! Choose!Yourself!! Be#Happy,#Make#Millions,#Live#the#Dream# # DEDICATION# ! I!Choose!Myself!! ! Table!of!Contents!! ! I!Chose!Myself:!An!Introduction!! The!Economic!History!of!the!Choose!Yourself!Era! Permanently!Temporary! And!Then!They!All!Laughed! Does!One!Person!Have!Control!Over!Your!Life?! How!to!Choose!Yourself! The!Simple!Daily!Practice!(or!Why!So!Many!People!Want!to!Die)! What!if!I’m!in!a!Crisis!?! Choose!Yourself!to!Live! Finding!Your!Purpose!in!Life! How!to!Disappear!Completely!and!Never!Be!Found! Just!Do!It! Let’s!Get!Specific:!What!Should!I!Do?! It!Doesn’t!Cost!a!Lot!to!Make!$1!Billion!! Becoming!a!Master!Salesman! How!to!Become!an!Idea!Machine! Ten!Ideas!to!Start!You!Off! Don’t!Have!Opinions! How!to!Release!the!God!Hormone! The!Seven!Habits!of!Highly!Effective!Mediocre!People! How!to!Be!Less!Stupid! Honesty!Makes!You!More!Money! You’re!Never!Too!Young!to!Choose!Yourself:!Nine!Lessons!from!Alex!Day! The!Curious!Case!of!the!Sexy!Image! What!I!Learned!from!Superman! Gandhi!Chose!Himself!to!Free!an!Entire!Country! Nine!Things!I!Learned!from!Woody!Allen! Competence!and!the!Beatles’!Last!Concert! What!to!Do!When!You!Are!Rejected! Surviving!Failure! Take!Over!the!World! Testimonials! ! ! ! FOREWORD! I!started!out!as!a!computer!science!major.!I!then!got!excited!about!improvisational!comedy.!I! then!somehow!ended!up!as!CEO!of!Twitter.!We!live!in!a!world!where!the!yellow!brick!road!has! many!forks!and!can!take!us!on!many!incredible!journeys.!! It's!increasingly!difficult!to!know!the!final!destination!of!these!journeys.!! ! The!day!and!age!of!the!massive!corporations!that!take!care!of!us!from!beginning!to!end!are! over.!But!that!is!exciting!news.!It!means!we!can!choose!the!life!we!want!for!ourselves.!You! choose!that!life!by!doing!the!best!you!can!right!in!this!moment.!Right!now.!By!being!bold!in!this! moment.!Right!now.!There!is!no!other!moment!to!wait!for.!Twitter!is!about!the!entire!world! conversation!right!in!this!moment.!It's!the!improvisation!right!now!of!the!planet.!And!yes,!it's! often!comedy.!And!it's!often!about!people!reinventing!themselves!and!starting!new! conversations!for!their!lives.!! ! What!I!like!about!James!and!his!book!is!you!can!tell!he!came!from!a!similar!roller!coaster.!He! chose!his!own!path!to!success!without!knowing!the!outcome.!And!what!happens!to!him!laterYY well,!hopefully!he!won't!end!up!in!a!gutter.!Who!knows?! ! The!key!is!to!be!bold!right!in!this!moment.!As!James!says!in!the!title!of!this!book,!"Choose! Yourself,"!and!he!explains!how.!Choose!yourself!right!now.!! ! If!you!do!this,!not!only!can!you!not!plan!the!impact!you're!going!to!have,!you!often!won't! recognize!it!while!you're!having!it.!But!one!thing!is!for!sure:!if!you!don't!make!courageous! choices!for!yourself,!nobody!else!will.! ! There's!no!one!path.!There's!every!path.!Every!path!starts!with!this!one!moment.!Did!you! choose!yourself!for!this!moment?!Can!you!be!bold?!Then!all!paths!will!lead!to!the!same!place.! Right!now.!! ! !#chooseyourself!! !!! !!Y!Dick!Costolo,!CEO!of!Twitter! ! ! I!CHOSE!MYSELF:!AN!INTRODUCTION! I!was!going!to!die.!The!market!had!crashed.!The!Internet!had!crashed.!Nobody!would!return!my! calls.!I!had!no!friends.!Either!I!would!have!a!heart!attack!or!I!would!simply!kill!myself.!I!had!a!