The James Altucher Show

I'm celebrating my 300th episode. With a GIANT episode. I took all the best clips from years and years of podcast. And recorded some new "behind the scenes" thoughts and ideas about each clip (what I learned and why I loved this guest, how they helped me and how they can help you, too). You'll hear advice and EXCLUSIVE stories from Mark Cuban, Tony Robbins, Arianna Huffington, Sara Blakely, Tim Ferriss, Ryan Holiday and the list goes on. THIS is episode 300! And I can't thank you enough for listening.I'm celebrating my 300th episode. With a GIANT episode. I took all the best clips from years and years of podcast. And recorded some new "behind the scenes" thoughts and ideas about each clip (what I learned and why I loved this guest, how they helped me and how they can help you, too). You'll hear advice and EXCLUSIVE stories from Mark Cuban, Tony Robbins, Arianna Huffington, Sara Blakely, Tim Ferriss, Ryan Holiday and the list goes on. THIS is episode 300! And I can't thank you enough for listening. P.S. If want to go back to hear the full episodes with these guests, click below: Ep. 62 - Tony Robbins: Money Is Just A Game Ep. 217 - Tony Robbins: About The Time Tony Robbins Smashed The Podcast Table (and other things I learned) Ep. 211 - Sara Blakely: What I Learned From Spanx Founder Sara Blakely Ep. 204 - Mike Massimino: "I'm Not Good Enough" Probably Means You Will Get Good Enough Ep. 63 - Tucker Max: Tucker's Surprise Announcement Ep. 133 - Tucker Max: Mate: Become the Man Women Want Ep. 221 - Tucker Max: The Difference Between People Who Succeed and People Who Don't Ep. 226 - Jon Morrow: Do You Have A Gun To Your Head? Ep. 258 - Nancy Cartwright: Becoming Bart Simpson... How to Find the Artist Inside Yourself Ep. 288 - Mike Van Cleave: A Conversation About Cancer & Learning How to Discard the Meaningless Ep. 24 - Mark Cuban: Enough Said Ep. 290 - Ray Dalio: Principles for Investing in a Meaningful Life (Tested Strategies from 1 of the World's Wealthiest Investors) Ep. 263 - Naval Ravikant: The Largest Transfer of Wealth in Human History Ep. 28 - Kamal Ravikant: How to Become an Angel Investor with Only $1000 Ep. 202 - Kamal Ravikant: Maybe a Pilgrimage Can Save Your Life Ep. 227 - Garry Kasparov: Become The World's Greatest at What You Love Most Ep. 216 - Yuval Noah Harari: The Next Step in Our Evolution Ep. 231 - Jim Norton: Dropout and Laugh (A Comedian's Journey) Ep. 180 - AJ Jacobs: Four Words That Will Give You Ultimate Freedom Ep. 213 - AJ Jacobs: Podcasting, Then and NOW Ep. 261 - AJ Jacobs: The Intersection Between Discomfort and Curiosity Ep. 293 - AJ Jacobs: Why We Experiment (And Why You Should Also)  Ep. 157 - Gary Vaynerchuk: How to Be Successful by Being Yourself Ep. 2 - Gary Vaynerchuk: Millionaire by Age 35 Ep. 260 - Gary Vaynerchuk: Set a Flag on YOUR Thing Ep. 22 - Tim Ferriss: Possibilities and Experimentation Ep. 109 - Tim Ferriss: The Tim Ferriss Experiment Revealed  Ep. 196 - Tim Ferriss: Becoming a Titan & Overcoming Your Worst Weakness Ep. 281 - Tim Ferriss: Using a New Lens to Make Life Easier  Ep. 150 - Daymond John: Do This When Success if Your Only Option Ep. 210 - Daymond John: How to Create Your Own Point of View & Build a Following Ep. 141 - Judy Blume: Stop Wondering "What is it all for?" Ep. 13 - Arianna Huffington: The New Way To Thrive Ep. 169 - Arianna Huffington: The Delusion We're All Suffering From Ep. 18 - Ryan Holiday: Turning Trials into Triumph Ep. 108 - Ryan Holiday: Ryan Shares His Keys to Success Ep. 171 - Ryan Holiday: The Powerful Enemy of Your Success Ep. 222 - Ryan Holiday: The Essential Question: How To Live A Good Life Ep. 238 - Ryan Holiday: The Art of Making and Marketing Ep. 298 - Ryan Holiday: Competition is for Losers: Invent Your Own Category Ep. 59 - Brian Koppelman: Brian Ruined My Life Ep. 98 - Brian Koppelman: The Art of Super-Creativity Ep. 193 - Brian Koppelman:... See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Why would anyone want to pursue a career in comedy? There are no benchmarks, no paychecks and definitely no guarantees. It's too risky. Unless you have that pull... the one that tells you, "this is the right thing. This is what you're meant for." Paul Reiser knew. And never looked back. That's what I want for everyone listening to this podcast. That's what I hope for you.   Show Notes: some of Paul's work: "Stranger Things" "My Two Dads" "Mad About You" (Paul was in 160 episodes!) "Diner" Paul's first appearance on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" in 1982! "There's...Johnny!" (Paul wrote the Hulu Original Series) Paul also stars in the TV Series "Red Oaks," he describes it as Caddyshack meets "The Graduate" Read Paul's Books: "Couplehood" "Familyhood" "Babyhood" Also Mentioned: "2000 Year Old Man Record"   ------------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.

