building the internet), the second wave (social media, community, Facebook, Snapchat... all the billion dollar companies you wish you thought of or invested in...) And finally, the third wave. The future. Listen now to learn how to master your future. Before it's too late. And read what I learned from Steve Case at jamesaltucher.com ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

26 Huhti 20161h 2min

"Everyday is a new day." ...unless you have a routine. Then it's just "eat, sleep, shit, repeat," like they say in Billions. "Don't you want to create memories? Don't you want to build your life resume and get as much out of life as you can?" Jesse Itzler said on my podcast. He's the co-founder of Marquis Jets, owner of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, endurance athlete, former-rapper and now he's an author. "I didn't have a resume," he says. "I didn't want to have a resume. I didn't want to work for anybody." Jesse built his life. "I had no background, no experience and I had no connections." He's self-made. I don't know who's in charge of my life. Maybe me. I chose myself. And I still do. Everyday. But I also lend my life out. At least once every 24 hours. "We're constantly dodging arrows," Jesse said. "Each arrow is time." "Routines are great, but they're also a rut," he said. "I thought wow, this is amazing. I have great balance. I have a great routine. I'm in my routine. Everything is my routine..." And he needed to get out of it. So he did something crazy, which you'll hear on today's episode. And you'll learn his tricks to becoming self-made. Then you can enjoy your life. I hope. And forget your resume too. Listen to my podcast with Jesse Itzler. Or read my notes here: 6 simple steps to becoming self-made on jamesaltucher.com ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

18 Huhti 201654min

You have no idea. None of us did. Until now.Everything I've done for the past two years is unfolding before me.I interviewed Dr. K Anders Ericsson. You know his work. He discovered the 10,000 hour rule.The rule that says if you do 10,000 hours of "dedicated practice" you can master a field. But what we've been lead to believe is false. And it's finally being corrected. Today.  Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise uses thirty years of research to reveal what we never knew before, including:What you're truly capable of, how you can achieve it, and where to start. I started this podcast two years ago. And I just realized what it's actually about.  Everyone I interviewed has one thing in common: peak performance. They excelled in their field. They're the smarter person in the room. They mastered their craft. Go to jamesaltucher.com for 7 things I learned about how to become a PEAK performer ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

12 Huhti 20161h 3min

Before writing this, I closed my eyes. I allowed myself to rest. I went from, "think, think, think" to nothing. And nothing felt good. Nothing worked. Nothing is my success. Today. I used to have another kind of success.  I was a hedge fund manager, web developer, producer, investor, corporate employee, CEO, writer. I still do some of these jobs. But not because "they" tell me to. I look back and see desperation. I was desperate to secure my future. My income. My relationships. There was always a risk of getting fired. I knew my then-wife could decide she didn't love me anymore. My kids could, too. I was shrinking. Physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually shrinking. I thought if I was miserable, "they" would help me. They didn't. I bled out on the floor.  And then I chose myself. Now I do the daily practice. I experiment. I find what works for me. And I write about it. Because advice is autobiography. But something is still stopping me. And, if you've read to here, I bet there's something stopping you. If you learn one thing today, I hope it's this: experiment everyday. The steps are: Experiment. Pay Attention. Experiment And if it doesn't work out how you imagined, then you'll have a better story. I got evicted last week. The same day, I did this interview with Charles Duhigg. You'll hear it in the podcast. Charles is a Pulitzer Prize winner and the author of two New York Times bestselling books, The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business.  Renting doesn't work for me. But I tried it. It was a successful experiment with a failed result. I'm finding what works for me everyday. Charles says that's what the most productive people do. They cycle through systems. Charles cycled. He wasn't always smarter, better, faster. "I would come home every night and tell my wife, 'If this is what success feels like, sign me up for failure.' It was killing me," he says. "It's very easy to lose sight of the 'why,'" he says. "[We] lose track of why we're doing something, how it links up to our deepest values or our biggest aspirations... what we actually want to do with our life." This interview might teach you something about experimenting, or focussing, or motivation. Or it might teach you nothing. But, nothing is a lesson, too. ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

