Ask Altucher

Do you have a great idea but you're afraid that if you tell someone, they're going to steal it...   Well, as James tells us today there is no real way to protect your idea. But if you're more passionate about your idea than anyone else, then you can succeed.   Spend a few dollars and get your idea out there. Go to or and get some help getting your idea seen. For help with crowdfunding, check out our .   James and Claudia come up with a few ideas of their own.   Click to listen to this money-making episode.  

Have you set your 2015 goals yet?    James doesn't make goals. Instead he tries to improve incrementally 1% better every day... spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically.    Instead of goals, James sets themes.    Before you pull out that pad and pen, listen here.   And a thank you from our listener who asked the question in Episode #168: ?   If you have a question that you would like to ask James, you can either:   Ask a question at .   E-mail it to .     Or, text James at 203-512-2161.

Getting your movie produced through the traditional method is extremely difficult. But so is raising the money to do it yourself.   So James suggests you try both routes.   The cost of producing your own movie has gone way, way down.   Claudia suggests creating a short trailer and James chimes in with a few social media ideas to get producers to see it.   Try ...     And don't forget to start your next script now.

Do you have a great idea for a product but have no idea how to raise the money to get it launched? Why not try crowdfunding?   Today James calls the expert, and gives you all the tricks.   He says you need to act like the opposite of MacGyver (you'll have to listen to understand).   Build a landing page and pre-sell your idea weeks and even months before you launch your campaign. Build the excitement...   48 hours to launch...   24 hours to launch...   Don't miss out. The best deals are going fast!   Clay doesn't hold back, he tells James and Claudia all the best practices.     If you've ever thought about doing a crowdfunding campaign, then you have to listen to this episode of Ask Altucher

Today we start off with a cooking class, not really.   Claudia asks James, how did you start your day today?    James says, "The key to success in life is what you do in the morning." Turn off your phone, laptop, and TV and go to bed early. Getting a good night sleep is critical to having a productive day.   Stress is so damaging to both your physical and mental body so take a moment in the morning to remember what you're grateful for. Just take a few minutes to reflect. It relaxes the anxiety we all feel daily.     Your morning ritual can decide your whole life.

Getting that last 1% of your project finished is a problem so many of us experience.   James says it's a problem he has always had to deal with and can totally relate to. So here are a few tricks he uses to get that last 1% done.   Try these...   •Clean up the whole area around you. Clean up the table, clean up the entire room. This will give you the feeling of a fresh start.   •Next, list for yourself, even just in your head, why finishing this project will be good for other people. Remembering why you started this project will help you finish it.   •Lastly, picture in your mind what it will feel like when it's finally finished.   Go ahead, give these tricks a try, and let us know if they help.   Claudia then asks James what he's currently reading...  

When is the right time and what message does that send?    That depends...    Do you want to have a relationship or are you just looking for a sexual partner? After you have sex, your relationship changes.    Do you have any rules in place -13 dates, 90 days? Do you hold to them?   Claudia and James are in rare form today.    Sit back and enjoy this episode.   If you have a question that you would like to ask James, you can either:   Ask a question at .   E-mail it to .     Or, text James at 203-512-2161.

Do you believe in intuition or is it something else?   Intuition, that feeling that you know something even though you have no evidence to back that up, is how most people would define it...    Not James...    He believes intuition is really your super-computer, your brain subconsciously going through every variation possible and giving you a scientific answer.      It may feel spiritual but it's really just science. 

Podcasting can be extremely rewarding. And if you're willing to work hard, you can make a lot of money.   Today, James calls John Lee Dumas, the host of Entrepreneur on Fire, to ask him if he can help answer a question from one of James' Facebook followers. John's an expert at monetizing his podcast. Last month he grossed $307,504.50 and publishes his numbers here .   The question is "How do I approach or attract advertisers in order to monetize my niche podcast?"   You'll hear John and James share numerous ideas right off the top of their heads. Niches are great, you can focus with laser accuracy.   Your first step should be to contact podcast advertisers and prove to them that you can make them money. John tells you how to do this.   The most important thing is to get started... 

