Reinvent Yourself

by James Altucher

I've reinvented my career, my interests, my life, many times over the past twenty years. This is the book I wish I had at the beginning of that long and often volatile journey. I found when I outsourced my self-esteem to only one outcome, disaster resulted. Reinvention was the key to ensuring that the outcomes in life were positive ones.

And now the entire technology, governments, the shifting landscapes of opportunity and success, are all turning upside down, forcing us to reinvent as individuals and as a culture. ,Along my own journey I have read and encountered dozens of other successful leaders, artists, entrepreneurs, and mentors who I have learned the art of reinvention from.

The journey has been intense. The obstacles were hard fought. And the adventures that led to me now finally sharing it all in this book has been both painful and exhilarating. I describe specific techniques, share stories, tell the stories of others, and give the ultimate guide to not only how but why it is critical for people to master the skills of reinvention.

What I've change is the only constant. Companies decay, technologies disappear, governments change, relationships change and opportunity is a shifting landscape. Reading the stories and learning the critical skills taught in Reinvent Yourself is how I found my own way through the chaos of change and onto the path of new opportunity and success.

Again, this is the book I wish I had in my hands twenty years ago although I am glad that I am writing it now.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Business, Personal Development, Psychology, Personal Growth, Unfinished

406 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

James Altucher is a writer, successful entrepreneur, chess master, and investor.

He has founded over 20 companies and sold some of them for large exits. He has also run venture capital funds, hedge funds, angel funds, and currently sits on the boards of many companies.

He has written and been profiled in most major national media publications like the Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, CNBC, Forbes, and Business Week.

His blog, which began by detailing Altucher's precipitous fall from wealth and success to absolute rock bottom and then back to wealth, has attracted more than 10 million readers since its launch in 2010, and in 2011 inspired a comic book.

Reviews

[Emma Sea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't like this as much as Choose Yourself: Be Happy, Make Millions, Live the Dream, or I Was Blind But Now I See, but there were still some good thinkies, and I took comfort and motivation from Altucher's five-year-cycle for reinvention.

[Ben Raffles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weak with the occasional insight. It felt extremely self-congratulatory for someone who is so secure with their place on earth. I did like his analysis of Eminem's 8-mile rap, but most felt like extremely short snippets from podcast interviews (I really like Tim Ferris podcasts).

[Daniele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book and James writing style! it's packed with lessons and inspirations, deliver in a easy, to the point and entertaining way.
it's the first time I see 'competence' mentioned as a contributor to our happiness/well-being.

[Anastasija · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a love-hate relationship with this author. He has a unique way of writing and conveying his message. And it’s always on point. For anyone looking for a book to push them outside of their comfort zone and grip on personal growth, this is a great choice.

[Enrique Mañas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is divided in chapters resembling other books such as Tools of Titans. Each chapter summarizes the inspiration James Altucher got from a person, whether it happened personally or not.

Some keys to reinventing yourself:

-Reinvention never stops.
-You start from scratch.
-You need a mentor.
-You need five years to reinvent yourself and purse a new career.
-Money is only a decent measuring stick.
-You are the choices you make every day.


I did take several helpful notes during the book absorption:

-Never do something for the money, the girls or the fame.
-If you think about something three times in a week you need to take an action.
-Money is a tiny byproduct of the reasons we have to live.
-In chess, only good players are lucky.
-You are the sum of your experiences, not the sum of your belongings.
-Everyone wants the keys to your self-esteem, so they can lock you in your own jail..


Absolutely recommended read. James Altucher has a peculiar and contradictory style not suitable for all the souls, but very revealing for those who can appreciate the bowels of his phraseology.

[Dipanshu Rawal · Rating 5 out of 5]

"After every 5 years, every company/organisation/human must look into the analytics and accordingly should reinvent themselves/their thinking processes."
This book is a life-changing self-help book, which is filled with inspiration and lessons from around the globe.
What I particularly liked about James Altucher, the writer, is his humility. His writing on quora are wonderful and I do follow his blog regularly.
Undoubtedly, he is one of my ideals.