5 Huhti 20161h 2min

He didn't have permission. But he did it anyway. And one day Elon Musk called him. "He was either going to make life really horrible on me or he was going to cooperate with the book" said Ashlee Vance, author of the New York Times bestseller and Wall Street Journal's "best books of the year," Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future. Ashlee did 200 interviews before Elon agreed, proving permission is not a starting place. I wish I wrote the book. But I didn't. My "quest" is different. Instead, I mastered curiosity. I called people and recorded. I did a ton of research. I read every book, article, interview and watched every talk. I've spent 10,000 hours interviewing and more than 10,000 hours preparing. I didn't need permission. And neither do you. Here are 5 ways to bypass the gatekeepers: A) Master something Like anybody, Elon is smart in some things and probably stupid in others. But he mastered his interests. Mastery is learning 90% of everything you could learn about a subject. You can't reach 100%. I hope that's comforting. Explore your interests. Combine them and you'll find what works for you. Then improve 1% each day. Along the way, you'll master it. B) Make your own decisions Elon doesn't let people make decisions for him. They'll choose wrong. And he knows it. If you choose for yourself you will choose yourself. C) Play for pay I remember my childhood. Some of it. I read comic books and Dear Abby. Now, at 47? 48? I search for "superhero" stories. And I get to be Dear Abby. "Ask Altucher." Every Thursday at 3:30 PM EST, I have a Twitter Q&A. I answer texts and emails from strangers. 203-512-2161 I answer Quora questions and co-host a podcast with my friend, Stephen Dubner. He wrote the New York Times bestseller, Freakonomics. I wonder if he read Dear Abby growing up, too. We answer questions with questions. But before all of this, I worked in finance. I did what "they" wanted me to do. I got lost. Elon did, too. "He just got swept up in the internet for a little while," Ashlee says, "and then once he made a ton of money (from PayPal), the light went on and he just said, 'Now I can go chase everything I've ever wanted to go do.'" "Elon appears to have some kind of calling to go save humankind," Ashlee says. "When he was 12, he designed a video game that was exactly that concept." But at one point, he changed course. We all do. We forget play. Now he's saving humanity. D) There are always problems When I interviewed Derek Sivers last week, I said "You can always disappear from your problems." And you can. He did. But then what? Derek spends a lot time answering emails and giving advice. And Elon is exploring electric vehicles and life in space. Everyday, I have a choice: find new problems or help others with theirs. Create problems or solve them. When I help people with their problems, I forget about mine. Sometimes. Elon sees extreme problems and extreme solutions. All his basics are covered. He's doesn't worry about his boss or the mortgage. "The weird thing to me," Ashlee says, "was that [when] you started talking [to Elon] about mankind being wiped out, he wells up with emotion." Suffering graces all life. There are always problems. "What I saw with Elon is that he's very clear-eyed. He meditates on what he thinks is important and has a absolute devotion to pursuing these goals" "He gives you a sense of urgency in your life. Maybe I'm just getting older," Ashlee says, "When I finished doing the book, I sat back and I said, 'I need to be much clearer about exactly what I want to do with my life.'" I don't have the same problem as Ashlee or see the same problems as Elon Musk. And I'm grateful. E) Be on the right side of history You only have a certain amount of energy each day. Don't waste it fighting the inevitable. "Going against Elon is the equivalent of going against Steve Jobs these days and you... See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

