How to Get What You Want In One Week. An example. (Another compelling story from James Altucher)

Monday, May 6, 2013

How to Get What You Want In One Week. An example. (Another compelling story from James Altucher)

How to Get What You Want In One Week.
An example.

Someone asked me the other day, "who the hell are you to be giving out advice?" My answer: I'm nobody. And I don't give advice.

I only say what's worked for me. I don't care if anyone else tries it or not. I've made millions of dollars, lost it, made it again, lost it, made it again, lost it, made it again and again. I'm not whining about it. It is what it is.

I've been in bad relationships then good ones. I've been suicidal, then not suicidal. I've been on the ground. Then flying high. Then right in the middle, where I like to be.

I've had five or six different careers. or more. I forget. Sometimes they were at the same time. And I write about what happened to me and how I survived and then flourished. And also how I made mistakes. And also about some of the things I wish I had done differently.

(tattoo: "Be Happy")

Take it or leave it. Try it for yourself. Or do something totally different. It doesn't matter. No matter what you do, we'll all be dead in 100 years.

But I've been writing this stuff for a few years. And I get a lot of feedback from people who used these ideas. It always surprises me. I know these ideas work for me. They work for me every day. And if I don't follow the advice in my own blog, then I die. Seriously, I will die.

This morning "WR" instant messages me: "Thank you".

I don't know who he is. I IM back, "For what?"

He wrote, "I was fired eight months ago and I couldn't get a job at all. And then I decided, 'screw it. I'm going to follow James's advice. I'm just going to give ideas, ideas, ideas, and give and give and see what happens. And then within one week I got a job!".

I said, "That's great, W!" And I thought that would be the end of it.

I told Claudia.

She said, "Ask him specifics! He sat down at the job and they said, 'W, tell us about yourself?" What did he say next?"

So I asked him.

WR: The guy told me "do you know anything about mobile apps?"

- "no"

"have you done consulting sales?"

- "hmmmm I've helped, but no. Not me,"

"... ok"

And then I said "but I came with 10 different ideas that your company can start selling to the government" (they need a product manager for government services)

and I opened my pc

showed them that I did my homework and presented him the 10 ideas

ME: and then what happened?

WR: and then the guy asked me what would I do in certain scenarios

which I replied honestly (i've sent you the ppt, btw...)

ME: for each item on your list?

WR: no, for 2 of them. He asked me if the client would say that he's not interested, what would I do

and I went through a process

Listening to the client to see what he wants, identify the key decision makers, etc..

A week later the guy sent me an email saying that he wanted to meet with me again.

meanwhile I was sending ideas to all the companies I've wanted to work with

I went to meet him and his boss, and they told me that they didn't really care about the ideas per se, but the fact that I was there giving ideas and listening and being prepared was what made the difference with the rest of the candidates. He knew from the moment I started giving him ideas and being super honest that he wanted to hired me

Me: that is excellent, Walter, Congrats!

I told Claudia. She said, "ask him where he's from?"

I asked him. He said, "Chile".

Claudia: "So in frickin' South America, where nobody can get a job to save their lives, he managed to get a job. This goes to show that all the BS websites that tells you to dress right, videotape practice interviews, polish your resume, prepare for difficult questions, and so on, is all bullshit. Crap!"

I went back to WR. "Can I write about this?" He said, "OF COURSE!" I said, "what four posts of mine would you say you enjoyed the most and that you made use of."

He had them bookmarked on his ipad and said them right away.

"Ten Things To Do If You Were Fired Yesterday"

"How to be the Luckiest Man Alive"

"I Want to be Like Google When I Grow Up"

"How to be An Idea Machine"

I'm happy. I am coming out with a book soon, "Choose Yourself!" The story of that book, itself, is an adventure which I will write about. But WR is definitely an example of someone who has chosen himself. If you want to write me other examples, please feel free. I am happy when people use these ideas like I have used them. And thanks WR for letting me write your story.