Do not hesitate. Go and read this book for lessons/inspirations in various fields.

*****

[AdiTurbo · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. Very disjointed, jumps all over the place without real reason or meaning. Here and there there are a few interesting ideas, but most of the time I had no idea what this guy was on about.

[Tao Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding book! Will read again. I've learned so much from this book!

Barbara wrote 700 romance novels. Out of 700 books - she had to come up with 700 different problems to keep her lovers apart, and then solved them.

Dr Wayne Dyer was yearning for success, so he packed his car full of books and drove across the whole country to connect with people face to face.

Viral is a disease that you want to get rid of, but connection can lead to lifelong benefits.

Wayne says that if something isn't working in his life, he always tells himself, "It must be because I haven't used enough determination or I haven't been fearless enough or I haven't been willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen."

Focus on that 1% improved and everything changes.

Bands make money by touring. The rolling stones made over 600million on their last tour. They formed a co. at the beginning of each tour and collect all the rev. of the four, including sponsorships, tickets clothing, record sales, etc. They also inquired about which currency would be stronger the pound or the dollar over time.

The only way that authors will make money from books is by either doing speaking tours after the book comes out or by selling info products that complement the value they delivered in their books.

The way Eminem captured the crowd and won the rap battle against the unbeatable rapper - He aid put your hands up and follow me - make people follow you in the rational reasons, let people follow you, repeat what you have said, because the brain believe things even more if they are repeated. When people are already following you, tell them to LOOK. If you address evrtythng that your opponent can say, he is left with nothing to say. When he has nothing to say, he is weak. He exposed the opponents lies and made the crowd side with him and like he is the good guy bc he is just like everyone in the crowd. Show facts and figures to kill the opponent.

Mark Cuban wants to go public and we need press releases. "Press releases drive IPOs this would be a great press release."

Nobody escapes the haters, why? Because they hate themselves. There is no other answer.

Mark Cuban understood the game right from the beginning. Create a brand, be at the forefront of tech, but not too far ahead.

PIPE funds invest directly into public companies, by doing private deals with them so they could get stock at a discount or under favorable terms.

Cuban rules: Find something you are super excited about and know that at least another 100 million people can be super excited about it. Either start a co in that space or invest as much as possible in it. Also, strongly participate in it. Make sure you are the most excited user of your own product. No matter what you are doing, get as much press as possible.

Tony robbins jumps up and down on a trampoline before speaking in front of 10k people. He wants his energy at peak.

When steve jobs wanted to create the mac, he moved his small grip to a separate building so they wouldn't get bogged down int he big corporate bureaucracy that apple was becoming.

In everything that you do, inject some fun and leisure into it.

Love: Know more, love more, express more, bleed more than anyone else.

Michelle Phan did 54 Youtube Vids before she made a massive hit. Clayton Christensen applied to ANasa for 18 years in a row before they accepted him.

1000 seems to be the right number that people who know seem to focus on.

Look on alibaba for discounts. Only buy if you trust the seller.

Every decision that you make is either fear based decisions or growth based decisions. You will never do well with fear based decisions.

When mollie was having trouble with her left side swing, I made her serve 200 times on her left side.

By year three you've put in 5k-7k hours, that's good enough to be in the top 200-300 in the world in anything the top 200 in almost any field makes a living. By year three you will know how to make money, by year four you will scale that up and make a living. Some people stop at year four. By year five you're in the top 30-50 so you can make wealth

[Ryan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sweet, Syrupy, and Full of Empty Calories

I'm not sure I understand why a string of blog posts ended up as a book of sunshine-and-rainbow levels of over-saturated, saccharine optimism. They're just aphorisms like:

'Oh, wow, Pope Francis called a woman who wrote to him—what a great guy!'

Frankly, I didn't know who James Altucher was before this, but was surprised to discover he is apparently ridiculously successful. I guess this is sort of his "B-Side" stuff then, because they're literally just aphorisms about how 'the only constant is change' and how we should all just love and hug each other.

