Ep. 219 - Jessica Banks: Dare of The Day

Surrendering to what the universe has put in front of you, being able to set aside fears, and living in the moment sounds like an awesome way to go through life. Today's guest, Michael Singer, has written two books that say it is entirely possible to do that. His first book, New York Times No. 1 bestseller The Untethered Soul, was released in 2007. In The Untethered Soul, Michael explained ways to find inner peace. He also found himself on the other end of a phone call from Oprah, who loved the book and wanted to interview him on her show. He never thought of giving an interview. He made it a point not to. When The Untethered Soul came out, he paid for marketing but said he would not do interviews... That is, until Oprah called him directly. They talked on the phone for 45 minutes and he went to Chicago. That was his first and only "in-person" interview. The "second in-person interview" was... You guessed it, the one with Claudia and me, "because there was something there." Claudia and I  both e-mailed separately and a bunch of coincidences made our name stand out. One woman who lives on the grounds had read Claudia's yoga book. Another woman tweeted with me. And so here it is. Michael just released a second book, The Surrender Experiment, which details his journey following his spiritual awakening as events unfolded in front of him, including running a multibillion-dollar company and finding himself embroiled in a lawsuit. Michael, who also goes by the name Mickey, founded the Temple of the Universe in Florida in 1975. It's a nonprofit organization established as a yoga and meditation center where, according to the site, people of any religion or set of beliefs can come together to experience the inner peace Michael talks about. The Temple of the Universe is where Claudia and I caught up with him. On the day of the interview, Michael took us to all the sites he mentions in the book. He took us to his house, which came to him when God called on the phone (an amazing story in the book). It has a meditation pyramid on the third level. I kid you not. It was the first house built on the property with all glass on the front... It was where he was staying when the guy dressed in Egyptian clothes (a story that is not in the book but is on the podcast) helped him grow by bothering him. He took us to the temple, of course, where we sang devotional songs ranging from the Gayatri Mantra to a Hebrew devotional song to the Our Father prayer to the Gita... and on and on... He also showed us the huge  five-building office space that "him getting out of the way" co-created while he was a CEO. It's a beautiful place of which he calls himself "the groundskeeper." In the interview, we talked with Michael about his books, the inner awakening he experienced, and how it has affected him personally and professionally. He explained how we can all achieve a similar state of being. He broke down some of the ways to do that, including: *Quieting the noise in our heads, which keeps us from achieving a high level of awareness *How fear affects us *Allowing events to unfold and how to deal with them as they do *Letting go of personal preference *How to live harmoniously rather than in a state of mental chaos Michael stated that it's important to relax and be in the moment and that our inner state is meant to be healthy. He said we need to surrender to the unfolding of the universe, and by doing so, we will flourish and life will become phenomenal. The Surrender Experiment is Michael's journey as he applies it to his life and the results he found from living in a state of surrender to the universe. Hope you enjoy, James Links and Resources Mentioned in the Show: Michael's website can be found at untetheredsoul.com. Here you can read more about Michael, his books, audio lectures, and get on his mailing list. The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself The... See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

