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James Altucher’s 5x5 Rule for Living a Smart Life
A good approximation to get an idea of where you are
Making sense of life is what all of us try to do. But it is not easy. Often I become anxious — and stressed — when I think about how my life story will unfold. My optimism bias tells me all will be okay, but it is silly to believe everything your biases — flaws in your brain wiring — tell you.
I have made many decisions I wish I hadn’t. My past haunts me. It wastes so much time and consumes the mental resources I could have used to do something meaningful.
On the other hand, though I know my future is bright, I spend most of the time thinking about how something awful is about to happen. Every time I sneeze, I imagine the worst.
The only way to fight the fear is to understand what’s going on. I want to know where I am. I want to know who I am. And why I am here. But these questions have no answers. So what can we do then?
Not knowing anything for sure, we rely on our guesses. Our minds weave a reality where unimaginable problems are solved abstractly.
Once many of us reach similar approximate answers in our lives, we sit together and echo each other’s views — this is how our life is. When we leave our group, we think we have the answers to these…
