Earlier this month, Glenn penned a blog post in response to an article he came across on LinkedIn entitled “10 Reasons You Have To Quit Your Job In 2014” by author and entrepreneur James Altucher. At the time, Glenn referred to the piece as "one of the best, most honest articles" he had read in a very long time. In the article, James boldly declares:
Now the course of history has finally written its next chapter… I’m going to tell you why you have to quit your job. Why you need to get the ideas moving. Why you need to build a foundation for your life or soon you will have no roof.
Glenn complimented James for being "brave" and willing to speak the truth regardless of how popular or unpopular the idea might be. On Monday's Glenn Beck Program, James joined Glenn to discuss the theory behind his book Choose Yourself!: Be Happy, Make Millions, Live the Dream and elaborate on the idea that history has evolved to the point where what was considered 'right' half a century ago (i.e. owning a home, going to college, investing in a 401K) is no longer a viable way to provide for yourself.
To begin, James explained that he has been a multi-millionaire twice, and he has lost it all twice. Like Glenn, he once found himself on the floor ready to end his life. But when he hit that rock bottom, he began to take inventory of his life and was forever changed. In that moment, James decided he needed to get physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually healthy. This commitment to what he refers to as "the daily practice" led to him being able to "get off the floor." But he soon lost it all again.
"Have you been kicked in the head enough," Glenn asked.
"I hope so," James responded. But he added that he has reoriented his focus to take life one day at a time. By regularly pausing to ask himself if his physical, metal, emotional, and spiritual needs are being met, he is able to take a constant inventory of what is going on and if/how it satisfies him.
As James explained, he is not encouraging anyone to run out and quit their job tomorrow. Instead, he asked the audience to realize times have changed, the economy has changed, and corporate culture has changed to the point where you must find a way to reposition yourself for success. "Corporatism is over" James declared because jobs have been outsourced to other countries or eliminated entirely by technological advances.
So what is solution for the millions of Americans who have bills to pay, children to care for, and mouths to feed?
One of the ways James picked himself back up from the throngs of failure was by finding the intersection of business and love.
"Money is a side effect of providing for others," James said. And once he stopped judging "self worth by net worth" he was able to find a new way to value success. He made a habit of carrying around a pad on which he wrote upwards of 20 ideas per day. These ideas weren't necessarily for his own business ventures but for others. James explained that he would send his ideas - some good, some bad - to the businesses/people they could potentially benefit. While only 1 in 100 people responded, it changed his entire way of thinking.
"Crazy ideas lead to good ideas," James said, and he encouraged people to start "conserving" their energy in the corporate sense and start "coming up with ways to help people."
While James does not pretend for even a moment that this mindset will work for everyone, it helped him and he hopes it will help others. Ultimately, there are no two ways about the fact that we live in an economy where incomes are down, inflation is up, and underemployment is rampant. If you are willing to change the way you approach your life and your career and you are willing to learn how to "fail quickly" and take the time to "find the things that will be successful," you will succeed - maybe not in the traditional sense but in a way that offers satisfaction and security.
