The James Altucher Show

You can have power, but it comes with a lot of bullshit. When Spider-Man's Uncle Ben said, "With great power comes great responsibility," he was trying to say that power comes with a lot of BS. It's a good warning. We want all of the power and none of the bullshit. And then you hear everyone complaining. It's hard to be a good guy. My guest today, Jane Swift, is the youngest female governor in U.S. history turned CEO of Middlebury Interactive Languages. She's a superhero. During her campaign, she was pregnant with twins. She also already had a daughter. But that didn't stop her. She gives and expects nothing in return. That's what I do. Think about your obstacles. Now imagine doing more and complaining less. Sometimes, you might feel like you either have energy and no resources, or resources and no energy. Jane created both. And in today's podcast, she'll teach you how. I asked her what inspired her. "It's really around the passionate belief that I could make things better," she tells me. Her superpowers are her passion mixed with energy and focus. She uses them to help others. As governor, Jane was passionate about education. She says all children have gifts. And this is true for adults, too. Maybe someone failed you - the school system, or your parents. And now you're grown up. You're at a point in your life where you feel you should know what you're doing with your finances, your career, your family.  Maybe you're feeling lost now. If no one patted your back, told you you're special, and helped you figure out what you're good at, you may feel like someone is sitting on your chest. You are lying there with weight, pressure, a heaviness inside you that says, "I'm stuck here."  But it's not too late to find out what you're good at. Jane's goal was, and still is, to give kids opportunities in life. Don't you wish someone wanted the same for you now? I do. The difference is, you have to choose yourself. Part of that is surrounding yourself with the right people. Who are the right people? Jane says, "Sometimes, depending on the issue, the right people around the table are folks who you know well and trust a great deal." Plainly, if you pick the wrong people, you'll be stressed and you'll waste energy. How you spend your energy is your choice. And that's powerful. The other resource we crave is money. Campaigning, Jane didn't have that either. She hustled. "I tend to outwork people," she says. "As a working mother, I've learned to work hard and smart." She raised $60,000 for her campaign. Some people wrote checks to support her. Others baked brownies, and she had bake sales... That's old school hustling.  Sometimes, to make things happen, you have to go back to the basics. You don't become a superhero by trying to be a superhero. You become a superhero by overcoming whatever's in your way. "I had to be really crisp and really convincing, and really think through my position on a number of issues to convince people that a 25 year old woman, a couple of years out of college, would be a better state senator than a 7 term incumbent," she says. Start small. Try to improve 1% a day. The people who baked brownies helped at least 1%. That's how you gain momentum. And that's what you'll learn in today's episode. You'll learn how to hustle, earn power, and, if you're lucky, become a superhero, 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... See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1 Dec 20151h 1min

