What Did I Learn Too Late in Life?

“I’ve always been an addict. I always will be an addict...” June 7, 2019 [WEBSITE]( | [UNSUBSCRIBE]( [Altucher Confidential] “I’ve always been an addict. I always will be an addict...” [Drowning in the Sun] “I’ve always been an addict. I always will be an addict...” By James Altucher Brand New: If You've Ever Been Burned by Stocks.. you HAVE to see this [Jim Rickards](Ex-Wall Street bankruptcy lawyer, Jim Rickards may have just commit career suicide with [this controversial clip.]( But if you're thinking about buying stocks.. it's crucial you see this in the next 24 hours. [Click here now to watch.. before this shocking clip is removed]( [James Altucher]Dear Altucher Confidential Reader, I killed myself every day. Non-stop torture. For decades, my “self” was a deadly mixture of anxiety about money, pain about relationships, petty jealousy, fear, wanting people to like me. I was thrown out of graduate school, failed at business, failed at jobs, lost a marriage, a house, then two. Always jealous. Always crying. Always wishing I were someone else. I constantly thought about money. Night and day. I would go to therapists not to reduce my anxiety but just to ask them for money. [I'd go to psychics]( and astrologers and ask them when I would make money. They always said, "Next year you will make a lot of money". Or, when China was "hot," they'd say, "I see China in your future. A lot of money." None of it ever came true. I exiled myself 70 miles away. I didn’t leave my house for three months. I felt dead. One day I had a bad trading day. I was so upset. When will things change? There was a little island near where I was. I walked into the water. I let the water go over my head and I just floated. I wanted to die. I was so sick of being a prisoner to the enormous desire of money. It was a monster. It never left my head. It was killing me. I wanted to sink. The next day I said, "Why do I keep making it and then losing it?" Why do I keep falling in love and then…disaster? What is going right when I make it? What is going wrong when I lose it? What is going right when I fall in love? What is going wrong when I lose that love? What is going right when I am creative? What is going wrong [when I lose that creativity?]( There was a time in early 2008 I was writing for thestreet.com. I was so depressed I couldn't get out of bed. My business partner, Dan, was writing four articles a day under my name so nobody would realize I disappeared. I had to change. Maybe desire = anxiety = negativity. I became addicted to anti-anxiety drugs. Antipsychotic drugs. Painkillers. Alcohol. Everything that could numb me enough to sleep. I was so addicted to the worst drugs I'm still weaning off of them a quarter milligram at a time. I’ve always been an addict. I always will be an addict. I looked back at the best times in my life. When I felt confident. When I was making money. When I felt the courage to love others, when I felt the strength of having others love me. What was I doing right? I looked back at when I was doing things wrong: businesses failing, no friends, aborted relationships, lying. What was I doing wrong? I didn’t have a core integrity to speak from. I didn't have a core manifesto. Now I do and I try to live it every day. People always want complex solutions to simple problems. But minimalism, simplicity, less, is always the best. [So I’ll write what I’ve written before.]( Maybe add a tiny bit. The entire universe came from a single infinitesimal dot. A fresh start. PHYSICAL HEALTH: Eat / Sleep / Move. - 8 hours of sleep - Simply don’t eat processed foods (I try. I try.) - Move. On a recent podcast, the author of The Bad Food Bible told me, “30 minutes of brisk walking a day is enough.” You don't have to settle for a job you hate. [Fist](Most people spend their whole lives working to make someone else’s dream come true. You should be working hard for yourself — to better YOUR life. [Click here]( to see all the ways you could start doing that today. EMOTIONAL HEALTH: ZERO toxic people. I have so many examples of this: - a bad romantic relationship will destroy every opportunity and friendship in your life - one single bad business relationship can destroy a $1 billion revenue company - one bad friend can cause months of anxiety and worry. Only 1,000 “no”s can find you the right “yes.” To you who are special to me: “YES!” CREATIVE HEALTH: I always say write 10 ideas a day. Not to have a good idea. But to exercise the idea machine. A machine that will change your life once developed. Every day this idea machine fuels the rest of my life. It’s a miracle. [How can you be creative?]( I don’t know. Keep a notebook (I keep a waiter’s pad), write your ideas down for the day. Then write down everything interesting to you. Practice: write 10 novel ideas. Write 10 inventions. Write 10 things McDonalds can do to be better. Google. Your friend. Your spouse. SPIRITUAL HEALTH: I hate the word “spiritual.” It sort of feels gooey. But the essence of spirituality is simply: “I can’t control the world.” And the world is an irrational place filled with irrational people. And yet happiness still exists. [What is happiness?]( I don’t know. But this is what I try: - friendships and love - improvement every day in the activities I love. Even tiny improvement - freedom. Making more choices for myself today than the day before. If others are making choices for me, the results won’t be as good as my own choices for me. Everyone else’s agenda is worse for you than your agenda. 1% IMPROVEMENT A DAY: Whatever I try to get good at, [I try to improve 1% a day.]( How? - mentors - virtual mentors - doing - reading - writing - studying failure (never blame, always study) - repeat - challenge myself. If I want to get better at something, find the worst conditions to practice in. Mikhail Botvinik, former world chess champion, used to play practice matches with someone blowing smoke in his face. Did he get better? Yes. Did he die of cancer? Probably. But he got 1% better a day. LESS: Two years ago [I threw away everything I owned.]( I lived for two years in Airbnbs. Now I am starting to slowly build up. In those two years I was more successful than I ever was. I discovered new and great friends. I met someone special. When you get rid of the clutter of life, of the mind, of emotions, then true love takes its place. Loving yourself is abundance. From nothing, comes everything. What did I learn too late in life? Nothing. Sincerely, [James Altucher] James Altucher P.S. There’s no such thing as learning something “too late” in life. There’s always a way to use those lessons to change your life… no matter when you learn them. For instance, if you’re nearing retirement… but never learned how to save for the future… [it’s not too late.]( There’s a great way to supplement your retirement income… One that could deliver you up to $3,000 extra a month! Don’t spend your golden years fearful and anxious about what you could have done differently… [Click here today to learn more!]( Only have a few thousand for retirement? No problem... this $20 book can help. [MM Playbook](Celebrity trader, Tim Sykes went from about $12,000 to $4.8 million before turning 37 by using this strategy... Celebrity trader, Tim Sykes went from about $12,000 to $4.8 million before turning 37 by using this strategy... And he wants you to join his thousands of students that are learning how to also. So he is offering NOT ONLY this book, but a YEAR of instant access to his wisdoms... FOR ONLY $20. If you only have a little money saved-up, this could be your best way to build a retirement fast. But only if you're open-minded... and act before this deal disappears. [Click here now to see this dirt cheap offer]( Subscribe To My Podcast [The James Altucher Show]( Add james@jamesaltucher.com to your address book: [Whitelist Us]( [The James Altucher Website]( [Subscribe Via Text]( [Subscribe With YouTube]( [Subscribe On Messenger]( [Subscribe With iTunes]( [Connected on LinkedIn]( Join the conversation! Follow me on social media: [Facebook Group]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Instagram]( Altucher Confidential is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. We do not rent or share your email address. By submitting your email address, you consent to Choose Yourself Media delivering daily email issues and advertisements. 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