The Power of No

By: James Altucher

Narrated by: James Altucher

Over the past three years James Altucher and Claudia Azula Altucher have answered tens of thousands of questions in their writings, retreats, talks, and online seminars. The questions cover the entire spectrum of life, from how to deal with bad relationships, to how to access your innate special uniqueness, to how to pay the rent when you're crying on the floor, broken and depressed,. Invariably, they look to one little word as the solution: No.No is not only a solution; it is a path for people to heal and bring abundance and happiness into their lives. Every time you say yes to something you don't want to do you can experience a spate of negative outcomes: resenting people, doing poor quality work, having less energy for the things you actually love, making less money, and so on. But the worst part is that yet another small percentage of your life is used up by something you don't want. We need the power of no so we can set proper boundaries around the things that hurt us directly.We need it to curb the relationships that drain us of our energy, creativity, and expression, to protect us from those people who put us down, hurt us emotionally, and leave us barren and depressed. And in the larger picture, we need the power of no to understand what we truly believe in, rather than the stories we take at face value because we've been conditioned to think them as the truth. With the power of no we can refocus our energies toward living an abundant, healthy, and wealthy life. We can realize that there is nothing to prove, there is nobody to impress, there is no cage around us. Such is the power of saying no to our misconceptions.As a species, this is where we find ourselves now and many of us are trying very hard to use the power of no at this higher level. To clearly see what intelligent compassion is. To open our hearts and bring healing to the world. The power of no is a force that allows us to truly surrender to a higher power and be the unique people we were meant to be. And in The Power of No, James and Claudia will help guide you to this place by relating the stories they've heard and the things they've experienced. Their goal is to bring this little word out into the world to shine its power and its light on all of us.

Critic reviews

“Every ‘no’ makes space for the perfect ‘yes.’ It’s impossible to thrive in an overcommitted world. And yet it’s so easy to get caught up—to drain our energy bank account, leaving us mentally, physically, and spiritually bankrupt. Your freedom may be closer than you think. The Power of No by James and Claudia Altucher is an invitation to a universe of meaningful opportunities on the other side of ‘no.’ I’m so grateful for this book and I know you will be too.”
— Kris Carr, New York Times bestselling author of Crazy Sexy Kitchen

“The Power of No takes a fresh approach to becoming masterful at using ‘no’ to say ‘yes’ to life. Grounded in both practical and spiritual wisdom, James and Claudia take the reader on an unexpected journey that explores a variety of ways we prevent ourselves from being fully present in the here and now. Their book is filled with magic that can change your life if you’re brave enough to follow their lead!”
— Cheryl Richardson, author of The Art of Extreme Self-Care

“I would recommend this book to any member of the human species. It’s bold, empowering, and useful. It gave me the courage to turn down distractions so that I could focus on the important things in life, like endorsing this book.”
— A. J. Jacobs, New York Times best-selling author of Drop Dead Healthy

“James Altucher is scary smart.”
— Stephen Dubner, author of Freakonomics

“What I like about James is you can tell he came from a roller coaster. He chose his own path to success without knowing the outcome. And... one thing is for sure: if you don’t make courageous choices for yourself, nobody else will.”
— Dick Costolo, CEO of Twitter

A bit annoying

I liked the part where the man is talking, but I found the woman's part annoying - both the voice and the story, so I couldn't finish.

Changed my relationship with the word no

Dread kept me from listening to this book for months. When I had to back out of a job I didn't like, I began listening and found it thoroughly delightful in story message and freedom of choice!

Great book

Very detailed and easy to listen to you. Gives many science based procedures to less stress and consistent performance without all the technical jargon bells & whistles. Put in terms for all to understand without having to cross reference to understand. Great book.

They practice what they preach, and yet....