7 Jul 201554min

Hal Elrod was dead for six minutes. The car he was driving crashed head on into a truck. His girlfriend, sitting next to him, was unscratched. The roof of the car sliced open his head, causing brain damage. Bones in his face, his arm, all over his body were broken and he was in a coma for six days (during which time his girlfriend broke up with him). When he woke from his coma the doctors told him he might never walk again. You are the alchemist of your life. The universe, perfect for 14 billion years, has given you everything you need to thrive. And yet...we often want to forcibly change the universe to fit our own selfish needs.  What idiots! I'm sure Hal did not want to hit that car. Did not want to be told he might not walk again. Did not want to go through years of therapy and misfortune as a result of this single event. This is where alchemy comes in. We're all given this chance at some point in our lives. We're all given the tools to turn misfortune into gold. 15 years later Hal is a father, runs a successful business, and is a bestselling author of the book "The Miracle Morning".  Why I love to podcast is because I can just call Hal up and say "Can I talk to you about this book?" So I did on "Ask Altucher" a few weeks ago. What a great scam podcasting is! The universe is a contradiction. It is infinitely open and yet we can't escape it. It is 99.9999% empty and yet is filled with everything. Atoms bounce around totally randomly and yet defined by the most precise equations. Einstein said "God doesn't roll dice" and yet...every moment is unpredictable. We'll never understand the contradiction and we shouldn't try. Trying has led to myths, to misconceptions, to wars, to anguish  Hal didn't fight what the universe had dealt him. He turned the fear and the pain and crushed it down into a diamond. The diamond he now calls his "miracle morning" routine that he put together bit by bit to save his life. And now by he uses that same routine to save the lives of thousands of others. I like his routine because it fits perfectly into what I call "The daily practice" of choosing yourself: striving to improve every day 1% across physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. After I spoke to Hal I put together this infographic describing his method. Different parts of our brain are activated when we read facts as opposed to when we read poetry. Because facts we try to remember... and poetry we try to unravel a mystery of words mixed with art. We're so ignorant and lonely and overwhelmed by this vastness - this story that tells everything but reveals nothing. And yet we're all in it together. What if every moment we turned the facts of our lives into poetry. To give up trying to assign meaning and turn all of our periods into question marks. Doing these daily practices, or miracle morning routines, is how we begin to unravel that mystery. Maybe this one thing is the only thing I really believe in. The rest...I'm wide-eyed and just born and want to learn. My grandfather used to say to me when I was little, "if the universe had an end, what's on the other side?" He'd keep repeating it, because we both were trying to figure it out. My brain hurt trying to think about it. Because there's no answer but it begs for one. I've never died like Hal. Maybe it's irrational but I'm kind of jealous of that he did. People who die have a story for the rest of their lives. This morning I'm going to get ready to die. And this morning that's how I'm going to live. ------------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... See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

4 Jul 201538min

If you want to see into the future, and live longer, healthier and happier then you must tune into today's podcast. It may scare the hell out of you but there is no holding it back. The future is here and you can't get out of its way. Steven Kotler, the best-selling author, journalist and entrepreneur joins James for today's show. Steven's books include Abundance, The Rise of Superman, Bold, and his newest release, Tomorrowland: Our Journey from Science Fiction to Science Fact. Tomorrowland offers an optimistic look into the future, but at the same time it is a bit scary. With an introduction of, "The future is here," Steven's book outlines the rapid pace that technology is and will continue to define us in every way imaginable. Some of the highlights from the book include: Strap-on bionics that reverse the aging trend and put force back into our bodies. Extending life using stem cells to swap out old body parts for new ones. Artificial vision that restores what was lost. With all these advancements, questions are raised. Steven asks how these things will affect religion and our thoughts about theoretical mortality in the face of technological immortality. They discuss having the ability to move our short-term memories to a place in the brain where long-term memories are stored. On the scary side of this is synthetic biology where customizable diseases  can target a specific person without them knowing. Criminals could potentially exploit this but the use of microsensors could be a way to fight back. Steven believes the greatest opportunities are in virtual reality, a field that  will be exploding in three to five years. He thinks even our jobs will move into the virtual world and we will be spending more and more time there. According to Steven, internet-sized opportunities exist in this because: Technology is progressing at a rapid rate. Economic possibilities have been proven. Deeply meaningful experiences can be created. Links and Resources Mentioned In The Show: To learn more about Tomorrowland and Steven's other books and articles, head to Steven's website. Steven is the co-founder and director of research for the Flow Genome Project. While you're there check out the free flow profile. Also, Steven writes a blog for Forbes.com, it's called Far Frontiers: www.forbes.com/sites/stevenkotler Follow Steven on Twitter at @kotlersteven  Regards, David Newman Executive Producer PS. There's only 2 days left to enter for your chance to win James' 30 favorite books. Click here now to enter...  When you enter, you'll also discover how to significantly increase your odds at winning this valuable bundle.   Don't miss out, click here now to enter ------------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.

