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Syndication

"Ocean's 13" and "Rounders" writer Brian Koppelman talks with James today about why reading fiction is so valuable.

No matter what field you're in there's tremendous benefit to reading fiction as part of the diet of what you read.

Brian says, fiction forces your analytical mind to take a back seat for a moment and knocks you out of you comfort. It forces you to grapple with those things that you often shut out.

Reading fiction is not a test; you're not in an English class

No one is going to quiz you on what you read, no one is going to call you an idiot if you don't get it, or don't like it.

Fiction may not immediately improve your life. It's not as direct as most non-fiction books but...

The lessons you pull from the fiction that hits you the hardest are the lessons that stay with you the longest.

Regards,

David Newman

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.

---------------------------Recommended Resources-----------------------------

The Moment with Brian Koppelman

Billions,a new drama from the Showtime cable network

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis

Candideby Voltaire

L.A. Confidential by James Elroy

American Tabloid by James Elroy

The Stranger by Albert Camus

I Smile Back by Amy Koppelman

City of Thieves by David Benioff

The Winter of Frankie Machine by Don Winslow

 

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakaml

Direct download: AA20Ep20280.mp3
Category:business -- posted at: 12:40pm EDT

Two entrepreneurs, Robert (Bobby) Edwards and his mother, Judy Edwards who presented on Shark Tank talk with James today about what life is like after the show.

They did a deal with Lori Greiner that was a game-changer for them.

Their product, Squatty Potty was a bit controversial and at first the shows producer turned them down.

But after using the product for a while, they got back in touch and asked the entrepreneurs to refine their message and to come on to the show.

Listen to today's episode and learn what its like behind the scenes on Shark Tank.

Regards,

David Newman

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.

---------------------------Recommended Resources-----------------------------

The James Altucher Show Ep. 24 Mark Cuban: Enough Said

The James Altucher Show Ep. 49 Kevin Harrington: The Greatest Salesman Ever

 

Squatty Potty Shark Tank video

Direct download: AA20Ep20279.mp3
Category:business -- posted at: 12:45pm EDT

"It's important to lack focus."

Both Newton and Einstein were fans of this idea... Let your mind drift off and see what happens.

Maybe your best ideas come while you're in the shower or as you're drifting off to sleep.

Claudia keeps a pen and paper nearby or quickly dictates ideas into her phone so she doesn't forget them.

Read a book that has nothing to do with what you're working on... Take a bath or a nap... Trust your brain.

Allow yourself to drift.

Regards,

David Newman

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.

---------------------------Recommended Resources-----------------------------

 

Ask Altucher Ep 16: Be More Productive

Direct download: AA20Ep20278.mp3
Category:business -- posted at: 2:19pm EDT

If you put yourself into the public domain, be prepared. There are a lot of haters out there.

No matter who you are, one in 10, one in 20, or one in whatever will hate you.

Nobody is above it. It will happen.

And it hurts...

So what should you do about it?

Simply, stop caring what anyone else thinks. Start by stop giving a F@#K.

It's really that easy.

Regards

David Newman

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.

---------------------------Recommended Resources-----------------------------

The Ultimate Guide to Making a Personal Manifesto

 

 

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Direct download: AA20Ep20277.mp3
Category:business -- posted at: 10:04am EDT

We're lucky... We're living at a very special time in history. Startup companies have so much cash that if you're smart, you can legally grab a bunch of it.

Greg Muender did. He became a part-time Uber and Lyft driver to help put his wife through medical school.

He was doing OK, making decent money, but suddenly an idea struck him. Why not write about his experiences and post it to Medium, a new blogging website?

He added a few affiliate links at the bottom and BOOM the cash started rolling in. He was making more money writing about Lyft and Uber than he was driving for them.

And that was just the beginning.

Listen to Greg's story in today's episode.

Regards,

David Newman

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.

---------------------------Recommended Resources-----------------------------

AA Ep 217: How One Man Makes Six Figures With Uber

Greg Muender

Fatberry

 

Medium

Direct download: AA20EP2027620final.mp3
Category:business -- posted at: 10:47am EDT

Do you carry around a dream in your back pocket?

Rollie Peterkin did.

He left a cushy job on Wall Street to go to Peru and get punched in the face...

And he loved it.

So what's next? His world is now wide open.

Listen to Rollie's story in today's episode here.

Regards,

David Newman

 

P.S. James says there are seven huge trends that will shape America. Understanding these trends before anyone else will give you a huge advantage in work, life, and investing. Click here to learn more about James' great ideas.