$4! million!life!insurance!policy.!I!wanted!my!kids!to!have!a!good!life.!I!figured!the!only!way!that! could!happen!was!if!I!killed!myself.!My!expenses!were!out!of!control.!I’d!made!some!money! and!amped!up!my!lifestyle!to!drunkenYrockYstar!status.!Then!I!promptly!lost!it,!my!bank!account! bumping!along!zero!during!the!worst!economy!in!maybe!twenty!years.!I’m!talking!about!2002,! but!I!could!also!have!been!talking!about!2008:!the!year!I!lost!my!home,!my!family,!my!friends,! money,!jobs.! The!excruciating!downward!spiral!began!in!1998!when!I!sold!a!company!right!as!the!dotYcom! bubble!was!really!starting!to!swell.!I!was!one!of!the!smart!ones,!I!thought.!I!was!cashing!out.! Then!I!did!everything!wrong.!I!bought!a!house!I!couldn’t!afford.!I!had!expensive!habits!I!couldn’t! maintain.!I!gambled,!and!squandered,!and!gave,!and!lent!to!everyone!I!knew.!Hundreds!of! thousands!of!dollars.!Then!millions!of!dollars.!! I!started!another!company.!I!put!millions!into!that.!I!felt!like!I!needed!to!buy!love.!And!if!I!didn’t! have!an!enormous!amount!of!money!to!buy!it,!nobody!would!love!me.!That!failed.! I!lost!my!house.!I!lost!all!my!money.!I!lost!any!selfYesteem!I!had.!I!lost!my!friends.!I!had!no!idea! what!I!was!going!to!do.!I!failed!at!every!attempt!to!right!the!ship,!to!succeed.! I!would!look!at!my!daughters!and!cry!because!I!felt!like!I!had!ruined!their!lives.!I!wasn’t!just!a! personal!failure,!or!a!failure!in!business,!I!was!a!failure!as!a!father,!as!well.!I!didn’t!even!have! enough!money!every!month!to!pay!the!mortgage!that!kept!the!roof!over!their!heads.! I!was!officially!lost.!I!had!nothing!left.!Zero.!Less!than!zero,!actually,!because!I!had!debts.! Millions!in!debts.! By!2002!there!was!nothing!left!in!the!ATM!machine.!I!thought!running!out!of!money!would!be! my!worst!moment.!Worse!than!death.!I!was!wrong.!! At!the!end!of!2002!I!had!a!conversation!with!my!parents.!I!was!angry!and!depressed.!We!got! into!an!argument.!Over!what!–!it!doesn’t!matter!anymore.!! I!hung!up!the!phone!and!cut!them!off.!! Over!the!next!several!months!my!father!tried!to!reach!out!to!me.!I!was!starting!to!come!back.!I! was!writing.!I!was!appearing!on!TV.!He!congratulated!me.!His!final!congratulations!were!about! six!months!after!I!last!spoke!to!him.!! I!didn’t!respond.!! A!week!later!he!had!a!stroke.!He!never!spoke!again.!He!died!without!me!ever!speaking!to!him! again.!! And!I!was!still!broke,!hungry,!despairing,!and!depressed.!I!was!in!a!constant!state!of!panic.! Nobody!was!helping!me.!Nobody!was!giving!me!any!chances.!Nobody!was!giving!me!an!outlet! to!prove!how!talented!I!was.!I!knew!I!had!to!hustle!to!make!it,!but!the!world!was!upside!down! and!I!didn’t!know!how!to!straighten!things!out.!To!make!things!right.!! For!all!intents!and!purposes,!2008!was!a!carbon!copy!of!2002.!I!managed!to!get!myself!back!on! my!feet.!I!built!and!sold!another!company.!I!made!a!lot!of!money!and!then,!through!mindless! squandering,!I!pissed!it!all!away.!Again.!Except!this!time!I!was!getting!a!divorce,!losing!even! more!friends,!failing!at!two!other!companies!at!the!same!time,!and!I!had!no!clue!what!I!was! going!to!do!to!climb!out!of!the!hole!I’d!dug!for!myself.!! This!kind!of!thing!hasn’t!just!happened!to!me!once.!Or!twice.!But!many!times.!In!the!past! twenty!years!I’ve!failed!at!about!eighteen!of!the!twenty!businesses!I’ve!started.!I’ve!probably! switched!careers!five!or!six!times!in!various!sectors!ranging!from!software!to!finance!to!media.! I’ve!written!ten!books.!I’ve!lost!multiple!jobs.!I’ve!been!crushed,!on!the!floor,!suicidal,! desperate,!anxious,!depressed.!And!each!time,!I’ve!had!to!reinvent!myself,!reinvent!my!goals! and!my!career.!On!most!occasions,!I!didn’t!realize!what!steps!I!was!repeating!over!and!over,! both!positive!and!negative.!Once!I!achieved!success!I!would!inevitably!return!to!my!negative! habits!and!start!squandering!my!good!fortune.!! Something!about!this!last!time!in!2008!was!different,!though.!The!world!was!changing.!Money! was!leaving!the!system.!Everyone!was!getting!fired.!It!felt!like!the!opportunities!were! disappearing!as!fast!as!the!money.!Now!it!wasn’t!just!me!who!was!failing,!it!was!the!entire! world,!and!there!was!no!way!out.!! My!stomach!hurt!all!day!thinking!about!it.!There#is#no#way#out.#There#is#no#way#out.#I!kept! repeating!it!in!my!head.!I!felt!like!I!could!will!myself!to!death!with!those!words.!But!I!couldn’t.!I! had!kids.!I!had!to!get!better.!I#had#to.#I!had!to!take!care!of!myself.!To!take!care!of!my!children.!I! had!to!figure!out,!once!and!for!all,!how!to!get!out!of!the!hole,!how!to!get!off!the!floor,!and!stay! there.!I!had!to!figure!out,!from!the!inside!out,!what!was!going!to!transform!me!into!someone! who!would!not!just!succeed,!but!thrive.!! That’s!when!it!clicked.!When!everything!changed.!When!I!realized!that!nobody!else!was!going! to!do!it!for!me.!If!I!was!going!to!thrive,!to!survive,!I!had!to!choose!myself.!In!every!way.!The! stakes!have!risen!too!high!not!to.! We!can!no!longer!afford!to!rely!on!others!and!repeat!the!same!mistakes!from!our!pasts.!The! tide!has!come!in!and!with!it!has!come!dramatic!change!to!the!landscape!of!our!lives.!As!we!will! see!in!the!next!few!chapters,!the!middle!class!has!caved!in,!jobs!are!disappearing!and!every! industry!is!in!the!process!of!transformation.!In!order!to!keep!up,!individuals!have!to!transform! also.!! That!means!every!second,!you!have!to!choose!yourself!to!succeed.!For!me,!I!had!to!look!back!at! my!life!and!figure!out!(finally!)!what!I!did!every!time!I!got!off!the!floor,!dusted!myself!off,!went! back!out!there!and!did!it!again.!Because!now!there!is!no!room!to!fall!back!down.!I!used!to!knock! on!wood!every!morning,!literally!and!figuratively,!praying!I!didn’t!fall!back!into!my!addictive! behaviors.!Choosing!myself!has!changed!that!thought!process.! Now,!every!day!when!I!wake!up!I!am!grateful.!I!have!to!be.!And!I!have!to!count!the!things!that! are!abundant!in!my!life.!Literally!count!them.!If!I!don’t!they!will!begin!to!disappear.!I’ve! watched!them!disappear!before.!I!don’t!want!it!to!happen!again.! In!some!cultures,!like!Buddhism,!you!want!things!in!your!life!to!disappear,!to!reduce!your!needs! and!desires.!To!achieve!some!form!of!enlightenment.!I!believe!in!this!brand!of!spirituality!as! well.!I!don’t!think!it!and!abundance!are!mutually!exclusive!at!all.!If!you!lower!your!expectations,! for!instance,!your!expectations!are!easy!to!exceed.! Plus—and!I!hate!to!say!it—first!you!have!to!pay!the!bills.!The!bills!are!expensive.!And!it’s!getting! harder!to!find!the!opportunities!to!pay!those!bills.!It’s!one!thing!to!know!