How James Altucher and Jon Morrow Taught Me I Can Be A Dick
Nobody nails life, not even Life Coaches.
I have screwed up a lot in the past and I have no doubt that I will screw up again in the future – just hopefully not as often.
It’s all part of the human condition – we’re all imperfect.
I am incredibly trusting with people I meet either online or in person. It is my default mode and it has led to me being ripped off on several occasions, especially in business.
The flip side is I can lean towards being suspicious of people I don’t know.
It’s not something I’m proud of and it’s something I’m still working on, but I can be impetuous in jumping to conclusions from snippets of information.
I was highly suspicious of Jon Morrow who runs Boost Blog Traffic for a long time.
Why?
Are All Online Marketers Unscrupulous?
Because he was a successful online marketer and I have had a lot of contact with unscrupulous online marketers.
Only in the last 2 or 3 years I have been, if not conned, then definitely taken for a ride on 3 separate occasions to the tune of a couple of grand.
But there was value in each event because now I know a lot more about the topics I hired the people to help me with and it won’t happen again.
In April I went on a blogging course lead by Jon.
A good friend of mine, Tim Gary, who knew him way better than I did assured me he wasn’t the person I suspected he may be.
He was right.
My opinion changed within the first hour of watching him talk.
I found him to be kind, funny, honest, highly intelligent and with an obvious and undeniable burning desire to help people succeed using blogging as a tool.
I felt like the tool.
Time To Make Reparation
So after the course I wrote him a letter to apologize.
I’m sure he had no idea about my erroneous opinions beforehand and probably wouldn’t have cared even if he did.
I could have said nothing, but it seemed like the right thing to do and I felt a lot better.
About 6 months ago I e-mailed James Altucher to see if he would come on the RawVoicesPodcast with myself and co-host and founder, Olivier Larvor.
The e-mail was laced with expletives and I thought it was funny.
I didn’t get a reply, so Olivier stepped in to tidy things up.
He explained I was a dick (in nicer words) and that we were both massive fans of James’s writing and podcasting and would be honored to have him join us.
Nothing.
A few weeks later I tried again, and then again and again.
Olivier tried one more time and then gave up.
So I took to Twitter to ask him a few times and didn’t get a response.
By now I was pissed off.
Who The Hell Does James Altucher Think He Is?
Who the fuck was James Altucher to just ignore us because we only have a small podcast?
How hard is it just to say ‘no’.
After all, the guy wrote a best-selling book called ‘The Power of No”.
I started to wonder if he was a raging hypocrite.
I say ‘no’ to guest posts or joint venture offers just about every single day. It’s part and parcel of blogging in the public domain and it’s not hard, – unless it’s a friend.
Then in one of his many newsletters he mentioned how he almost never gives up when he’s trying to get famous people on his podcast.
A Sign From The Universe
I don’t believe in signs from the Universe, I suspect that the Universe has got bigger fish to fry than pondering how to send out cryptic clues to random people.
However, I decided to ditch all of my critical thinking skills and take this as a kind exception from an all powerful force.
At that point his latest book ‘The Choose Yourself Guide To Wealth’ was being released, so I bought it.
Even though half of me was saying ‘no, do not give the fucker your money when he doesn’t even respond to e-mails’.
The other half was saying, ‘don’t be a jackass and cut your nose off to spite your face. You love his writing and it will add value’.
The book was only available from his site and it was expensive at $49, but involved a load of other stuff so I bought it.
There was then an upsell to become a life time member of his Monthly Report for somewhere around $200 (I forget exactly how much now and I’m too lazy to go and check).
I sat and pondered.
I then pondered some more.
Then I bought the upsell even though part of me was screaming ‘nooooooo!’
When the book arrived I moved it immediately it the top of my reading list and later that day headed for a soak in the bath and a good read.
When I got out I somehow managed to knock the book into the water without even realizing I’d done it.
By the time I’d got dressed and returned it was floating in black inky water all bloated and looking very sorry for itself.
What A Waste of $49
Well that was $49 well spent I thought. I still hadn’t got past the intro.