 

-----------------------------Throwback Thursday ---------------------------------

 

Ep. 23 "How To Go From $0-$40,000 a Month Writing From Home."

 

---------------------------Recommended Resources-----------------------------

 

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CHANGING YOUR LIFE

Ask Altucher Ep. 70 "How Do You Find Your Passion?"

Direct download: AA20Ep20275.mp3
Category:business -- posted at: 1:59pm EDT

Someone once asked Mohammad Ali how many push-ups he does. He said he has no idea. He doesn’t start counting until it starts hurting.

How do you think about work? Do you get tense, anxious and overwhelmed?

The key is find one thing that you really want to learn well. 

Bruce Lee said he doesn’t fear the man who has practiced 1000 kicks, he fears the man who has practiced one kick 1000 times.

Listen to today’s episode and, stay curious

Regards,

David Newman

P.S. James says there are seven huge trends that will shape America. Understanding these trends before anyone else will give you a huge advantage in work, life, and investing. Click here to learn more about James' great ideas.

 

------------------------------Recommended Resources-----------------------------

10 Things I learned From Richard Branson

Bold by Peter Diamandis

Boingboing

Direct download: AA20Ep20274.mp3
Category:business -- posted at: 10:33am EDT

Exercising is something you have to constantly work on. It's not something you can do for a while and then never need again.

First, unclutter. Give away anything you really don't need.

Second, remove from your life the people that drag you down.

Third, stay calm.

Give these three simple ideas a try and let us know if they make a difference in your life.

Regards,

David Newman

P.S. James says there are seven huge trends that will shape America. Understanding these trends before anyone else will give you a huge advantage in work, life, and investing. Click here to learn more about James' great ideas.

------------------------------Recommended Resources-----------------------------

The Ultimate Guide to Becoming an Idea Machine

10 Ideas to Declutter and Live in the Home Of Your Dreams

How to Deal With Crappy People

 

AA Ep 252: How to Use "The Force" in Your Life

Direct download: AA20Ep20273.mp3
Category:business -- posted at: 11:53am EDT

One of the most frequently asked questions we get relates to how to make more money. 

Today, James and Claudia talk to Alex and Mimi Ikonn who've figured out one of the formulas. 

They took a simple idea, something that really resonated with them personally, and decided to create a business around it.

They borrowed money from Alex's mom, used their credit card line of credit, and started their online business.

They were desperate to start their own business and initially set small goals.

It was either start their own company or go back to a 9 to 5 business. Something they never wanted to do again. 

Click here to listen as Alex and Mimi share their best practices of quality, consistency and authenticity. 

"The moment you shift your mind from just selfishly just trying to make money for yourself to how you can create value for other people, that's when you actually make money." 

Regards,

David Newman 

P.S. James says there are seven huge trends that will shape America. Understanding these trends before anyone else will give you a huge advantage in work, life, and investing. Click here to learn more about James' great ideas.

  

--------------------Recommended Resources-----------------------

Alex and Mimi Ikonn

Mimi Ikonn's You Tube Channel 

Luxy Hair

The 4-Hour Work Week    

Direct download: AA20Ep20272.mp3
Category:business -- posted at: 1:28pm EDT

James flips this question around and asks Claudia, "What have you learned?" 

They talk about many of the misconceptions that exist about the things you've "learned."

Including how to learn quickly.

Listen as James and Claudia talk about what you should unlearn. 

Regards,

David Newman

 

P.S. James says there are seven huge trends that will shape America. Understanding these trends before anyone else will give you a huge advantage in work, life, and investing. Click here to learn more about James' great ideas.

 

-------------------------Recommended Resources----------------------- 

Choose Yourself by James Altucher 

Ep 239 Changing Your Lifestyle Can Change your Life with Drew Canoli

Direct download: AA20Ep20271.mp3
Category:business -- posted at: 1:35pm EDT

What does James want people to say at his funeral?

He could care less...

We all have two lists: your résumé list and your eulogy list.

No one is going to stand up at your funeral and read your résumé. Instead, they're more likely to stand up and talk about the impact you've had on others' lives.

Listen as James and Claudia talk about your impact.

Measure your impact and think about your eulogy.

"James Altucher, he chose himself." R.I.P.

Regards,

David Newman

P.S. James says there are seven huge trends that will shape America. Understanding these trends before anyone else will give you a huge advantage in work, life, and investing. Click here to learn more about James' great ideas.