30 Jun 20151h 1min

Today I'm very pleased to welcome David Bach to the show. David is the author of several books on achieving your financial goals, and doing so while reducing stress along the way. With titles including Automatic Millionaire, Smart Women Finish Rich, and Smart Couples Finish Rich, David has become an absolute authority on choosing yourself first. Or as he says, "Pay yourself first." With financial troubles being the leading cause of friction and divorce amongst couples, David has found several key ways that families can manage their finances easier. Steps couples can take to improve their financial lives include: *Talking about small purchases more often. *Twice a year, work with your spouse or a financial advisor to monitor your personal financial statement. *Have a vision for your financial future. This clarifies every decision you make in your financial life. David is a big advocate of "The Latte Factor" and doing small things to save money every day. This helps people overcome the biggest obstacle to better financial behaviors: getting started. Whether you're an entrepreneur or an intrapreneur, the thing you can do that will have the most effect on your financial path is to increase your income. For entrepreneurs, this means increasing your rates. If your services are indispensable to current customers, they will gladly pay a higher rate. If you're working within a company, getting a raise on a regular basis is the way to go. Be valuable to your employer and they will gladly reward you. The digital economy and the passing recession have given us a unique opportunity to reinvent ourselves. While many people are having to do this at an older age, David has a few key actions people can take to get on this road, even if it's later in life: *Spend Less. *Setup an automatic saving plan. Pay yourself first and allow compounding to do its magic. *Meditate regularly. *Journal immediately after you meditate. *Focus on what is making you unhappy, AND what you can do to help make you happier. Links and Resources Mentioned in the Show:            *To access more of David's insights on how to be successful at managing your finances, head to Smart Couples Live- Enter coupon code "tour"           *You can learn more about David and his works on FinishRich.com           *Follow David on Twitter at @AuthorDavidBach   If you're looking for a financial planner, David and his team at Edelman Financial Planning can help you reach your goals ------------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.

23 Jun 201542min

If you're into hunting for buried pirate treasure then this is the show for you. Today I'm very happy to welcome bestselling author Robert Kurson to the podcast. Robert has just released Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship. This is the second book featuring John Chatterton and is about his quest with John Mattera to find the ship of the infamous pirate Joseph Bannister. Bannister, a gentleman and business owner working with shipping companies in the Caribbean, one day turned pirate and stole a boat named The Golden Fleece, setting off on a pirate's adventure for years. Treasure hunting may seem like a romantic,  childish notion, but most treasure hunters are often seeking adventure, encountering huge adversity in their search and often risking all to solve the mysteries they encounter beneath the water. Chatterton (a police officer) and Mattera (a commercial diver) worked all week, used their savings, and spent every free minute of their time searching for this long lost ship. Shadow Diverswas Robert's first book featuring Richie Kohler and John Chatterton on their quest to solve the mystery of a WWII German U-boat found off the New Jersey coast in 1991 and how the questions surrounding this discovery would haunt these men, their marriages, and ultimately challenge every aspect of their lives. In Robert's first book, Crashing Through, he tells the story of Mike May who was blind from the age 3 and regained his vision at age 46 via a rare stem-cell transplant procedure. May had lived a very fulfilling life as a blind person, and actually delayed doing this procedure for over a year. Robert learned the lesson of storytelling early on. Growing up he was regularly brought out of school, sometimes for extended periods of time, to travel the country. By age 8 he had visited all 48 continental United States. This time away allowed him to get a first-hand sense of the power of storytelling. This unconventional upbringing also empowered Robert to discover and follow his passion from an early age. Robert recounts how he found himself utterly miserable living the life of a typical day-job employee. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he feels lucky that he was miserable enough to have the courage to do something as daring as leaving a high-paying, comfortable job to pursue his passion, just like John Chatterton did years ago. Robert and James agree that a good barometer of your happiness in a job is how you view the people you work with. If you enjoy the people you're working with then you can be happy at your job. If you don't enjoy being around attorneys, for example, then there's virtually no chance you'll be happy at work every day as an attorney. Thanks so much for listening Regards, David Newman P.S. Have you entered yet? Here is YOUR CHANCE to WIN a year's worth of James Altucher's favorite books from The James Altucher Show podcast.   P.P.S. If you enjoyed this episode of The James Altucher Show, please leave a review or a rating on iTunes. I read every review and it helps to make the podcast better. ------------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... See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