27 Maalis 201658min

The most powerful currency in the world is not what you think. Not anymore. We're turning to a new economy with two powerful currencies. And you have an opportunity, right now, to build a more fulfilling and rewarding life. I'm going to tell you what these two currencies are and how to leverage them successfully. I'll tell you what works for me. But before I do, I want to introduce you to Derek Sivers. He's an influential thinker, speaker, entrepreneur and the zen master of entrepreneurship writing. If you're starting a business, you have to read his book, Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur. It's in my top three. Derek built his business, CD Baby, around doing people favors. It became the largest seller of independent music online, with $100M in sales for 150,000 musicians. Derek later sold CD Baby for $22M and gave the proceeds to charity. "If you focus entirely on others the world seems to reward you the most," he says. That's one of the two most powerful currencies today: favors. But there are limits. "You have to serve others within the limits of what you're able to sustainably do. You can't do something that makes you absolutely miserable," he says. That's choosing yourself. I got a lot of ideas from interviewing Derek, which is the other currency: ideas. But you already knew that. Derek moved to New Zealand. He takes 3-day hikes, spends 30 hours a week with his family, and answers thousands of personal emails asking for his advice. He wrote a list of his priorities and said "I don't want to do anything else right now. (No more interviews or speaking at conferences until further notice.)" This is his last interview for awhile. I'm grateful he chose me. Chose us. And chose himself. I encourage you to write him. And listen to this interview. Share what you learned.  I wrote a list -- 7 ways to a "make a killing" and master the new economy. Because Derek quoted Kevin Kelly, futurist and founder of Wired. He said, "We should focus on making a living, not on making something huge." Derek changed it to "It's about making a living, not making a killing." To me, that's success in the new economy. 7 ways to a "make a killing" and master the new economy: A) Leave in the cracks Derek was listening to Sheryl Crow. But he didn't know it was her. Her voice cracked. And she got his attention. "That little fault is what made me like her," Derek said. B) Admit your faults I know I'm bad at a lot of things. Derek gave an example. When I interviewed Ramit Sethi, I admitted I forgot to read something. And I wasn't totally prepared. "To me it kind of seems like a brilliant way of asking the world to love you," Derek said. And maybe it is. Everyone wants love. How sad is it that we, as humans, contemplate hiding ourselves? We have two choices: be yourself or fear being yourself. C) You can always disappear from your problems But do you want to? Did Kurt Cobain kill himself because he was too famous? Or because he got everything he wanted? And didn't know what to do with it. We always want things. Happiness, love, appreciation. But then do we ask for the right things? Raises, promotions, more responsibility, less freedom? You can choose f-ck you money and f-ck you problems. Or you can focus on happiness. That's what Derek did. He had a company, CD Baby. It's basically the original iTunes. People said he'd get a lot of money with an IPO. But he didn't do it. "What's the point of making money?" Derek said, "It's to be happy." "And if it would make me unhappy to have so much responsibility then I'd rather not make more money. I'd rather just focus on the happiness." D) Do more favors Anyone can do this. Derek started by selling old CDs online. He made money right away. So people asked for favors. Can you sell my old CDs? He said yes. And it spread. Friends of friends asked. Then strangers and soon he had a profitable business. But... See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

22 Maalis 20161h 21min

If I didn't listen to my pain, I'd be dead.  I've interviewed hundreds of "successful" people. When they look back, they see two things: struggle and a story. These are hero stories -- choose yourself stories. Directed by pain, they found passion. Because they listened. I was alone, on the floor, broke, desperate, hopeless.  I ignored the pain. I wanted to die. And then something shifted. But you don't need to hit rock bottom to be successful. You just need something that ignites you.  "There's a moment, a chemistry, where people find a spark... something inside you triggers greatness," said Terry George. He wrote and directed the award winning film, Hotel Rwanda, and the upcoming film, The Promise, about a love story during WWII's genocide. "I'm not interested in suffering," he says. But he is. "I'm interesting in alleviating it." He grew up Catholic during Ireland's struggle for civil rights across a divided nation. "I got beaten up in playgrounds and shit like that. There was definitely a sense that you were not welcome to put it mildly." "That was was my education," he says.  He never thought about turning something horrific into a movie.  But that's exactly what he did. Through film, he connects us to human frailty, vulnerability and fear. He calls it "a universal language." That's the art of suffering. ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

15 Maalis 201650min

Fifteen percent of you won't like this interview. "I like that," he says, "I like being doubted." But I don't doubt Gary Vaynerchuk. And that's why I'm giving away 100 copies of his brand new book, #AskGaryVee: One Entrepreneur's Take on Leadership, Social Media, and Self-Awareness. The details are on my podcast. Gary will be the first to admit that he doesn't know everything. But he knows everything about everything he knows. "I talk emphatically and with enormous bravado about the things I know and understand," he says, "and I hedge and punt things I don't understand." Gary is transparent. Authentic. Self-aware. And successful. So successful that I dont even like introing him. He wants you to win. And I do, too. "When you understand yourself, you're able to navigate the world," he says. But navigating is hard. I have more misunderstandings than understandings. That's ok. Because it allows me to be curious everyday, do this podcast, write and read three, four or five books a week. "Self-awareness is the single best attribute anyone can be gifted with," Gary says. But people don't know if they're self-aware or not. "Don't live life hoping and wishing you were something. Start for the first time in your life actually deciding what you are and navigating around that," he says. Listen to my interview with Gary. Get to know him. And yourself. So you can navigate the world and get your intro. Whatever that may be. Listen now for your chance to win his new book. I recommend it. Resources and Links: Read Gary's new book, #AskGaryVee: One Entrepreneur's Take on Leadership, Social Media, and Self-Awareness  Get your morning motivation from Gary every monday. Sign up on this website www.garyvaynerchuk.com Follow Gary on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Snapchat (garyvee) Subscribe to his YouTube channel to watch The #AskGaryVee Show Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World by Gary Vaynerchuk Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

8 Maalis 201657min