TGM Classic | AJ Jacobs | The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution's Original Meaning

The Greatness Machine

Darius Mirshahzadeh

Education, Entrepreneurship, Business

5.0 • 135 Ratings

🗓️ 4 May 2026

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What if you could spend an entire year living as if your actions could change the world? How would that shape your perspective on life, purpose, and the people around you? It is easy to feel like we are too small to make a real difference, but sometimes it just takes one person with the right mindset to start a ripple effect. When we shift our focus to living with intention and connecting deeply with the people around us, even the smallest actions can lead to something bigger. AJ Jacobs, bestselling author, journalist, and master of personal experiments, joins us to share stories from his fascinating life experiments. Known for his books “The Year of Living Biblically” and “The Year of Living Constitutionally,” AJ dives into experiments that challenge his worldview and reveal how gratitude, curiosity, and small acts of kindness can make a profound impact–not just on our own lives, but on the world at large. In this episode of The Greatness Machine, AJ Jacobs joins Darius to talk about his fascinating journey exploring the Bible for his book “The Year of Living Biblically.” AJ emphasizes the importance of thorough research, collaboration, and fully immersing oneself in a belief system to truly understand it. He reflects on how cherry-picking information can lead to a skewed perspective and discusses the power of gratitude in shifting our mindset. AJ also shares insights from his “Year of Living Constitutionally” and the lessons he learned from both projects, highlighting how they transformed his thinking and approach to life. Topics include: AJ reflects on exploring the Bible for his book The Year of Living Biblically The importance of research and collaboration in bookwriting process The need for immersion in understanding beliefs and systems The dangers of cherry-picking information to support one’s argument How gratitude can counteract negative bias and enhance one's perspective on life The lessons AJ learned during his “Year of Living Constitutionally” And other topics… Connect with AJ: Website: https://ajjacobs.com/ Substack: https://substack.com/@experimentalliving Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajjacobsinc/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ajjacobs/ Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-puzzler-with-a-j-jacobs/id1709071922 Connect with Darius: Website: https://therealdarius.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariusmirshahzadeh/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imthedarius/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Thegreatnessmachine Book: The Core Value Equation https://www.amazon.com/Core-Value-Equation-Framework-Limitless/dp/1544506708 Write a review for The Greatness Machine using this link: https://ratethispodcast.com/spreadinggreatness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Summer is almost here and honestly my brain is already halfway on a beach somewhere.
0:04.5	I've been thinking about trips, getaways, just unplugging for a bit.
0:07.6	But here's the thing.
0:08.7	Nothing kills the vibe of a vacation faster than coming home to financial stress you weren't prepared for.
0:13.6	I wanted to actually enjoy my summer without that mental weight.
0:17.2	So I got serious about organizing my finances ahead of time.
0:19.6	And Monarch made that way easier than I
0:21.7	expected. Monarch is the personal finance app that tracks everything, accounts, investments,
0:26.9	savings, goals, and spending. Get your first year of Monarch for half off, just $50 with promo
0:31.6	code greatness. What I love is that Monarch monitors my money, so I don't have to obsess over it.
0:36.5	I pulled up the cash flow breakdown and could actually see where my dollars were going. And there were patterns I never would have caught on my own. Lifestyle creep is real. And Monarch put a number on it for me. It's generally like having a financial advisor in your pocket. You can ask the AI assistant things like, can I afford this vacation without touching my savings and get a real
0:54.2	personalized answer based on your actual data? And the AI weekly recap keeps you ahead of anything
0:59.5	unexpected, spending spikes, net worth shifts, upcoming expenses, nothing sneaks up on you.
1:05.8	Use code greatness at monarch.com to get your first year half off at just $50. That's $50 off, your first year at monarch.com to get your first year half off at just $50.
1:15.5	That's $50 off your first year at monarch.com with code greatness.
1:18.8	This episode of The Greatness Machine is powered by these incredible partners,
1:21.3	helping entrepreneurs and leaders like you win. Shopify,
1:23.7	ready to turn your idea into a real business.
1:28.2	Shopify is the e-commerce platform behind millions of businesses and 10% of all e-commerce in U.S. Build your store, run marketing campaigns, and use AI tools to level up your listing.
1:33.5	Start your $1 per month trial at Shopify.com slash Darius. Intuit QuickBooks Bill Pay. Drowning
1:39.6	in invoices and manual bill tracking, Intuit QuickBooks, bill pay, automate your accounts payable,
1:44.4	connects all your vendors and payment info in one dashboard, and gives you full visibility
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Darius Mirshahzadeh, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Darius Mirshahzadeh and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.