← 10% Happier with Dan Harris

James Altucher, Master of Reinvention

Jan 10, 2018 1h 3m 15 insights
James Altucher, an entrepreneur, writer and host of "The James Altucher Show" podcast, is a master of reinvention, so much in fact that the title of one of his 18 books is "Reinvent Yourself." Altucher has built and sold numerous companies (and made and lost a few fortunes in the process), once gave up all of his possessions and was homeless for a time, dabbles in stand-up comedy, and all the while has maintained his long history with meditation.
Actionable Insights

1. Daily 1% Life Improvement

Each day, aim for at least a 1% improvement in your physical, emotional, mental/creative, and spiritual health, as this consistent progress is the best predictor of a successful tomorrow.

2. Catch Thoughts, Return Present

Use meditation to develop the skill of quickly catching your thoughts when your brain veers into anxiety, anger, or obsession, and then gently bring your focus back to the present moment to align with your intentions and increase energy.

3. Reinvention: Plus-Equal-Minus Network

To reinvent yourself, build a ‘plus-equal-minus’ network: find mentors or virtual mentors (‘plus’), collaborate with peers also reinventing themselves (’equal’), and teach what you learn to others (‘minus’) to solidify your understanding and gain beginner’s mind.

4. Experiment, Adapt, Don’t Tie Identity

Approach life philosophies and practices as experiments; try things that seem useful, learn from them, and be willing to adapt or change when ready, without tying your identity to any single philosophy, as extreme adherence can backfire.

5. Consistent Meditation, No Goals

Practice meditation consistently without specific goals like ’enlightenment’ or ’extra focus,’ as there’s no objective way to rank progress; instead, simply do it and observe how it naturally affects your life over time.

6. Cultivate Compounding Resilience

Consistently cultivate skills like kindness, compassion, focus, and mindfulness, understanding that even small daily improvements compound significantly over time, leading to greater resilience and faster recovery from setbacks.

7. Meditation for Performance Calm

Utilize meditation skills to quickly catch feelings of fear, panic, or anxiety during high-pressure performances or uncomfortable situations, allowing you to re-center, maintain commitment, and train your brain to react calmly rather than with primal anxiety.

8. Master Three Money Skills

Develop proficiency in all three essential money skills: making money, keeping money, and growing money, as neglecting any one can lead to financial instability.

9. Re-evaluate Money & Happiness

Re-evaluate your relationship with money by recognizing that an ‘access economy’ allows you to experience many luxuries without needing to own them, and that happiness doesn’t proportionally increase beyond a certain income threshold (e.g., $70,000).

10. Learn Actively from Failure

When experiencing failure or difficult situations, actively seek to learn from them by observing how others handle similar challenges, consulting experts, and studying resources to develop specific micro-skills for improvement.

11. Prioritize Likability, Commitment in Presentations

When performing or presenting to an unfamiliar audience, prioritize establishing likability and demonstrating unwavering commitment to your message or performance, as people are unlikely to engage with or laugh at someone they don’t like or perceive as uncommitted.

12. Targeted Meditation for Intentions

Explore different types of meditation (e.g., loving kindness, visualization, breath/body focus) to target specific needs or benefits, and for practices like loving-kindness, set an intention to train your brain to embody those qualities throughout your day.

13. Daily Action Despite Depression

Even when deeply depressed and struggling to get out of bed, commit to doing at least one concrete thing each day to move your life forward, as this consistent effort builds resilience and progress.

14. Frame Stories, Not Advice

When sharing personal experiences or insights, frame them as ’this is just what I did’ rather than direct advice, allowing others to extract lessons relevant to their own lives without feeling prescribed.

15. Try Extreme Minimalism

Experiment with extreme minimalism by reducing possessions to only what fits in a carry-on bag and living in furnished temporary accommodations like Airbnbs, to simplify decision-making and explore feelings of freedom.