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Lesson #3: Liven Things Up

Article Overview: “I lose my self-restraint and just get up and dance sometimes,” says Turner.

Lesson #3: Liven Things Up

“I lose my self-restraint and just get up and dance sometimes,” says Turner.

Never one to pass up the opportunity to have a little fun in the high stakes and pressure-packed industry in which he works, Turner is known for his outspokenness and his willingness to add colour to even the most serious of situations. He operates in Turnerverse – what he calls his own private world.

From asking for a nationwide vote on replacing the Star-Spangled Banner with a “less-warlike” national anthem to calling Americans “some of the dumbest people in the world” to challenging his arch-enemy, Rupert Murdoch, to a televised boxing match in 1997, Turner has created a reputation for himself as a businessman who is not afraid of anything and who is willing to speak his mind and poke fun at anyone or anything that, in his mind, deserves it – even himself. “I don’t have any idea what I’m going to say. I say what comes to my mind,” he says, adding, “If I had any humility I would be perfect.”

Turner has had to develop his sense of humour over the years in order to escape not only from the stress of his everyday life but also from the fear that he might one day wind up like his father, whose inability to make light of a heavy situation led to his eventual downfall. Indeed, the numbers that Turner now deals with would be mind-blowing to his father. Watching his stock portfolio prices stream in real time over the Internet, Turner says, “Every few seconds it changes – up an eighth, down an eighth – it’s like playing a slot machine. I lose $20 million, I gain $20 million.”

As evidenced by his love of competing in dangerous sailing expeditions, Turner thrives on the adrenaline rush he gets from the unknown and unexpected. And so, both personally and professionally, he deliberately throws himself into positions of risk and possibilities by causing stirs wherever he goes. He creates controversy not only to draw attention to himself but also to wake everyone up and generate energy. And, he manages to have fun along the way.

“My son is now an ‘entrepreneur’,” says Turner. “That’s what you’re called when you don’t have a job.” An entrepreneur throughout his entire life, Turner has maintained his sense of humour despite all the setbacks he has experienced. From his father’s suicide to his sister’s death to being put on the sidelines by his own company, Turner has bounced back from each experience with the same defiant smirk on his face.

Part of his ability to have a good time lies in his willingness to embrace controversy. Moreover, it is the fact that he has attained such success all the while being as controversial as he is that makes Turner’s achievements even greater. Having been called everything from an idiot to a bigot, Turner has created a reputation for himself that is almost bigger than the networks he helped create. He is not afraid to liven things up and speak his mind no matter what the consequences and he has thus carved his own unique path to success. “I'd rather go to hell,” he says. “Heaven has got to be boring.”

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Article Tags: adrenaline rush, arch enemy, boxing match, businessman, downfall, everyday life, high stakes, humility, lesson 3, national anthem, portfolio prices, private world, rupert murdoch, sailing expeditions, self restraint, sense of humour, slot machine, star spangled banner, stock portfolio, upi



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