It won't be the idea that causes you to quit... it's fear. It's the big idea that stops us-the idea of being a Google or a Facebook, a New York Times best-selling author, a guru, a YouTube sensation, a Mark Cuban or Kevin O'Leary. Sometimes, it seems easier to forget you even had the idea to begin with. The idea of success. But if you give in, you'll end up quitting before you start. It's a trap. Think about how many people are on Earth. There are millions of attractive people I have never met because I didn't give myself the chance. I always thought, "She'd never have sex with me."I didn't even look. So I quit before I could start. But staring at a girl is easy. And who knows what that leads to? If you want to achieve something, you need to make moves. In today's podcast, you'll learn the steps you need to take to achieve anything. My guest, Mary Karr, is an award-winning poet and best-selling memoirist with praise from Stephen King, among many other highly-esteemed writers. In the interview, Mary shares some easy techniques you can use to get started. Number one, start with things that are easy or convenient, and build from there. Identifying your interests is important, too. Mary started with reading. "Something about reading other people's life stories made me less lonely," she says. Mary explains that it's often "the thing that happened to you that was very dramatic that maybe nobody else would find dramatic," that make the best stories. These little moments give you insight. That's what makes you capable of doing whatever you put your mind to. No one has your experiences, the order of those experiences, your relationships, your perspective, your talents, and your drive. These pieces make you capable of doing something nobody else can. You have to work with what you have. "I start with very convenient ideas and convenient memories in which I always appear to be doing beautiful and nimble things," she says, "and then it turns out I was the one making a lot of the trouble." When it's your story, who knows what will turn out? Your experiences shape what you're capable of. And they shape what you're on your way to becoming. "No one can tell me what the shape of my mind is like better than me," Mary says. In addition to her literary success, Mary taught creative writing in jail. Why? "All of us who write are ultimately trying to make the world less lonely," she says. If there's an impact you'd like to make, make it. Even if you're scared. "I'm never not scared," Mary says. When I asked what she's scared of, I realized I've heard her list before. From myself. Scared of sounding like an idiot, being boring, "losing what little stature I've gained for myself." If what you have is so little, then what is there to lose? That's how I picked myself up. I improved 1% a day. You can too. Listen today for techniques to get overcome fear of failure. You'll learn to look around you and discover opportunities. You'll let yourself stare. Resources and Links: * The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr * Read her first memoir, The Liar's Club by Mary Karr * Read her second memoir, Cherry by Mary Karr * Read her third memoir, Lit by Mary Karr * Follow Mary on Facebook & Twitter * Read what Mary is re-reading: The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard * Stephen King praised Mary Karr in his book, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft * Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut * George Orwell's memoir Down and Out in Paris and London * Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace * Jesus' Son: Stories by Denis Johnson * Giving Up the Ghost by Hilary Mantel ------------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... See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

24 Nov 201543min

Everyone I've ever dated (before my second marriage) was just practice. Telling my second grade crush I was in love with her and getting laughed at - practice. Posing as a psychic on Craigslist to meet women - practice. I could have chosen not to do those things. I could have been too embarrassed or said I don't want to be "that guy." But then I would have been holding myself back. Don't waste time and energy contemplating if you'll be successful. I get it. You're afraid. You don't want to get stuck or let go of a good thing. Recognize, though, that your fear won't generate wealth and freedom. So how do you know what's right financially? My guest today, Kevin O'Leary says, "There's no guarantee. You have to try things." Before becoming a successful entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and millionaire shark, Kevin tried and tested different jobs. He picked up garbage. This wasn't for him. He wasn't invested. Sometimes the key to success is to say no. Not to invest. If you aren't invested, you can keep trying new things. That's what Kevin did. He tried something else, which he talks about in today's interview. He just kept going. The idea is to find something more fulfilling. And even when you find it, keep an open mind. It might still be a test. Kevin has a three-year rule. If something can't survive three years, then "take it behind the barn and shoot it," he says. Dump it. Quit it. Do not invest. "Unless it's a hobby and you don't mind losing money," he says. This rule applies to dating, too. If you don't see a future with someone, why continue? Consider how much you're spending, or "investing," in dating someone. And think of it the other way around. Can you survive it for three years? Or three more years? Kevin waited six before marrying Linda. Now they've been married for 25 years. In his new book, Cold Hard Truth On Men, Women, and Money: 50 Common Money Mistakes and How to Fix Them, and in today's interview, Kevin teaches you how to avoid making bad investments in your life with simple, easy-to-follow tips. Smart investments require time. You need time to find out who and what you're compatible with. And those things change. You change. So when you feel stuck or unfulfilled, don't just cry about it. "There's no room for tears," Mr. Wonderful says. Do something. Listen today to learn the best techniques to test a potential investment. You'll also hear Kevin's advice on how to successfully get people invested in you. ------------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.