I took a photo of the book and posted it on Twitter.
With minutes I got a message from James telling me if I DM’ed him my address he’d personally send me a new copy.
Now THAT was the James Altucher I was expecting and what a cool, kind thing to do.
Shortly after I got the welcome letter to the lifetime membership club and I literally stopped half way down and banged my head on my desk.
People frequently say things like that, but I really did.
There was a line that said something like, ‘You guys get to have my real e-mail address and it’s this….’
Fuck me!
I’d been e-mailing an address that wasn’t even being monitored and it had never occurred to either of us that may be the case.
Dumb eh?
I mean the guy has 100,000’s of followers across all mediums, including 100k podcast subscribers. Of course he can’t deal with every e-mail, he’d never have time for anything else.
I struggle with e-mails and I only get between 100 and 200 per day and I probably have 2% of James’s following.
I e-mailed him again to the new address and asked if he’d like to join us.
Within 30 minutes this was the reply I got (and I hope he’ll forgive me for posting it verbatim):
“I’d like to come on Tim. Give me til mid April. Still getting through this launching process but excited to go on other podcasts”
At the point I was incredibly pumped and very glad I hadn’t rashly called him a wanker on Twitter!
An Interview With James Altucher
We finally got to interview James this week and you can listen to the interview here.
We had an absolute blast even if I did ramble on at the beginning and went all fanboyish.
He even gave me an impromptu lesson on blogging from the heart which was incredibly helpful.
I thought I already did that, but on reflection I realized that sometimes I do hold back.
I have never woken up in the street after having taken too much cocaine and acid the night before (you’ll have to listen to the podcast to get what I’m talking about), but I do sometimes shy back on some details.
I’m not holding back on this post.
James Altucher and Jon Morrow taught me a valuable lesson.
Does it mean I’ll never jump to conclusions about people again?
I doubt it, but I think it may at least slow down the process and allow me to take stock and try and put myself in other people’s shoes a bit more often.
So maybe President Obama really is busy and not just ignoring my e-mails to come on our podcast because he hates loud mouth Limeys and Frenchmen with sexy accents?
PS I highly recommend James’s book, it’s worth every penny and will really challenge your thinking. I also suggest that if you like my blog you subscribe to James’s too, because his is better than mine.
As for Jon, well if you blog then subscribing to his is a total no-brainer, do it now.
Thanks for this article. I never thought such post existed clearing the same questions I have with Jon Morrow and James Altucher, thanks to you and Google anyway, this post cleared two doubts that was in my head.
I have been fooled so many times with courses promising immense wealth but at the end all you get are disappointments and some Credit Card debts.
These experiences have taught me never to pay a dime and take a leap of faith once again except if validated by an honest review.
Your story is funny but honest. I know Jon’s course is expensive but if it’s really worth then it why not try it.
And hopefully I’ll be able to connect with Jon and James soon.
Thanks for the advice.
You’re welcome Ruby, glad I could help!
Love the quote and I shall check if the book is on Audible, thanks!
Hi Tim,
WOW, mate – you get to speak to people like James Altucher and Jon Morrow!! For the likes of me they are on a different planet – well, close…they are on a different continent. I like reading people like James and subscribe to Jon Morrow. To Jon I subscribed with some hesitation, also being weary of snake oil salesmen, but his style is very engaging and it would have been nice if I could have attended a seminar of his as well. Yup – sometimes I think I entered into life a little too early…what was it I read, was it yesterday? ” When I was born, I was so surprised I didn’t talk for one and a half years”! I am in a fully blown HR career for 32 years and blogging is only now on the horizon of possibilities…as is Life Coaching, but these are still exciting possibilities.
Funny about your trust issues: I am exactly the same, and I’m also perhaps a little too gullible at times and when my “Inner Me” reminds me that perhaps I’m being too gullible again, I revert to immediate suspicion – never mind those Gurus who say we should maintain our “inner vulnerability” – that “vulnerability” regrettably has cost me and my wife thousands in the past as well.
