From an email last week: “I got shitcanned from my job and now got nothing. You say I should start my own business but I banged my head on the wall and can’t think of really great ideas. What should I do?”

OK, first thing, stop with the head-banging. That only makes you think fuzzy.

Second, you don’t need GREAT ideas.

Just ideas that’ll work.

Have I told you before how much twisted man-love I have for James Altucher?

I came across this tidbit about generating money-making ideas in his amazing new book Choose Yourself (look for it at Amazon’s Kindle Store; it’s real cheap)…

“Everyone is always on the lookout for ‘the next big thing.’ The next big thing is finding rare earth minerals on Mars. That’s HARD WORK. Don’t do it! … You don’t have to come up with the new, new thing. Just do the old, old thing slightly better than everyone else.”

Now here’s a question for you.

How come your problems always look impossible, but everybody else’s seem like simple “fixes”?

Yep. It’s always easier to help your neighbor fix his problem than it is to fix your own.

And there’s the answer to “What the hell should I do?”

Stop focusing on your own problems and start helping other people fix THEIR problems.

When you bring value to people — in other words, find solutions to their troubles — money eventually (but inevitably) moves your way.

Never fails.

Just put yourself in front of family, friends, and new contacts.

Then listen.

Don’t talk. Just listen.

Almost without fail, they’ll complain about something.

When they stop to take a breath, offer to help them fix whatever it is that’s bugging ’em. Do it for nothing. But if they offer you something in return, go for it.

If you can’t help them directly, maybe you can connect them with somebody who can. And maybe you can negotiate a “finder’s fee” from that somebody.

That’s how business works.

Stop looking for “the next big thing.”

Just start…