Choose Yourself

by James Altucher

ONE LAST THING. I’ve discussed the reasons why this major paradigm shift is occurring. It’s not that the system is out to get you. Or the system is imploding. This is not a conspiracy theory about the government or capitalism or the “1 percent.” This is actually a great opportunity for people who can now navigate the rough surf that history is throwing up on our shores. Regardless, you need to change for the changes that are coming. Some of these reasons I’ve covered in the preceding chapters, but I will go over all of them again so you don’t have an excuse for not remembering them. 1) The middle class is dead. I laid out all the statistics and anecdotes earlier. Again, I don’t say this as something to be scared of. And maybe I’m saying it a little too harshly. But at the current rate of incomes, and with the flight of capital out of the United States, you have to take this into account when making major life decisions. It’s not like you can choose for this to not happen. It’s not a choice. This is happening. In fact, it’s already happened and we are all the Walking Dead. 2) You’ve been replaced. Technology, outsourcing, a growing temp staffing industry, and productivity efficiencies have all replaced the middle class. The working class. Most jobs that existed twenty years ago aren’t needed now. Maybe they never were needed. The entire first decade of this century was spent with CEOs in their Park Avenue clubs crying through their cigars, “How are we going to fire all this...