Reinvent Yourself

by James Altucher

“50 Shades of Grey”

“Everything you can imagine is real.”

Most of the time, people say “no.” In almost everything I’ve done, I’ve gotten 20 “no”s for every “yes.”

“I am always doing things I can’t do—that’s how I get to do them.”

“Accidents, try to change them—it’s impossible. The accidental reveals man.”

I wake up and I’m grateful. I try to think every day of new things to be grateful for. I sleep well, exercise, and try to eat well. I try to love the people in my life. It’s hard. There are “accidents.” But maybe it gets easier with practice. I try to be creative.

And then at each of these things, I try to improve 1%—which means nothing; what is the math of gratitude? But here’s the math. Compounding 1% a day in X, makes X 38 times better in a year.

“This is a great idea,” I said. “You can even apply ideas like this to writing a book. Or even building a career for yourself. What five adjectives do you want to describe your life, or the objects you create, or your relationships?”

“Find the thing you did where you lost all sense of time while you are doing it,”

“Despair = Suffering - Meaning.

But if you have meaning, you will have less despair. You will find your calling.”

One thing I realized is that quantity equals quality.

It’s good to be a zero sometimes. To learn and listen and help.

LISTEN to what people tell you. Maybe they experienced something you have never experienced. Our brain can curate the experiences of others so maybe it can help us live our own lives better. *OBSERVE what people do. We have what are called “mirror neurons.” If I think I’m a +1 at firing a gun, I might shoot myself and kill myself.

BE HUMBLE. Some people are great people. They are kind. They are humble. They are productive. They are competent. They get things done. Then they get AMAZING things done.

When you compare, you despair. When you are humble, you learn. When you get curious, you get better.

BE CURIOUS. A zero starts with: *What are they doing? *How are they doing it? *How can I help? *How can I get better? *How can I be competent? Then build trust? Then build excellence?

HAVE THEMES INSTEAD OF GOALS. Chris Hadfield wanted to be an astronaut for 21 years before he became the commander of the International Space Station for 166 days. Sometimes he had disappointments along the way.

“Continually investing in the success of others is what will eventually lead to success for yourself.”

BE RESPECTFUL. One person can lead a company. But it takes thousands of employees, customers, investors, fans, etc. to really create a success.

DON’T BE ENTITLED. I admit, sometimes I get angry feeling like a zero. I want to be a +1 all the time, at everything I do.

DON’T BE DISAPPOINTED.

Chase Jarvis

If I can’t listen, I can’t learn. If I am speaking, I can’t listen. If I am answering, I’m not asking.

art of connection.

(null)

And what else is there in life but to play as much as possible?

I learned how to handle “no.” *I learned how to ask. *I learned that I had to be stand out in some way. *I learned to be polite to other people who found themselves rejected in various ways. *I learned how to better sell myself (a variation on “standing out”). *I learned to be persistent. That love (or anything) is a quantity game before whittling down to quality. *I also learned that time heals everything. Almost all of the above are Facebook friends now. So, at the end of the day, every emotion gets watered down with age. And even a “no” forms an attachment through time.

You choose yourself one choice at a time. You choose yourself every day. You choose yourself with all of your fears and hopes mixed together and nobody knows what’s going to happen.

A) DO WORK YOU BELIEVE IN SO MUCH YOU’D GO TO JAIL FOR IT

LOOK AT YOUR LIFE FROM A DISTANCE

GO TO THE PEOPLE

“ARRANGE WHATEVER PIECES COME YOUR WAY”

Every day, don’t try to jump into another box. Just try to think a little bit more outside of the box society has put you in.

ALWAYS TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN LIFE

“LEAVE YOURSELF OPEN TO WHATEVER COMES UP”

WE ARE “DOOMED” TO MAKE OUR CHOICES

Focus on that 1% improvement and everything changes.

HOW TO FIND YOUR LIFE PURPOSE

So whatever makes you feel good, whatever energizes you and lights you up inside, that’s God. That’s God telling you that that’s what you are meant to be doing.

“SELL YOUR CLEVERNESS AND CREATE A SENSE OF AWE”

DON’T REGRET YOUR LIFE

ENLIGHTENMENT

“THERE ARE THREE WAYS TO ENLIGHTENMENT”

reflecting on pain in the past and learning from it; Being present: learning from what you’re going through right now; “Getting out front”: being proactive rather than reactive.

M) “THERE IS A SECRET GARDEN WITHIN US”

You can save a life today. Don’t let the sun set without doing that.

He never seems obsessed with grudges from his past. I’ve never seen him worry about his future.

REST WHEN YOU HAVE NOTHING TO DO.

RID YOURSELF OF EVERYTHING YOU DON’T NEED.

PRACTICE GOODNESS.