James Altucher

Before Sheila Nevins, no one cared about our human stories.

I was really nervous for this podcast. [Listen to the FULL INTERVIEW with Elizabeth Smart] Elizabeth Smart has been through so much trauma. And I’m sure everyone says that to her.

I wrote this article exactly 1 year ago. And sometimes I re-read it… to remind myself of everything Sara Blakely taught me. [Listen to the FULL INTERVIEW with Sara Blakely] She’s a self-made billionaire.

I’m speaking about how when you lose all hope, you can still lose more. But it’s at that point, you have an enormous opportunity to gain. Specifically, how I gained when I was at that moment.

I didn’t fly for about four years after I saw the crash but I was surprised at how scared I was when I eventually got on a plane again. The slightest air bump and I would be convinced we were crashing. I’d say to myself, “never again never again never again” and I would think to myself, “I’m never going to see my kids again”.

I get bad reviews all the time. One star reviews are just as much a sign of passion for your work as five star reviews. And normally I never look at them. But this one I did. I picked it apart.

I want there to be that moment, “and then everything in my life changed”. It always seems there’s no “right place” and “right time”. The right place is always far away. The right time was always a long time ago. I missed it. I missed her. I miss you.

My good friend, Ryan Holiday wrote an excellent article recently, “Please don’t write any more books”. He’s correct also. Too many people now are writing books as “business cards”.