But I must echo some of the sentiments mentioned in the comments here: Your style is engaging and full of candour – it makes you more real as a person…James at times writes like you. And that’s how we learn: Learn from the mistakes of others, life is too short to make all those mistakes yourself and learn. (Quote by Alfred Sheinwold?) – a little digression…Life is too short to fold fitted sheets! :) (Lisa Quinn)
I’ll have a look at the book from James that you recommend – and I feel much more comfortable about Jon Morrow, following your endorsement.
Speaking about books: You should read “How God Changes Your Brain- Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist”. Don’t be misled by the title – the book reviews the effects of meditation / prayer (religious + non-religious) on the brain and how that influences our mind.
Cheers – was great to read how I can be a dick! ( I hope I won’t be!)
Michael
Great post, Tim!
I’m in that same mentoring group with Jon and didn’t it to the live event – I would have enjoyed meeting you. (So glad he sent the recordings recently).
We have all done this – got ripped off early in our careers and got skeptical and suspicious. I’m glad you are getting over it :)
Thanks for the smiles today while I read this.
Sue
You’re very welcome and thanks a lot for stopping by!
Loved this post Tim. A great lesson in persistence, and not being quick to judge.
You certainly don’t have a monopoly on being a dick – we’ve all been there and will occasionally go there again (no doubt). Love the fanboy reference. What a beautifully “blokey” way of expressing your fandom to both Jon and James. Keep up the good work.
Thanks a lot Helen, much appreciated!
Hey Tim,
Jon mentioned your letter to him a few weeks ago. I got a chuckle out of it, but do understand.
It really is a challenge being a trusting person online. There are so many scammers out there. Having worked with Jon for the past few years, I can tell you that his intent is to help people, even if sometimes the message is pretty forceful. Seems that’s what has the most potential to get through to them.
Coincidentally, I’d only just heard about James Altucher recently, and have been listening to one of his audio books on Audible. The jury is still out for me, but there are certainly some good thoughts and ideas worth learning from him. Not sure if I’ll stay a long term subscriber to his newsletter or not, but probably. Glad you were able to make contact with him, and recover from initial fanboy drool :-)
Of course the whole point of the article is what I should be responding to, and I think there are tons of situations to apply this to. For example that “moran” (sic on purpose) on the other side of the political divide, might have many good qualities beneath the surface. The person who just cut you off on the highway might be rushing to the hospital, etc… Probably not, but maybe they really aren’t so bad, just bad drivers. It’s always fascinating hanging out in a bar and talking with people of all different perspectives. They can often be a lot of fun even if they are jerks in other ways. Depends on the situation–which might be topic for a different post (probably has been here before).
Take it easy my good friend!
-Tim
Tell you what mate, I have struggled with this earlier this week as I watched the far right explode with indignation on Twitter over the Supreme cCourt ruling on same sex marriage.
There were definitely moments when I was struggling to see the good side of people’s personalities!
Aw, now I’m blushing. Thank you for writing such a kind post, Tim.
And thank you for the letter as well. I read it and meant to respond immediately, but I forgot. I suppose I can be a dick too sometimes. :-)
Seriously though, you’re a class act. I enjoyed getting to know you over the few days we spent together, and I look forward to talking with you more in the future. Please let me know if there’s anything I can assist you with.
Thanks Jon and you have done more than enough for me, but thanks anyway!
And one other thing.
I never know whether to thank people who send me notes of thanks. it’s kinda weird!
Tim, glad you went to Jon’s program in April and discovered how wrong you were. (*grin*) There’s no one I trust more than Mr. Morrow to give me the straight goods when it comes to effective blogging (and a lot of other things besides, but you listen to him talk about effective blogging and the rest starts to reveal itself over time).
I haven’t read much of James Altucher’s work–just the occasional post–but now I’m interested to check him out in more detail.
In the meantime, your transparency and honesty are as refreshing as always–thanks for those! And I’ll get on the President and ask him to reply to you–I’m sure you’ll understand that he’s just kind of busy these days. ;-)
Look we’re all busy! Running the largest Super Power isn’t the world isn’t that much different than from looking after 3 dobermans, trust me!