It's not a bad message to impart per se, but it's just all-over-the-place; scattershot positivity that leads down a dark path ultimately leads one nowhere. Unless you consider "write down 10 ideas a day that you can pursue your passions" solid life advice, and not a random thought you get at 2 AM when you're having trouble sleeping, then this is not at all a useful book.

In short, this book is a waste of time, but the author's heart seems to be in the right place, even if it is coated with thick layers of candy.

[Misty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mowed through this and it was worth it

All of the blurbs are true - this book is what I truly needed as I stand in the rubble of a life and career in my 40s. These are very timely, precise, and wildly interesting stories that are pertinent and that have actual takeaways that you can utilize RIGHT NOW.

[Jeo · Rating 3 out of 5]

James Altucher sometimes suffers from self-grandeur and has a writing style that can bother, but he has a point. If you want to excel in any field you have to work hard and more importantly build networks. That’s the lesson.

[Lorna Satchwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing. I plan to get a hard cover copy. I agree’d and felt inspired by a lot written in this book. This book surpassed my expectations in the self help reading way. Thanks Mr.Altucher!

[Atleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should be read randomly

This isn't a book as such, but a nice candy bag to dip into over time. Almost makes me want a random mode for Kindle, where each time you start you get an unread chapter.

Compared to the "original" Choose Yourself, Altucher seems more reflected, more nuanced and thoughtful this time around. The mix of actual insights from interviews, with more generic learning from Chaplin etc makes for a good contrast and some thought-provoking quotes.

[Germán Sánchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved all the stories. Easy to read and inspiring!

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, an absolute steal for the price!

For the price, this book is an absolute steal, it has distilled knowledge and tactics which will allow you to live more, to make your tomorrow more effective.

I specially recommend this book to people who are concerned about opportunities in life, I hope this will be exactly the fuel you need to improve. I am glad of the opportunity to read this book and I will be looking forward to apply the things I have learned here l.

[إسلام جمال · Rating 3 out of 5]

Invent.. Ask one of Google’s employees, What are the latest projects your company is working on? You expected them to be search-related. But, actually, they were totally different: building an automated car, developing a bracelet to cure cancer and connecting remote areas to Wi-Fi through stratospheric balloons. In other words, Google doesn’t let its “job” (providing a search engine) define it.. Google invents.

[Anirudh · Rating 3 out of 5]

DISCLAIMER: I abhor self-help books. I find them preachy, unrealistic and generic to the point of uselessness. I also expect arguments to be made with sound logic and the ‘try it out for yourself and see’ attitude in these books doesn’t really gel with me. I am certainly not who this book is written for.
I picked this book up on a whim because I liked James Altucher’s writing style from his pieces on Quora. I rolled my eyes at the title and expected to toss it aside in disgust in an hour. So I am extremely surprised by myself and very impressed with James that I finished the book.
He does some things exceptionally well, like writing relatable pieces in short digestible morsels. He exploits cognitive biases pretty effectively by using a variety of pop culture references and famous personalities from many different fields to keep the reader interested, and by using very pithy titles. His writing style is just as good as his short pieces (probably because this book reads more like a collection of short pieces) My only complaint with the feel of the book was that it was unnecessarily long. Towards the end, there was a LOT of unnecessary repetition. Still, I suppose that could be intended as an affirmation of sorts, but I found it annoying.
Coming to the content itself, I liked portions of it, was alright with most of it, and annoyed by some of it. Most of it was good advice, like working to improve every day by small amounts. Some of it was harder for me to take at face value, like orienting your life to make other people’s lives better. Leaving aside the question of whether that by itself is a good thing, Altucher should probably have spent some effort tying this recurring theme back to the idea of reinvention. I seem to have a lot of common interests with him, like poker and chess, for example, so I liked the sections related to my interests.
All in all, a luke warm endorsement. I certainly wont be raving about this book, but if someone is trying to turn their life around, then I would point them in this direction.