17 Nov 201538min

If she told me to jump off a bridge, I just might do it. She was the only friend who would tell me anything, and I would do anything for her. I think I love her. Growing up, I wanted to know everything-sex, bullying, whether I was normal or not. I was curious-confused really. Kids were mean and girls were pretty. Judy Blume was the only one who would answer my questions. I was asking, "What is it all for?" And she told me. I thought, maybe this is what finding God feels like. She's a No. 1 New York Times best-selling author with more than 85 million books sold. Successful? Yes. But it's more than that. "I represent childhood," she says, "I think when somebody represents your childhood, that's special. I'm lucky people tell me that." Her book, "Forever," taught me about sex. "Blubber" explained bullying. I read Judy Blume's books because I had questions and she had answers. So where did she come from? At age 25, a man took her on a date. He stayed the night and never left. They got married, had two little babies, but Judy realized she had stories but no other outlets. "I wouldn't say I had exactly grown up when I started to write, but I was in a grown-up situation." Sometimes, as grown-ups, we stop taking care of ourselves. We neglect our needs, health, relationships, and friendships. But if you're open to living a better life, you'll learn something from Judy Blume. She used to feel stuck, too. Stuck and lonely. "I understand now how important friendship is in a life, no matter how happy you are with your family," she says. Do you feel a void, too? What's missing here? Judy realized she needed to take care of herself. "Before I started to write, I was sick all the time. I was always sick. I had one exotic illness after another, but once I started writing I was letting that bad stuff out and it didn't have to make me sick anymore," she says. Writing helped her and it helped us, but we're still wondering, "What is it all for?" Uncertainty and darkness. "Would you say that's the overriding theme of the book," I asked. "You're interesting," Judy says. "I'm a person who never knows the theme of her book." Her new book, "In The Unlikely Event," is an opportunity for me, for you, for everyone "to be taken out of our own lives, to get insight into other people's lives, as well as our own lives, and to learn new things." Listen now to Judy Blume. No bridge necessary. ------------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.

10 Nov 201529min

This is for the writers.  Write something that doesn't suck.  It's a simple goal.  With low stakes, Amy Koppelman wrote "I Smile Back," which was rejected at least 80 times. It was rejected because it resembled the truth too much. One publisher said, "This is the reason we got into publishing, but I can't sell this." Now, Sara Silverman is starring in the movie. She's the main character, Laney.  I was scared for the Laney. The book bleeds.  Sometimes you have to feel sorry for someone else to stop feeling sorry for yourself.  Good fiction can do that. It's how you can escape.  They say you can't run away from yourself. But they lie all the time. Amy wrote letters. She was depressed. She needed an escape. When she recognized sadness in someone else, she wrote him letters. Years later, with a pair of scissors, she cut and pasted a story together. That's how she got her book. She wrote with scissors. In today's interview, Amy reveals how you write great fiction. I wanted to know about the sadness inside her. Does it come from a deeper, darker truth? Amy says the best kind of writing understands you somehow without even knowing you. It helps you understand yourself better. "All of us, whether we're writers, carpenters or teachers, we just want to be heard and understood," Amy says. Whatever you're doing now, you don't know what it's doing for your future. That's why I recommend a daily practice.  Amy doesn't have a daily practice. She used to sit and wonder when she'd make coffee again.  Depression made instant coffee look impossible. Everything loomed over her. But one day she made coffee. And over the course of many small victories, she survived.  Listen to Amy Koppelman to learn how to write to survive. This is the master of fiction that bleeds. ------------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.

7 Nov 20151h 12min

Do you have a favorite book you return to over and over again? James does, and today the author of that book joins him on The James Altucher Show. Many of you know James does a Twitter Q&A every Thursday. But what you probably didn't know is that before he jumps online he rereads one book... He turns to Sugar for inspiration. Sugar is the fictional character in Cheryl Strayed's book, Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar. Cheryl Strayed has had a rough life: sexual abuse, divorce, past drug abuse, and her mother's death. All this pushed her to do something radical with her life. She decided to take a hike. Not your everyday hike; she would hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Coast Trail from the Mojave Desert through California, Oregon, and Washington - and she did it alone. The hike finally healed her, and she turned it into her NY Times bestselling memoir, Wild. The book was then turned into a movie starring Reese Witherspoon. Oprah loved the book so much she restarted her book club just to highlight it. Cheryl's new book Brave Enough was just released in October. James asks her, "Why a book of quotes?" As Cheryl says in the introduction of her book... "I've always been a quote collector... From the comic to the profound, the simple to the complex, the sorrowful to the ecstatic, the inspiring to the stern, whenever I need consolation or encouragement, a clear-eyed perspective or a swift kick in the pants - which is often - quotes are what I turn to. They've been tacked to the walls of every home I've made. I've written them down in my journals and kept them on files in my computer. I've scribbled them on the back of ripped-open envelopes and drawn them across stretches of sand." Now that they've met, James is almost sorry, as he'll not be able to steal from her so easily going forward.   Resources and Links: Cheryl Strayed Website Brave Enough by Cheryl Strayed Wild by Cheryl Strayed and Wild (the movie) starring Reese Witherspoon Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed Torch by Cheryl Strayed Dear Sugar podcast Oprah's 2015 Book Club ------------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.