“The!Secret”!or!take! whatever!lifeYaffirming!steps!you’ve!read!about!in!order!to!bring!positivity!into!your!life,!but!it’s! something!else!altogether!to!actually!create!opportunities!for!yourself.!! You’re!definitely!not!going!to!find!them!reading!a!book.!It’s!a!moment!by!moment!effort!in!your! daily!life.!It’s!a!practice!that!interweaves!health!with!the!tools!of!financial!experts!and!a!macroY level!understanding!of!this!economic!shitstorm!we!find!ourselves!in!today.! In!the!past!four!years!I’ve!begun!writing!about!this!practice!and!the!steps!I!took!on!my!journey! back!from!the!grave.!In!the!process,!my!life!has!changed!so!much!for!the!positive!it’s!like!magic.! It’s!beyond!magic,!because!I!never!would!have!dreamed!this!was!possible.!I’ve!made!millions!in! various!businesses!and!investments!(and!not!lost!or!squandered!them),!I’ve!met!and!married! the!love!of!my!life,!I’ve!gotten!in!shape,!and!every!day!I!wake!up!and!do!exactly!what!I!want!to! do.!Not!only!have!I!seen!the!results!for!myself,!I’ve!seen!them!for!countless!of!my!readers!who! successfully!applied!the!same!principles!I!applied!to!my!own!life.!! I!write!about!it!in!this!book.!I!chose!myself.!And!you!will!also.! THE!ECONOMIC!HISTORY!OF!THE!CHOOSE!YOURSELF!ERA! For!the!past!five!thousand!years,!people!have!been!largely!enslaved!by!a!few!select!masters! who!understood!how!violence,!religion,!communication,!debt,!and!class!warfare!all!work! together!to!subjugate!a!large!group!of!people.!! The!Gutenberg!printing!press!was!the!first!crack!in!the!prison.!It!allowed!people!to!start! breaking!out!of!their!solitary!confinement!cells!by!spreading!ideas!across!large!distances,!and! allowing!those!ideas!to!mate!with!one!another.!This!resulted!first!in!the!Renaissance,!then!the! Protestant!revolution,!and!ultimately!enough!discoveries!in!science!to!ignite!the!Industrial! Revolution.!! But!the!Choose!Yourself!era!had!its!direct!roots!in!World!War!II.!And!basically,!women!brought! it!on.!! In!World!War!II,!16!million!American!men!left!the!United!States!in!order!to!kill!people.! Meanwhile,!someone!needed!to!work!the!factories!and!offices!to!keep!the!country!running.! Women!stepped!in!and!filled!the!task.!! When!the!men!came!back,!the!women,!quite!correctly,!realized!that!they!didn’t!want!to!just! stay!at!home!anymore.!They!wanted!to!work!and!contribute!and!make!money.!Making!money! was!fun!and!it!gave!them!independence.!! Suddenly,!we!went!from!having!singleYincome!families!to!twoYincome!families!in!a!booming! postwar!economy.!! For!the!first!time!in!about!thirty!years,!Americans!had!money.!A!lot!of!it.!And!American! industrialization!was!spreading!throughout!the!world.!Before!long!the!US!controlled!the!global! economy.!Global!conglomerates!rose!from!the!ashes!of!nearYbankrupt!companies!that!barely! survived!the!Great!Depression.!! For!the!first!time!in!decades,!Americans!didn’t!have!to!worry!about!losing!their!jobs.!There! were!plenty!of!jobs!and!men!and!women!to!fill!them.!The!rise!of!the!doubleYincome!family! brought!more!money!into!every!house.!! What!did!everyone!do!with!the!money?!They!bought!the!soYcalled!American!Dream.!A!dream! that!was!never!thought!of!by!the!founders!of!the!United!States!but!became!so!ingrained!in!our! culture!starting!in!the!1950s!that!to!dispute!it!would!be!almost!as!antiYAmerican!as!disputing! the!wisdom!of!the!US!Constitution.!! What!was!the!American!Dream?!!