[Raf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read several books by James Altucher and I recognized some chapters from previous books. There were some new and good chapters but for someone who reads James’ blogs, most of the chapters are taken from his blogs and compiled into this book. Although I appreciate the work James does, I believe that he is slowly running out of ideas. I like to compare this book to a music album. If you release a new music album, you don’t put in songs from previous albums in there unless it’s re-mastered or a different version of the original. Essentially, this is what James does and I am a bit irritated by it. With all that being said, it’s still a good read for a very low price, so I’ll give that to him. I am however starting to get tired of his marketing techniques on his website. He offers to sell you a package of books and newsletter materials and once you click to checkout, another offer pops up. If you click on that, another offer pops up before you are ready to pay. So eventually a product that costs $49 he will try to throw extra things in there to get you to pay more and that to me is a borderline scammer/schemer. Like I said, I like his material but his marketing style is annoying me.

[Erin Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I just finished reading Reinvent Yourself by James Altucher, and let me tell you, it's an absolute game-changer! This book is the perfect guide for those looking to make a splash in the real world or try to find a better version of how to do what you want to do.

Altucher's writing style is so refreshing and relatable, it feels like he's sitting right next to you, sharing his personal anecdotes and life lessons over a cup of coffee. His witty humor and clever insights make the book an enjoyable read from start to finish.

But don't let the lighthearted tone fool you; this book is packed with practical advice and actionable steps to help you navigate the challenges of life. Altucher emphasizes the importance of taking risks, embracing failure, and constantly reinventing oneself in order to achieve success.

Overall, I highly recommend Reinvent Yourself to anyone looking to find their way in the world. Trust me, you won't regret it! I have even begun assigning it as a book to my HS students. The chapters are short. It is easy to put this book down and pick it up again an hour or a week later.

[Jared · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once I got used to the style the book was written in, I liked it. James Altucher is a podcaster and former doer of lots of things including programmer, business owner, chest master, and hedge fund manager. The book is written like a compilation of blog posts and “the top 10 things I learned from . . . “ type of posts. It moves along quickly because it changes subjects quickly. The subjects all relate about changing yourself for the better, especially in career and relationships.

I found it most useful for getting my mind running at how I could improve myself and motivating myself for change. It isn’t a deep dive into the psychology of self-improvement or the latest scientific advice. Rather, the book contains interesting observations about business and life. It is worth reading. Four stars.

[Bal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I take books like this slowly. Partly because I have other things I'm doing, but mainly because I like to give myself time to mull things over. And Reinvent Yourself did give me a number of things to really think on. In particularly, I liked the last chapter and the Appendix, which is a good way to end a book. Altucher's ideas of "reinventing oneself" seemed quite insightful to me. I'm going to have to read it again, after which I might up it to 5 stars.

[Russell D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stick to Constantly Shifting

This book is about shattering your comfort zone repeatedly! I love the fact that embracing change and preserving long enough to be good at something are emphasized. While it looks like this is a lengthy path, the “quick fix” methods I have tried are the direct cause of less than stellar results in my life! Roll up your sleeves and dig in! Don’t worry, you won’t have to do this all by yourself if you follow directions!

[Adam Keep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of great information. I took quite a few notes that will influence me in future endeavors. I will say though, for a man with so much money, you’d think he’d have paid someone to proofread the book. There were so many mistakes “when to paranoid” rather than “when to be paranoid” for example. If you can look past these types of mistakes and read the book for what it is, I would recommend giving it a read.

[Craig Stanland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second read of Reinvent Yourself, and I got more of it this time than the first time. I love the way James's breaks things down in such an accessible and enjoyable fashion.

We're entering The Great Reinvention and this book is ideal if you're ready to break free from your status quo and reinvent your life into one with joy, meaning and fulfillment.

[TNae Wilcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

James gets me:)

I follow him on twitter and was eager to get this book when I heard about it. Great points in here, several quotes that should be framed. Well done, James. Thank you for honesty, curiosity, and wisdom.

[Ricardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read, with good actionable advice. Thinking in getting the paperback version to read it often.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good yeah awesome go read it. It's $1.99

[Brynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Preachy, stream-of-consciousness word-vomit. Could not finish.

[Ksenia Isenka · Rating 1 out of 5]

Donald Trump's speeches are more coherent.

[Rey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I give up. This book is officially wasting my time.
Full of grammatical errors. I'll move on to something readable.