Day 89: Does Persistence Really Pay-Off?
Last Thursday, I went into Manhattan to visit The Points Guy office. En route I was listening to the James Altucher Show GIANT episode #300 on the Metro-North. I had a choice to sit there meditating in silence. It would have been the more comfortable option after a long day. Yet, I wanted to do something extra to express my interest in interviewing James on my podcast. So I did, prior to getting in I direct messaged James Altucher on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and then I emailed and texted him. I also had in my purse two microphones and my laptop. I was ready in case that day I would have gotten to interview him last-minute on An Interview with Melissa Llarena.
I don’t ordinarily aim to invade an influencer’s privacy. As a native New Yorker, I know to give influencers their space yet I picked it up from James himself that persistence pays off. There was no response but that didn’t stop me. Back to persistence.
During the cab ride en route to The Points Guy office I called four comedy clubs to see whether James Altucher was performing. You see as a mom to three little boys that Thursday I had free reign to stay late for a stand-up show by myself for the chance to see James Altucher. Yet, the gods had other plans because James was not performing that night.
It’s easy to have stopped there and chalk it up to this is not going to happen. But, that’s not who I am — the kind who gives up. You see I used to take on little dares for myself before I became I mom. I did very well when it came to dares. But something happened when I popped out my three sons. The very act of birthing them emboldened me. Thus, at that moment I decided to call back those comedy clubs to ask when James would be performing in the near future.
That’s precisely when I learned about his show at Stand Up New York Comedy Club on Saturday. There’s really nothing online with him name on it so the only way I could have known was through a little detective worked that ultimately payed off. That and then taking decisive action.
I texted my husband and said “you and I will go to see James Altucher do stand-up” to which he said “wow it’s happening.” And it did.
There’s no fairy-tale ending to this story. James didn’t say oh my God Melissa yes let’s do your interview on X date. However, I learned something about myself that I’m proud of. The truth is that I don’t want to spend my life talking about influencers or watching them from a distance. The week I canceled cable TV I knew there was a much more interesting way to live life than on a couch. Instead, what I learned is this: I want to be around influencers, associated with influencers, and learn from influencers or be in their midst. It’s hard to say why but I find people who are living life full-out so intriguing. The kind of people who have decided to expand their realm of possibilities make me marvel. I’m in such awe of these people. My goal is to understand them so well that I can instill similar values and beliefs in my boys and then my boys in their next of kin.
It’s like my thing. My thing is to figure out how and why some people choose to influence people whereas others prefer to be influenced.
I’ve done so much thinking about a loosely-related idea: learned helplessness. Clearly, it’s not my original concept as I learned about it in psych 101. But I can’t help but think about how someone else might have attempted to invite James Altucher to her podcast one time and stopped all future efforts. Whereas, I’m going all out to show him of my authentic interest in understanding him, his motivations, and the like. This is just something that I’m pondering in my brain so why not pull it out and onto paper.
I mean when do I get to reflect on my actions except during my writing sessions and at this point I’m grateful. I’m grateful to my own act of courage regardless of the outcome. We did figure out childcare for Saturday and see James Altucher. As a matter of a fact, I was the bud of one of his jokes in that room with maybe 30 people? In turn he gave me a nickname that I used to DM him in Twitter after his set to which he said: “Woah. That was you? Funny.”
I’ll take acknowledgement of my brave act for now and keep being persistent because in my heart I know it will pay-off. Saturday was fun. It was bold. I’m glad I choose to be present.
James Altucher, happy to discuss the best January date for my interview of you on An Interview with Melissa Llarena the podcast. My plan is to interview talented people who figured out how to build untraditional careers of substance. My guests would have had the guts to say NO to traditional options, brains to make sometimes wacky interests profitable, and creativity to pull it all off. You clearly qualify. I’d be honored. What do you say? Any date?
Open to making this as easy-peasy and convenient to you as possible. Open to spar with you on this topic? Happy almost 50th birthday on January 22.