James recommends exercising your idea muscle daily. Pull out a piece of paper and write down 10 ideas every day.   Today one of our listeners asks – "Should I theme my ideas?"   James says yes, but that doesn't mean every day's list will be similar. He always comes up with a theme, like 10 book ideas or 10 business ideas. Sometimes the ideas are to just help him become a better person.   What themes are important to you? Give yourself permission to come up with bad ideas.     The most important thing is to just show up every day... 

Claudia talks with James about three major causes of back pain.   1.Back pain associated with genetics or an accident.   2.Sitting. We sit all day and it's not natural position for our spine. We slouch, our head goes forward, backwards or to the side and so we add neck pain to our back pain.   3.Psychological back pain caused by money problems.   Stand up, walk around, stretch back, breathe, and choose yourself.

This show is really boring...    I'm just kidding, of course. Our question today was asked via a text message on James' phone.   How do I add value when my industry is insanely boring... like law?     James has a bunch of boring ideas to share with you... 

How do I get started with my new Internet business?    Today, James calls someone who has been influential in him building his own business, Buck Flogging.   Buck says, "Find a way to tap into the hard work that others have done in building their audiences and then find a way to get those people over to your site. They've done a lot of the hard work, so build good, strong, healthy relationships with them; you can get there a lot faster."   For too many people, the usual formula has been...    You keep writing and writing... praying someone will subscribe.   Instead, spend the bulk of your time off your website, not on your website. Drive these readers back to your website via a good landing page and create your most important tool using this shortcut.   Your e-mail list...   

Make an outline, it will help. An outline will allow you to jump around and work on those areas that interest you at that moment.   If you go off on a tangent, well... tangents aren't really tangents. Allow your writing to go where it may. You'll fit it in later...   Or you won't.   Let it go, don't outline in a very strict way. Let your thoughts wander and fit them back into the book later.   It doesn't matter whether you want to write an e-book, paperback, or an audio book; James recommends you do all three. You'll look much more professional.

Anxiety about dealing with future problems has two problems. It doesn't solve tomorrow's problems and it does drain your energy of right now.   Thinking about the future is important, but you can choose whether to worry about your problems or solve them now.   That decision is up to you. Worry and anxiety will not solve your problems.     Do the best things you can right now.

James and Claudia talk about a real-life fight that they've recently had and walk you through how they dealt with it.   Being aware that you're angry is extremely important.      Emotions go in cycles. You can discuss the disagreement at the "peak" of it or you can wait for this anger cycle to wane. You still may be just as mad, but you'll be more rational

James turns the tables today and surprises Claudia by asking her a question.   Claudia, an expert in Ashtanga Yoga, has traveled the world studying the minimal essentials needed to practice yoga.   So today you're going to get an expert's explanation of the essentials to the correct practice of yoga.   Posture, stretching, and breathing are critical. She walks James through five easy posses. You can follow along.     I promise you, your body will say thank you.

Many of you know that James believes in giving your best ideas away. If these are really great ideas, ones you've worked really hard on, this often helps both you and who you give the idea to.   But how do you present these?...    You have to catch them in the first few sentences and offer up the value right away.   James tells the story of how this has worked for him.      Sure, a few may get stolen, but ideas are currency. You give them out and often many more come back in return.

Bad habits, we all have them and we all want to break them.   But how far are you willing to go...   James and Claudia's special Ask Altucher guest, Maneesh Sethi, CEO of and Editor in Chief of , took it to the extreme. He hired an assistant to slap him every time he got off task.   If there wasone thingyou could do, every day for a year, who would you become?   Change is hard.   We're held back by distractions, other people, and often ourselves.   But change isn't impossible. Choose your daily action, and PAVLOK will hold you accountable, ensuring lasting success.   Self-induced changes seem to work much better than those forced upon you by others.   James immediately comes up with two ways he's going to use PAVLOK to help him break his bad habits.   What started out as just a joke has quickly turned into a potentially huge business.

Trends, they’re not that hard predict.   People are living longer so our and as such our population is aging. That’s a trend to keep your eyes on. Wal-Mart, CVS and Walgreens are putting clinics in their stores, No longer do you need to make an appointment to see your family doctor if you have a cold, sore throat Education and chemistry are two more. Take out your waiters pad and write down what you see happening around you.  These will probably be the new trends for The 21st Century