 

--------------Recommended Resources----------------

Choose Yourself by James Altucher

Ep 215: What's on Your Bucket List?

 

Today, we're going to introduce something new, Throwback Thursday. We have so many new listeners joining us every day and we have so much content in our archives that many of you may never have heard. So, we've decided to pull out an old favorite and highlight it on our new Throwback Thursday segment. This episode was published July 23, 2014 and we called it – How to Land a Job. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Direct download: AA20Ep20270.mp3
Category:business -- posted at: 12:48pm EDT

To write well, you need to continually exercise your brain muscle.

As James says, one of the best books on writing is Stephen King's book, On Writing.

King says that after a bad bicycle accident, he stopped writing for a few weeks while he healed. When he got back to it, he couldn't write. He couldn't quite connect the words.

James writes seven days a week and he tries to do it at his peak productivity time.

When Dan Ariely was on The James Altucher Podcast earlier this year, he explained that two to four hours after you wake up are your peak hours.

So if you want to be a better writer, then this is probably the best time for you to sit down and write.

James wakes up about 6:00 a.m. and spends a few minutes every day "meditating." He then reads for about two hours and makes sure to read some fiction.

Then it's on to writing.

If you want to improve your writing skills, write every day and give yourself permission to publish something that is not great.

Regards,

David Newman

P.S. James says there are seven huge trends that will shape America. Understanding these trends before anyone else will give you a huge advantage in work, life, and investing. Click here to learn more about James' great ideas.

 

------------------------Recommended Resources-------------------------

On Writing by Stephen King

On Writing Well by William Zinsser

Zen and the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson

The James Altucher Show EP 65 Dan Ariely 

 

Ask Altucher Ep. 91 How to Get Better At Writing

Direct download: AA20Ep20269.mp3
Category:business -- posted at: 12:55pm EDT

This week on Quora both James and Claudia answered the same question, which was, "What is the one word you need to know to make you rich?

The funny thing is, their answers appeared to be exact opposites.

Claudia's answer was "Yes" and" and James' answer was "No."

Click here to listen as James and Claudia talk about how these two answers are really very similar.

Regards,

David Newman

P.S. James says there are seven huge trends that will shape America. Understanding these trends before anyone else will give you a huge advantage in work, life, and investing. Click here to learn more about James' great ideas.

 

--------------------------------Recommended Resources---------------------------------

 

 

The Power of No: Because One Little Word Can Bring Health, Abundance, and Happiness

Direct download: AA20Ep20268.mp3
Category:business -- posted at: 11:50am EDT

James is thinking about giving up e-mail. His kids are only using Telegram and he wants to see what will happen.

Claudia believes she has a better idea… and it's changing her life already. She stopped all notifications on her phone.

She says it's given her her life back. She's back in control.

Then James says he's no longer bringing his phone to any meetings or conferences. He focuses in on the other person so much better now.

Listen as James and Claudia talk about productivity and how it can give you your life back.

Give these a try.

Regards,

David Newman

 

P.S. James says there are seven huge trends that will shape America. Understanding these trends before anyone else will give you a huge advantage in work, life, and investing. Click here to learn more about James' great ideas.

 

-------------------------------Recommended Resources---------------------------------

 

  •  James says it's not focus that matters the most. It's "decluttering" that really makes the biggest difference. Get rid of negative people, stop arguing with people, don't go to meetings or conferences that are marginal, and follow Warren Buffett's 5/25 rule. Listen here and learn how to declutter.

 

  •  Saturday, June 6, 2015 – Come meet your COUSINS James and Claudia (yes, we are all related) at the WORLD'S LARGEST FAMILY REUNION– Cousin James is one of the speakers.
Direct download: AA20Ep20267.mp3
Category:business -- posted at: 10:40am EDT

Gillian Zoe Segal joins James and Claudia today to talk about how you can get any mentor in the world.

She interviewed "everyone" for her new book Getting There: A Book of Mentors. People like Warren Buffett, Sarah Blakely, Michael Bloomberg, Kathy Ireland and so many more.

James tells Gillian that many of these people have said no to coming on to The James Altucher Show and asks how she did it.

Gillian says a friend told her, "Don't take a no from somebody who can't give you a yes."

That's what made the difference.

If you get a no from the front door then try the back door, the side door or the window.

Gillian says she finished this book because she had a need for the material.

It was her passion.