3 Nov 201554min

Lewis Howes is great. He has achieved Olympic level successful in many areas of his life and today with the launch of his brand new book, The School of Greatness, he adds Bestselling Author to the list. On this episode, I ask Lewis what it takes to be great. Without hesitation, Lewis says that it all starts with a vision. You have to visualize what it is you really want. You have to dream it. Lewis says that before you can achieve greatness and success you have to understand what greatness and success looks like for you. Take a notepad and a pen, go out into nature, lay there in silence and write down what your perfect day would look like. Lewis says that everyone faces some type adversity in their life, but the ones who achieve greatness figure out a way to use the adversity to their advantage. We discuss some amazing examples of people who have achieved greatness after adversity, like Kyle Maynard. I hope you enjoy today's episode as much as I did. I know you can be great. Links and resources: The School of Greatness - Lewis Howes book that releases today! Lewis' website Lewis' Twitter "You need vision if you're going to reinvent yourself." - Lewis Howes - click to tweet ------------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.

27 Okt 20151h 6min

If you're running your own business, then you know by now that you have to care about what you're doing if you want to be successful. Making money can be a goal, but it can't be your only goal. You have to work toward something greater than just turning a profit. On today's podcast I talk with Bryan Johnson, someone who knows full well how much you have to care if you want your investments to pay off, and he's found the perfect balance between being financially successful and changing the world.  I talked with Bryan two years ago (and I actually put the interview in my book Choose Yourself!). I invited him to that first interview because he had established Braintree, a payment platform for many online businesses and entrepreneurs, and it was immensely successful. But I'm bringing him back this time around because a lot has changed in two years. Bryan sold Braintree to Ebay for $800 million and has since used that money to start a venture capital fund for what he likes to call "save the world" sort of companies. He's looking for engineers, creators, and financiers who are creating platforms, companies, and businesses that could benefit the lives of billions of people. He talks about what kinds of fields and platforms he's interested in on today's show, and he explains the passion that's driving him.  "I have a burning desire to devote my life to improve the lives of people," he says when I ask him what inspired his approach to business. "But I didn't know what that meant at 21. So I decided I'd become an entrepreneur, retire by 30, and then spend the rest of my life with an abundance of time and money trying to do some good." That definitely explains why he sold Braintree, but he also gives insight into what made this first business venture of his so successful and how he used it to kick start his true goal for helping people. Combining business with philanthropy is Bryan's main focus, and he is actively seeking those who are creating the technologies people cannot find but desperately need, such as synthetic biology for combating diseases like Alzheimer's.   On today's podcast, Bryan goes into what it takes to get into what he calls the "ecosystem of contribution" and how you can contribute to his charitable cycle by: Learning his unique three goals when it comes to running a successful business  Looking at our planet Earth as its own technological platform  Focusing on what makes you - and your business - happy and helpful  Leaning how to avoid snobbery in small business  If you've got a humanitarian approach to business like Bryan does and are actively looking to engage with the game changers of the world who are focusing their efforts on building a better world, then this podcast is geared at you. Anyone can be successful for themselves, but being successful for the sake of others is truly admirable and Bryan's approach will no doubt help you build a better business for yourself and your clients. Resources: Bryan Johnson The OS Fund Braintree ------------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... See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

22 Okt 201559min