16 Jun 20151h 1min

"I'm the kind of person who is embarrassed to lie," says "Freeway" Rick Ross. Not the words you would expect to come from a convicted felon. Rick built an empire, a drug empire that is, the notorious Los Angeles crack-cocaine empire. But the man who built this empire is not an evil man as you might suspect. He is charitable, a teacher, and an ideal leader. "I always knew I was going to jail," he tells me. So why did I interview him? First off, his story is the kind that creates curiosity. It is so foreign to me - a good, Jewish boy. It's thrilling. Second, our stories have a common theme: How do you pick yourself up when you're at rock bottom? His rock bottom was finding out he was sentenced to life in prison. How do you stay motivated after discovering your entire future will be in a cage? How do you not run away? Can you "choose yourself" here? Yes. Before bottom, Rick was illiterate. He picked himself up by improving every day. He read 300 books, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and more all before he was granted bail. He was given a sentence, but he changed his destiny. You can, too. Rick also has expert advice on how to resolve conflicts. In his business, he had power and guns but chose peace over force time and time again. His story is a good example of how to build loyalty. You can use his experience to create loyal teams and partnerships in your life and work, too. The moral of the story here is not how you find success. It's what you do with it that matters. During his rise to the top, Rick gave back to his community. He gives back today by advocating literacy and speaking in schools. After listening, you could write a "10 ideas" list on how you can give back to your community today. If nothing else, I hope this interview inspires you to improve your destiny and others. In This Episode, You Will Learn: *How to resolve conflicts *How to build loyal relationships *Examples of strong work ethic *Why literacy is important *How to gain clientele and use word-of-mouth marketing *Plus much more... Links and Resources Mentioned in the Show: *Read "Freeway" Rick Ross' inspiring book, Freeway Rick Ross: The Untold Autobiography. *Follow "Freeway" Rick Ross on Twitter. *Check out Jayson Gaignard's conference, MastermindTalks, which is where I interviewed Rick Ross. *My article, "What I learned about leadership when I interviewed the biggest drug dealer in history."   Thanks so much for listening! ------------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.

9 Jun 201553min

What are you best at? Whatever it is, you should do it more often and get paid for it, too. Do you know the ultimate site to choose yourself (besides jamesaltucher.com)? It's Freelancer.com. It's "a global market for services" and "the eBay for jobs." My guest today, Matt Barrie, is the genius who founded it. This site changed my life. And in today's interview, you'll hear how I used the site to build a business and sell it for millions of dollars eight months later. I've interviewed hundreds of successful people. Matt, on the other hand, watches people become overnight successes in real time. He is an encyclopedia of success stories. You will feel motivated and empowered after hearing these extreme entrepreneur success stories. Have you heard of giantflamingo.com? This guy outsourced manufacturing on Freelancer.com and created an entire pool toy empire. Now, he's a multimillionaire. You'll hear his full story and realize you have the same potential. If starting a business isn't for you, that's OK. You can still make money from the site. "Everyone on the site is there to make money," Matt says. Here's what you have to do: use the site to look up projects. Projects can supplement your income or even replace it. This way you'll get paid to do what you're good at all the time. Let me know what you find. I love to hear stories about how you choose yourself. In This Episode You Will Learn:         *How to make money using Freelancer.com         *How to use Freelancer.com to start and build a business         *How to use Freelancer.com to get projects so you can quit your job         *How Matt Barrie came up with the idea of an "eBay for jobs" Plus much more... Links and Resources Mentioned In The Show: I've said it before and I'll say it again: Freelancer.com A collection of essays by Matt Barrie Giantflamigo.com Singularity University   Thanks so much for listening! ------------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.

2 Jun 20151h 3min

Neil Strauss and James never had met before this interview but you'd think they've been best friends forever. And that's why Neil has been so successful writing about the undercover world of pickup artists. He's a really nice guy. They dive right into some of the techniques that Neil talks about in his best-seller, The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists, and he asks James to let his listeners "know him." So James becomes the patient today and Neil does a quick analysis. A lot of what Neil talks about is how you can get out of you comfort zone. Too often people fake it... but to honestly get out, you may need a friend to push you way out of your comfort zone. James asks Neil what's next and Neil tells him... Don't be trapped in what you've done before. "All people know of what you've done from what you've done before. They don't know what you're going to do next." Go do you. Regards, David Newman Senior Producer of Stansberry Radio P.S. NOT SURE WHAT TO DO WITH THE REST OF YOUR LIFE? Great new resource shows clever way to start a business, get a new job, find a retirement career, publish a book, make extra money in your spare time, and more.   -------------------Additional Resources-----------------------   Neil Strauss "Picks Up" on Jessica Alba- Jimmy Kimmel show The Game by Neil Strauss Robert Greene - How to Become a Master of What You Love   Satan is Real by The Louvin Brothers ------------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 Mai 201555min