This is an interesting self-help book combining a practical, common sense set of tips to become a successful entrepreneur with eastern spiritual principles. Although entertaining and genuinely useful in its unusual mix of spiritual and practical suggestions, the book ultimately feels superficial and disjointed. The authors rely almost solely on their personal experiences to derive universal dictums about how to prosper; and while they suggest reading 500 books on a subject that you want to be an expert at, few external references for their own subject are made. Instead of turning to scientific evidence and research to defend their claims, a simple "Trust me, it works" is offered. Many of the long lists of exercises seem made up and their evidence for success comes from their own experiences and from those who have written to them - a far cry from a random sample. The references to yoga, meditation and 12 step recovery were excellent but they didn't fully gel with the rest of the book. It was like a soup with lots of ingredients that had yet to fully cook and combine.

Still, I was reminded of the importance of gratitude, the need to ask for help, and the option I have to start from scratch and reinvent myself. And I'll admit there was something endearing about a husband and wife reading their book together I'm a relaxed conversational manner.

No as a spiritual quest

I was thrilled that this book spoke to the soul, purpose of life and intuition. I’ve read several of Altucher’s books and I really like the compliment of Claudia and James working together to read this and reflect on these truths in their own stories. In my own life, I’ve had a difficult relationship with the word no, and the disappointment I felt it would bring to me and the people around me. I realize now that disappointment is often the path toward a more aligned yes. I recommend this book as a compliment toward growth and a reminder that choosing yourself is often based on the discernment of what not to choose.

This is very helpful

I read the reviews and was a bit sketchy about it, but a friend recommended it so I got it. The book is kind of fun to listen to with James and Claudia talking, it's almost like you are sitting in their living room getting practical advice from them. Most self-help books I feel bad after listening to them because I don't measure up, but this one is totally different. I feel inspired.

Good content subpar narration

It's a good book for new beginnings.
There's Good guidance in it.
And both authors seem very well intentioned.
The words do seem shallow at times. Which is fine. As it feels more like coming from a peer rather than a "master" - not a bad thing in "my book". However there are moments where it feels less than compelling. There's still plenty of "ego" involved in some of their remarks. Some pedantic figures of speech and adjectives makes it for too much of a corner store conversation on the topic rather than a book on it.
I love their banter and the naturalistic approach to the recording. That works for me and makes it for a "on the level" approach to the practices described in it.
Even though Claudia is heavily accented I feel she's much closer to the subject matter than James. James comes off a but aggressive a bit sour and pained in his voice.
Overall though it makes for a very good first person(s) account of people still on the path to growth and their sharing, although repetitive and perhaps "been there done that" to some is very useful.

I'd recommend this audio to anyone looking to start a path of self realization and growth.

A must-listen for people-pleasers

I am a chronic people-pleaser. This book has given me some great strategies not only for overcoming that horrific malady, but also for reaching my own goals.

Justin and Claudia Altucher do a wonderful job narrating this book. They frequently go off-script for brief asides or a little banter, and this is such a breath of fresh air after some of the serious-as-a-heart-attack self-help audiobooks I've listened to.

Loved it!

I really fell in love with the authors! Their personal heartfelt story telling really makes you feel like you know them. I've listened to the audio book about three or four times now, and will listen to it again! Ordered the paperback so that I could have their exercises and meditations ideas hardcopy. Thanks!!

Very good once I adjusted to the narration

I have to say that I was instinctively offput by Claudia's narration, but I gave it a chance anyway. The narration wasn't my favorite, but since it was done by the authors I still found it more authentic and listenable that a lot of Audible books that are done by voice actors.

I found the book very interesting and insightful, and I liked that it gave you steps to take. I give it 4 stars because I get the sense that it will not resonate with everyone, and I have the feeling that there might be other books that are more powerful out there. However, if this book seems to appeal to you, I would recommend it.

I will say that I tried listening to "The Art of Non-Comformity" and after about 1/3rd of the way I realized nothing interesting or inspiring was being said. This book, on the other hand, I did find to be inspiring and engaging, I didn't find it hard to get through. Having only read these two so far, I would recommend "The Power of No" if it interests you, and would not recommend "The Art of Non-Comformity" at all.