Listen as James and Claudia have great conversation with Gillian.

 

Regards,

David Newman

P.S. James says there are seven huge trends that will shape America. Understanding these trends before anyone else will give you a huge advantage in work, life, and investing. Click here to learn more about James' great ideas.

 

------------------------------Recommended Resources--------------------------------

Getting There: A Book of Mentors

 

 

Saturday, June 6, 2015 – Come meet your COUSINS James and Claudia (yes, we are all related) at the WORLD'S LARGEST FAMILY REUNION– Cousin James is one of the speakers.

Direct download: AA20Ep2026620final.mp3
Category:business -- posted at: 3:26pm EDT

Last week James was invited to do a video for Business Insider on whether you should put money into your 401(k).

People went crazy attacking James. Not his arguments against saving within a 401(k), they attacked him personally.

Here's the scenario

1)Company: "Hey buddy, here's your money. Good job!" 

2)Company (1 second later): "WHOOPS! We have to take that from you. Don't worry, you'll get it back 30 years from now and have unknown fees and charges taken out of it. Relax." 

3)Person: protests with reasonable argument. Gets maybe minor fact wrong that is not important for the argument.

4)Company: "STONE HIM! HE IS A F'KING MORON! KILL HIM!" 

If you've not seen the original video, you can watch it here.

Your employer is not going to "choose you," you have to "choose yourself." If 401(k)s are so great, then why are so many people broke going into retirement?

Listen as James and Claudia talk about the real limitations of a 401(k).

Don't shoot the messengers...

Regards,

David Newman

 

P.S. James says there are seven huge trends will shape America. Understanding these trends before anyone else will give you a huge advantage in work, life, and investing. Click here to learn more about James' great ideas.

 

---------------------------------Recommended Resources---------------------------------

 

The Three Surprises in 401(k)s

 

Saturday, June 6, 2015 - Come meet your COUSINS James and Claudia (yes, we are all related) at the WORLD'S LARGEST FAMILY REUNION– Cousin James is one of the speakers.

Direct download: AA20Ep20265.mp3
Category:business -- posted at: 12:05pm EDT

One of our past Ask Altucher guests Matt Capala from episode 245 emailed Claudia with our question of today.

Matt wants to know how to get the skills and passions he used to have, but that he has let slip recently

For Matt specifically, chess was something he used to play and enjoy and he'd like to get this passion back.

Lsten today as James talks about how to get back those skills you let rust.

Regards,

David Newman

PS. James says there are seven huge trends will shape America. Understanding these trends before anyone else will give you a huge advantage in work, like, and investing. Click here to learn more about James' great ideas.

-------------------------------------Recommended Resources---------------------------------

Chess by László Polgár

Greg Shahade on YouTube

Saturday, June 6, 2015 - Come meet your COUSINS James and Claudia (yes, we are all related) at the WORLD'S LARGEST FAMILY REUNION– Cousin James is one of the speakers.

Direct download: AA20Ep20264.mp3
Category:business -- posted at: 11:03am EDT

Claudia loves this quote and James hates it.

Today they debate this famous quote by Eleanor Roosevelt and what it means to each of them.

In the broadest sense of the word, this quote can seem a little ridiculous, but as they talk about it – and rephrase it just a little – it now makes sense.

Listen to how James and Claudia work through their differences of opinion.

Regards,

David Newman

 

PS. James says there are 7 huge trends will shape America. Understanding these trends before anyone else gives you a huge advantage in work, like, and investing.  Click here to learn more about James’s great ideas.

Direct download: AA20Ep20263.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:54am EDT

How can you say "no" without hurting someone's feelings?

If your immediate reaction isn't "hell yeah," than you should probably say "no." Unless your career is speaking, then don't say "yes" just because you're being paid.

There is a right way to say "no," and most importantly, don't put it off.

 

Listen to how James has screwed this up many times

Direct download: AA20Ep20262.mp3
Category:business -- posted at: 11:47am EDT

The most engaged article on LinkedIn last year was James' article on the "10 Reasons You Have to Quit Your Job in 2014."

But today, James is going to tell you why you might want to keep your job.

One reason may be that you're creating your own new job, but it's not big enough to totally support you yet. You need to keep your old job until the income from your new business is at least equal to the money you're making at your job.

Only then is it the right time to quit your job.

Listen today and learn why this subject isn't always just black and white.

Direct download: AA20Ep20261.mp3
Category:business -- posted at: 8:56am EDT

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