Posts by James Altucher
What Is Your Philosophy Of Life? What Is Sacred to You? Here Is Mine
“One day I was in solitary confinement and then just a few years later I was having dinner with the President.” I listened. Tommy told me his story. Being set up. Going to jail. Not “ratting out” another person in exchange for an easy prison stay. Then being head of security for the Vice President…
Read MoreThe One Thing I Will Always Regret
I regret passing the crying woman on the staircase inside the Chelsea Hotel. For three floors, as I was walking up, I kept thinking of things to say to her but then I just walked right by her and heard her weeping. I used to regret starting Vaultus, my wireless software company. I lost everything…
Read MoreTen Things I Learned from Tony Hawk
I can’t believe how jealous I am of Tony Hawk. He is three months younger than me. He was the world champion of skateboarding for 12 years in a row. He’s sold a billion dollars worth of video games. But that’s not why I am jealous of him. Every single day since he was 11…
Read MoreHow to Turn Procrastination into Productivity
When I publish this, many people will respond, “I’ll read it… later,” or some variation of that. First, that’s a funny joke. I get it. Second, while I was writing this, I procrastinated pretty heavily. No surprise. And what’s even better, I employed almost all of the techniques below to get over the procrastination. In…
Read MoreThree Trends to Watch for Over the Next 50 Years
I’m not a big believer in the future. I mean, it will exist — we know that. But that’s about it. CXO Advisory Group analyzed the predictions of hundreds of pundits. Are the talking heads on TV right or wrong? You know, the ones who say Ebola will end the world, or the ones who said…
Read MoreHow to Become a Business Super Star
I’m involved in a serious investigation. I probably shouldn’t even be writing this. Maybe I’ll get in trouble. Wait. I should take a step back. I’m not being investigated. I’m helping. I’m like the “expert.” I tried to explain to them. I’m the dumbest “expert” you’ve ever spoken to. It’s almost negligence on your part…
Read MoreHow to Find 1 or 1000 Mentors
I woke up this morning totally lost. Like every day. “Where am I?” For the smallest of seconds, I’m a stranger in my own body. In my own life. And then the whole history of life swoops down and I’m like, “ugh!” The daily search for answers starts. Daily, never ending. Will someone tell me…
Read MoreThe Power of Broke
I was starving all the time. I lived in one room, had one futon and had a three-inch screen on the floor next to the futon. But the TV didn’t work because you needed cable and I couldn’t afford that. So I started a business. Many people think, “I have an idea” and then they…
Read MoreDon’t Pay Your Credit Card Debt
My dad got off the phone and started crying. My mom yelled at him, “He didn’t give it to you!” My dad had lent $2,000 to S. and S. couldn’t pay him back “yet.” This call happened at least once a week. S. was his best friend for 20 years. My mom would scream at my…
Read MoreDo You Make Fear Decisions or Growth Decisions?
I was afraid I was going to lose my biggest client. And my job. So I let him yell at me repeatedly. I met a friend of mine. She said, “My grandma told me there are only two types of decisions: Decisions made out of fear and decisions made out of growth.” For instance, do…
Read MoreWhat Are You Saying NO To?
This is what I did to ruin my life. I had a policy: always say “yes” to opportunity. If you grab enough opportunities, I thought, then one would work out and be a winner. What does “a winner” mean? It might mean that the goddess, Oprah, would call me. Or that money would rain down and…
Read MoreHow Successful People Keep Friends
Lets call him “Pat.” That’s not his name but close. I don’t want to embarrass him although I am 99.99% sure he won’t be embarrassed even if I mention him. I met him in 1999. He was the #2 guy at the largest investment bank in the world. He wanted to invest in my next company. Here’s…
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