9 Lessons I Learned After Following James Altucher's Work

It’s hard to define what James Altucher does.

He’s an investor, podcaster, writer, chess player, and comedian. That’s only what he shares on podcast interviews. Who knows what his next career will be.

I found James Altucher’s work by pure accident. I was looking for ways to get better at writing and found the advice of writing 10 headlines a day. That was inspired by James’ ideas.

Since then, I’ve been binge-watching and binge-reading James Altucher’s work in Quora, Medium, and his own website.

A guy that has made millions and lost it all, not just once but at least twice has a lot to teach. Here is what I’ve learned from him.

1. If you don’t know what to do with your life, start with your health

That’s what I’ve been doing after losing my last job. An end and a start of something new that I still don’t know what it will be.

Uncertainty in a single word. I’ve been questioning my life choices since then.

When facing those moments of uncertainty, James teaches to start with your health and get 1% better every day. That means doing something for your body, mind, and spirit. That’s what he calls the “Daily Practice.”

Since then, my daily practice has been:

2. Write 10 ideas a day

This is part of the 1% daily improvement: Do something creative. Every. Day.

Turn yourself into an idea machine by writing 10 ideas a day.

After losing it all for the first time, James bought cheap waiter’s pads and started to write down ideas to get up again. He then wrote ideas for others and gave them away for free. Those ideas brought new opportunities for him.

Write 10 ideas a day or your idea muscle will atrophy.

3. Always be learning from everyone, then write about it

Everyone and every situation around us have something to teach us. Notice it and write about it. That could be part of your 10-ideas-a-day practice.

That’s what I’m doing right now by writing what I’ve learned from James.

4. You don’t need to meet your mentors

You need mentors in your life. But you don’t have to meet them.

I don’t know James in the real world. I will probably never meet him. But he has inspired me a lot since I’ve been following his work. He’s a virtual mentor.

Imagine that your mentor has already passed away and to learn from him, you have to follow the clues he left in his work. Find someone who inspires you and read his books and writings.

The best mentors are books.

5. Find your Plus, Equal, and Minus

To get better at any skill, you don’t only need mentors. You need to find your Plus, Equal, and Minus.

Plus is the people that inspire you. Your teachers, mentors, and favorite authors. James is one of those. Tim Denning, Dan Koe, and Nicolas Cole are some of my Plus in the writing space.

Equal is the people taking the same path with you. Your peers, coworkers, and friends. These people challenge you to continue improving.

Minus is the people you can teach. People one step behind the path you’re taking.

6. Making, keeping, and growing money are different skills

James lost it all multiple times. He shares that he was good at making money, but not at keeping it and growing it. He made the wrong investments and bad purchases.

Money is a totally different set of skills to master.

7. Reinvent yourself every 5 years

That’s from “Reinvent Yourself,” one of James’ books. And that’s from 2017 when AI wasn’t mainstream.

These days the need for reinvention is urgent. Our world is changing dramatically fast. Relying on the same skills we learned five years ago is too risky.

Reinvention means finding new sources of income.

To start your reinvention, start reading 500 books on a subject. If you don’t know where to start, find a book you like, read it, and read another 499 about the same subject. You’re free to drop it and start all over again.

8. Have multiple sources of joy

That’s from an episode of the podcast School of Greatness on YouTube.

During that episode, James shared he had businesses, writing, comedy, and chess. When things didn’t go as expected in one area, he went to another one.

I wish I had learned that before.

For some time, I only tried to find joy in my day job. That was a painful mistake. When things went sideways, I got burned out. I had stopped exercising and doing any of my hobbies. Eventually, all of that made me fall sick. Literally.

Lesson learned the hard way! Have multiple sources of joy.

9. Be like Google, my friend

Google is the go-to resource for information. (Until AI takes over)

We don’t spend too much time on Google. We ask questions and it takes us to somewhere else. In spite of that, we keep going back to Google and it’s one of the most valuable companies in the world. That’s the Google effect.

Be like Google. Be a bank. Be the source of information. Connect people with answers.

Parting Thought

James has a captivating and inspiring story. He has made millions and lost it all, and he’s open about it. From a Computer Science major to be someone difficult to put in a box and label, with multiple careers and skills.

James’ story teaches you can choose yourself, reinvent yourself, and skip the lines.