If I compete with you, I'm a loser. It means I'm not helping anyone in a new way. Ryan said, "Competition is for losers." He was quoting Peter Thiel. Instead, you have to invent your own category... here's how Show Notes: "Trust Me I'm Lying" by Ryan Holiday "The Obstacle is The Way" by Ryan Holiday "Ego is The Enemy" by Ryan Holiday "The Perennial Seller" by Ryan Holiday "The Daily Stoic" by Ryan Holiday "The Daily Stoic Journal" by Ryan Holiday A famous writing technique created and taught by Julia Cameron called "morning pages." You can read about it in her book "The Artist's Way" "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius A phrase from Ryan's mentor, Robert Greene and author of "The 48 Laws of Power" (Ryan mentions "tactical hell" when everyone's just reacting all the time) A quote from Peter Thiel, founder of PayPal and bestselling author of "Zero to One" (Ryan quotes him saying, "competition is for losers") Ryan's article "Uncommon Advice To Any Young Man Wanting To Become Insanely Successful (Or Get Something From Someone Who Is Successful)" "If You Have to Cry, Go Outside" by Kelly Cutrone   Subscribe, Rate, and Review: Apple Podcast Stitcher iHeart Radio Spotify Follow me on Social Media: Twitter Facebook Linkedin Instagram ------------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.

"If you were on the outside looking in you'd probably think, 'This guy's got a really good life.' And on paper I did, but on the inside I felt like I was dying. I was depressed. I was unenthusiastic about my life because I knew I was in a career that was ill suited to me. But I just couldn't see my way out of it," Rich Roll said. He told be about the time he felt a tightness in his chest. He couldn't walk up the stairs. He had to take a break halfway up the flight. Rich was 39 and dying. Rich and I talked about his story before... how he transformed himself from a depressed and overweight alcoholic to a plant based, vegan eating, mega athlete / bestselling author / podcaster / writer and total peak performer. But THIS time we dove even deeper. "I was trying to force this round peg into a square hole for most of my life," he said. I wanted to understand the switch that led him to himself... He told me his secret. And I believe him. "Surrender." He went to rehab. And got help for a problem he couldn't handle on his own. That's Rich's meaning of "surrender." Getting help when you need. But it's hard to know when it's the right time to get help. I probably need help right now. It's the first time I've felt physically sick in five years. My body is tired. And I'm trying to rest. But sometimes, I can't pull myself away from what I love. So I talked to Rich and then my friend Ryan Holiday. And then prepped for two more interviews. I like this interview with Rich for a lot of reasons. I'll tell you one though... It's because when he says something, it feels just confessing. He's sharing what's true for him. And helping you heal in the process. (You'll know what I mean if you start 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.

We all have vulnerabilities. And I exposed mine to Linda because it's a free therapy session. She's a well-known psychologist and bestselling author born in Canada, living in the UK. I had to ask her about all her theories. And all her books. But mostly these 2: 1. "What Men Say, What Women Hear" 2. "Unfollow: Living Life on Your Own Terms" Because I am still outsourcing my self-worth to new measures. First, it was money. So I gave up Wall Street (for many reasons). And then it became book sales and now podcast downloads or laughs when I'm on stage doing stand up. And so I asked Linda "why?" Why am I sacrificing my art for identity? "We create because it's in," she said. "We're social beings and our identity is bound up in what we create. That identity needs to be confirmed by others, right? It's an interesting thing: identity. It's simultaneously what makes us different but it's also what binds us with a group" Then she told me about the evolution of acceptance. "Years ago you'd have a much smaller group validating that. Now, you have people out there, James, that don't have a vested interest in you feeling good about yourself. Actually, there are people out there that would find it interesting if you didn't. And you've got to ask yourself, 'Is the source not important?'" "What do you mean?" "It's like a big bathroom door," she said. All the comments on message boards or Facebook or Twitter... Think about this. You go to a public bathroom. And the door is covered in ink. Is any of it positive? Or even worth reading? That's social media. (According to Linda.) She said, "Look at who's giving you that validation and explore if it's quality or quantity. And, maybe that's that's what we've sold our souls for... quantity." Then she gave me tips. Really useful tips that I started practicing as soon as the podcast ended (like taking note of when I'm on social media, and how my mood is, and how much power someone else has). And then I asked her about women. She broke down all the reasons people get divorced. And the most common misunderstandings. And how to get rid of them for good. Because fighting hurts. It comes back to what Linda said about vulnerabilities. We all have them. And they're impossible to forget. It's like they put a mark on you. And follow you from place to place. Never letting you forget... (Linda gave me advice for that too.) "The vulnerabilities are there," she said, "but the assets are the people that tell you it's okay to have them..." ------------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.

