Podcast: Play in new window | Download

I recently read an article by James Altucher called “The Ultimate Cheat Sheet For Reinventing Yourself” on Techcrunch. In all fairness, I have read a few of his blog posts and listened to a few podcasts he’s been on and I have to admit, they were all very inspiring and most of all, very amusing to read.

n However, his latest article in Techcrunch made me a little concerned that the thousands of people reading his article will now be completely disillusioned  into thinking that reinventing yourself is a long arduous 5-year endeavor as James quite humbly put it.

The problem with James Altucher as he puts it is that early in his career he has made tens of millions of dollars and has lost it all, MULTIPLE times and has done it over and over again. Along the way, he has pissed off many big names and many big industries completely burning all bridges to the ground and this is doing it over and over again. What’s that quote by Albert Einstein? — “Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results.”

I understand that failures are a big part of success – for 10 years, I’ve had my own businesses on the web making millions along the way and BAM, I got smashed to pieces by Google and lost it all. However, being a critical and accurate thinker, I can analyze and figure out what went wrong, put the pieces together and try again more intelligently.

This is where I show you – the functional logical thinker who is at a point where he/she needs to reinvent himself to do it in much less time.

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail Better.” -Richard Branson

Make a decision to reinvent and ask why?

  • Over the years, you will always reinvent yourself until you find your true best self.
  • Are you out of college, out of work (got laid off, fired) or are you sick and tired of what you’re currently doing?
  • Are you ready for the long road ahead?

Learn your new endeavor

  • Reinventing will require you to learn many new skills.
  • The books you read and the people you meet will be the foundation for who you end up becoming
  • You will be required to learn as many as 5-10 new habits and 5-10 new skills
  • Several of your basic skills such as communication, will be tested.
  • Skills required: strong communication skills, being a connector and connecting with others, ability to plan and execute, creating a timeline / goal and having determination to plow through.

Creating your brand, Finding your niche / passion

  • Your passion / niche is only a validation step away.
  • Whoever you choose to reinvent yourself as, start telling people today.
  • Everyone has a story – perhaps you had a long career in sunglasses like I did and failed or you had a great job and got fired and now look at you.
  • Your story may be similar to everyone else but your experiences and wisdom are unique to you.

Your mentors

  • Without mentors, you’re dead in the water.
  • Luckily, you’re in luck because every book that you read is your mentor.
  • If you read 20 books a year, you now have 20 mentors
  • Listen to podcasts through iTunes – podcasting is exploding and there are new podcasts on iTunes every day.

Meet the connectors and make the connections

  • The best way to build authority for your brand is to get interviewed on podcasts and well known web sites.
  • Gone are the days of TV interviews as they are no longer effective.
  • Go to meet ups and conferences and meet the people in your niche

A timeline:

  • 1-2 months to figure out your new niche
  • 3-6 months to learn and implement your brand (Your platform which consists of a web site, podcast, blog, email lists, etc)
  • 1-5 months to create your first product, service or establish your niche.
  • 6-12 months to become profitable.
  • In total about 1-2 years to reinvent yourself and build wealth.

Links talked on the podcast:

5-Star Reviews This week

  • JulienASA: I am listening to your podcast while running. Very inspirational. I haven’t found or built my own business yet but continuing to listen to your podcast will help me find the right one to do.

Did You Enjoy This Podcast?

Never miss an episode by subscribing, using one of the options below and If you can spare 30-seconds to leave a review, rate and subscribe on iTunes, it would really help the show’s ranking. Thank you, in advance!