A&B #6

Hey friends,

I'm writing to all 2,346 of you from New York City this week. I'm thrilled that the A&B community is growing and more people are becoming readers every week. Thank you for your support everyone.And apologies for the delay with this email. It came out a bit longer than usual, but I can promise it's worth the read. Alright, let's dive in!

Podcast Update:This week I got to interview one of my heroes, James Altucher. James is the author of several books including the WSJ bestseller Choose Yourself! He's also an entrepreneur, angel investor, chess master, comedian, podcaster, and prolific writer. The core message of his book is to stop waiting for the approval of gatekeepers, choose yourself, and pursue your passion.

• Want to be an author? Self-publish a book.

• Want to be a filmmaker? Share videos online.

• Want to be a podcaster? Buy a mic and hit record.

And that's exactly what I did. I reached out to multiple podcasters (including James) and asked if I could work for them for free to learn the craft, but all said no. So, I decided to take James's advice and choose myself. Jumping into the podcasting space was scary, but it was the best decision I ever made. So if there's something you want to do in life, just go for it. And no, you don't have to quit your day job to pursue a passion (that's one of the points James shares in our podcast).James also talks about:

• How to find your passion

• Lessons he's learned from interviewing billionaires

• How to he started from zero after losing millions of dollars (multiple times)

And much more. As always, I've included timestamps so if you're short on time, you can skip to the parts you want. Listen to the podcast here!

Lessons From Reading:

Here are three key lessons from Choose Yourself!:1) Become An Idea Machine James has become well-known for his 10 ideas a day practice. He carries a waiter's pad with him everywhere he goes and tries to come up with 10 ideas for a different topic each day. Why? Just like how you want to work out your muscle to stay in shape, you want to work out brain or "creativity muscles" each day to keep them strong. Don't worry about coming up with the next genius idea, James says that out of every 10 ideas, probably only one will be good. It's a simple and easy practice that anyone can do.2) We Live In A Choose Yourself EraIt's never been easier to choose yourself and make a living off of your passion. Twenty years ago if you wanted to be an author, you had to write a manuscript, get an agent, and hope a publishing company chose you. Today, you can self-publish your own book, put it on Amazon, and if people love it, it will become a bestseller. As James writes in his book, "The tools are out there. Now you just need to use the tools."3) Don't Expect A Failure Free PathJust because you failed at something, it doesn't mean the world is over. Out of James's first 20 companies, 18 of them failed. And the two companies that did work, James sold them for $15 million and $10 million. But within a few years of each sale, he went broke. But, James didn't quit. He started new companies and ventured into new areas of business and today he's worth millions of dollars. Sometimes, the only way you can truly fail is by giving up. Actionable Advice:

• Work out your creativity muscles and come up with 10 ideas a day:

  • 10 article ideas for your blog

  • 10 new products for your business

  • 10 people you should call and reconnect with

• Use your free time or the weekends to start choosing yourself and pursuing your passion.

  • Want to be a chef? Share cooking videos on YouTube.

  • Want to be a writer? Start a blog and write one article every Sunday.

• Respect yourself for trying even if you failed:

  • Perhaps you did fail at something, but hey, most people don't even try. Respect yourself for going into the arena and going after what you wanted. Now dust yourself off, rethink a strategy, and give it another go.

Reading Tip:Last week I shared my note-taking strategy.This week, I shared my post-it strategy to help you become a better reader.

Weekly Quote:"Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world."–Jordan B. Peterson

Photo of the Week:

You've heard of the Bill of Rights, but did you know there's also a Reader's Bill of Rights?

Look I'm no lawyer, but it's important that as a reader, you're aware of your rights.

• Is a chapter getting boring? You have the right to skip pages.

• Not enjoying a book? You have the right to not finish.

• In love with a book that others hate? You have a right to not defend your taste.

Remember these rights

on your reader's journey.

Thank you for your support everyone, I'll see you next week!Read on,Alex W.