"This guy tried to kill me. He had a gun to my head," Jon said.  "We were leaving the country.  We got intercepted." Wait. What? I was interviewing Jon Alpert.  He was trying to smuggle controversial footage out of Iraq. "I was basically a complete failure up until the moment that I started making films," Jon said. He was constantly trying to make his community a better place, but his attempts were always unsuccessful. "I want to make this country better. And I'm not a good soldier. And I'm not a politician. So I can't go represent in Congress, but I can be a good reporter," he said. He took two passions (camera and country) and combined the two to become creative in the intersection. His documentaries show aspects of social change that I've never seen anywhere else. There's this undercurrent of a larger problem... an issue or a cause that people are fighting for. I feel like, in talking to Jon, that I want to be fighting for something too. Jon had a core. A direction. And a destination. All in one. "The camera is a license for me to go up to you and to invade every single part of your life," he said. "The camera is a license to invade people's personal space." "And I'm doing it because I love my country and that's how I believe I can be the best patriot." He told me about his newest documentary, "Cuba and the Cameraman." 45 years! It took him 45 years to make this. It's his life work. He went through a thousand hours of footage. Editing took a year. And what resulted (what we finally get to see) is one of the greatest films about the Cuban Revolution. Ever. And this podcast is the story behind those stories. We hear about the leaders. The criminals. And what was inside their refrigerator. These are the war stories you don't hear. This is the filmmaker's journey. ------------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.

I started to get really itchy. Inside my head. I didn't know how to scratch it. So I avoided it. Until I broke out into hives and finally forced myself on stage. I think it started when I interviewed Gary Gulman, one of the greatest comedians ever. It was over two years ago. And even though he was deeply depressed, I was jealous. Because he was living my dreams. He was scratching my itch. So I started to interview more comedians. And writers of comedy. I had so many questions. I interviewed Jim Norton, Nancy Cartwright (the voice of Bart Simpson!) Fred Stoller, Chris Smith (who worked with Jon Stewart), Paul Shaffer (the famous band leader on Jay Leno), Bonnie McFarlane. The list keeps growing. And there are so many branches of comedy: Stand up, voice overs, writers, monologue performers, sidekicks. And each branch has its own microskills. That's true for every skill. They all require you to learn hundreds of micro-skills. So getting started can be scary. Very scary. Some people die with itches unscratched. When I want to get better at something, I go underneath the skill. I imagine a small version of myself looking up at my dreams. If I can see how far away I am from greatness, I feel the desire to get there. That's what this podcast is about. Picking apart greatness. Jackie Martling came to the studio. He was the lead writer at "The Howard Stern Show" for 18 years and now he's the author of "The Joke Man Bow to Stern." I don't know anyone who's looked at their crappy job and said "I'm going to do this for 18 years." So I wanted to hear him talk about what it's like to love what you're doing with your life. To feel good and dedicated. That's where I hope to find us help. (I say "us" because I'm still itchy). I still want to be a standup comedian. Not just "do" standup. Doing and loving leads to being. I'm still at "doing." Because love comes from having a deep relationship with the skill. Jackie loves what he does. So I'll keep scratching. ------------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.

I like the idea of experimenting for two reasons. A) widen comfort zone B) become a better person. I'll tell you about A first then B. But first, let me reintroduce my good friend AJ. If you listen to this podcast then you already know who AJ is. But just in case, AJ Jacob's is a professional at experimenting. All his books are experiments. Four are bestsellers. He told me about one he did with the comedian Jim Gaffigan. They looked up the oldest jokes in the world. From hundreds of years ago. And told them to live audiences today. Sometimes Jim bombed, some jokes he skipped (because a lot of jokes were about lettuce... lettuce used to be thought as an aphrodisiac), but others worked. And he didn't know what to expect.   That's A) widening your comfort zone. So for this podcast, AJ and I came up with ideas to experiment with. And we want you to join us. You'll hear what we're testing right now. And what's next.  I found that if I do a new experiment a day or week, it becomes a micro step to creating a healthy life. For example, I told AJ that I try very heard not to say anything bad about anybody. And it's hard because things come up throughout the day. But ultimately it makes me feel happier to not gossip. And I've been doing this now for about seven years. AJ tried it too. "It was fascinating," he said, "because I realized 70% of my speech was trash talking and it made such a difference in my life when I cut that out because it made me more positive and happier." And it's true. Because we all know that eating trash makes you feel like trash. And it's true for your brain too.  These are the nuances hidden in experimenting. You have a secret with yourself. A promise to uphold. And you live up to some unknown potential sometimes. That's B. ------------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.

