The Power of Humility

He denied Bill Clinton’s phone call.

He just lost the NBA finals championship. “I was inconsolable,” John Wallace said on my podcast.

“I didn’t want to talk to anybody. I didn’t want to talk to Bill Clinton. I didn’t want to talk to my mom…”

“But doesn’t that make you a sore loser?”

“You show me someone who accepts losing and I’ll show you a loser,” he said quoting Cam Newton.

In the 90’s, I walked out of my job a loser. I didn’t stick with it. The stomach aches tasted like metal. I walked across the street. And played chess against a faceless man. I’ll never forget him.

I won that game.

That’s when I learned it’s ok to lose.

“What do you do?” Carpenter, author, server. “I’m in finance.” “I’m in fashion.” It’s the one question we ask in New York.

“What do you do?” I wander. I read. I spend time with people I love. I lost in the corporate world. But I’m winning at choosing myself.

“It’s one thing to give your time. It’s another thing to give your money. And it’s a-whole-nother thing to give both consistently. That’s what I’ve been trying to do,” John said about his philanthropy efforts. “Certain people won’t do business with you if you’re not giving back.”

I take care of myself everyday. Then I show up for other people.

I ask them questions. And find out what makes them work…how they grew, shrunk, and then exploded into excellence.

John said it best, “Humility turns to fire. And that fire turns to greatness.”

When I lost, I started over. Just like John.

And now, if the president calls, I’m ready.

Click here to listen to my whole interview with John Wallace

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James Altucher is the author of the bestselling book Choose Yourself, editor at The Altucher Report and host of the popular podcast, The James Altucher Show, which takes you beyond business and entrepreneurship by exploring what it means to be human and achieve well-being in a world that is increasingly complicated.