Got to interview one of my favorite comedians for the podcast, Tiffany Haddish, star of "Girls Trip," her recent comedy special. "She Ready", and 20 years a stand up. I asked her what was the biggest change in her first few years of doing standup. (She's been doing it over 20 years). She said, "I learned to change the fear into fun". I think all of the above is great advice to achieve success in everything worth doing. I had a gift for Tiffany. It was a suitcase. I gave her a suitcase for the kids. Let me explain. Because a suitcase is an odd kind of gift. Tiffany was placed in foster care when she was 12 years old and stayed in the system until she was a legal adult. When she moved from home to home she didn't have a suitcase or any kind of bag to put her clothes. They make the kids put all their belongings in trash bags. And it made her feel like garbage. "You're garbage," she said. "Garbage moved around from house to house." "When I was 13, I said to myself if I ever get any sort of power, any sort of influence at all, I'm gonna figure out a way to make sure no kid feels like a piece of trash." And she's succeeding (and you can help). So she's been collecting suitcases for kids through the Felix Organization. If you're reading this and want to donate a suitcase, look up the Felix Organization. I wanted to know how she rose up from foster kid to superstar comedian. And the first black female to host Saturday Night Live. "I try to manifest what it is I want to be," she said. And she told me her self talk... "You got divine order all over you," she said. "Everything is happening in the order and the way it's supposed to happen.You got this girl. Pull that energy from your uterus. You got it that's where your soul at. Pull it up from your soul. You got this girl." I couldn't stop laughing. She said she tried to find the joy and the fun in everything she's ever gone through. Here's a quote from her new book, "The Last Black Unicorn": "In stand-up, you do need to be having fun up there like Richard Pryor said, but you have to know yourself well, too...You start learning and it's like playing a piano. You know exactly what keys to stroke, 'cause really with comedy, you're like fiddling with people's souls. You resonate on the same frequency as them, trying to greet them to relate..." "To do that, you gotta put yourself out there. And in order to put yourself out there, you've gotta have an idea who you are." Make sure to read the full show notes here: https://jamesaltucher.com/2017/12/tiffany-haddish/ And don't forget to subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" on Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcasts! ------------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.

If you're reading this, you probably don't know the name Stephen Tobolowsky. But I'll give you some hints. Ned Ryerson. (From "Groundhog Day") Jack Barker. (From "Silicon Valley") Sound familiar? Stephen Tobolowsky is one of the main characters and actors in one of my favorite TV Shows, Silicon Valley. He also plays the MOST annoying character in Groundhog Day. He's been in 200 movies and a thousand other things including Seinfeld, Thelma & Louise, Heroes and the list goes on. But he did something weird. He wrote a book. And when I read it I thought, "who the hell is this guy?" There are only two ways someone could write this book..." My Adventures with God". ONE: If they were incredibly broken as a human being somewhere in their lives and then they climbed back out of that hole by thinking all these intense and philosophical thoughts. TWO: They were just born this way... I still haven't figured out which one. I have to admit I didn't understand parts of Stephen's book. And not because it was bad, (I loved it), but because I had to stop and think. His thoughts are so valuable and I really wanted to know what they meant. I was pretty happy he was able to come on my podcast. He taught me that we're all writing and choosing our narratives to some extent... "Well I think on a personal level, we all end up developing narratives," Stephen said, "Either it's instinct or sometimes it's choice. I think we live in the dark so much of the time that we need metaphors to find our way. And I believe having a philosophy is only useful if it helps you see in the dark." So I asked him how do we begin to take control of our own narratives? Because we to some extent, I can't just surrender to the narratives that has  been  given to me. That takes away my freedom and ability to reinvent. Stephen told me this, "We're all living on borrowed time." This podcast shows you a window into a man's desire to connect with the deeper meaning on time and what it means to be alive. Thanks for reading! Make sure to check out the show notes here: https://jamesaltucher.com/2017/12/stephen-tobolowsky/ And don't forget to subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" on Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcasts! ------------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.