I Haven’t Gotten a Cold in 3 Years
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by James Altucher: Self-Publishing
Your Own Book Is the New Business Card
I havenÂ’t
gotten a cold in almost three years. This is not bragging. IÂ’m
not the healthiest person in the world. ItÂ’s just fact. Every
year of my life from the age of one until three years ago IÂ’d
get a cold 2-4 times a year. It was horrible. My nose would run,
my throat would get so sore I couldnÂ’t eat. IÂ’d be coughing
all the time. IÂ’d wipe my snot on every surface available to
me: hands, clothes, coat, the ground, the wall, other people. IÂ’d
get headaches, and it would last 3-5 days. Since early 2009 I havenÂ’t
gotten it once. I got a cold in May, 2009 and I got a cold in December,
2008 and those are my last two.
The photo below
was my “recovery medicines”. I was taking a bunch of photos
to document all the fun I was having with my kids that weekend and
this was the final photo. My recovery. Then my last cold was shortly
after I met Claudia. Maybe this article will jinx it and I will
get a cold tomorrow. WeÂ’ll see. I hope not. IÂ’m really
grateful I havenÂ’t had a cold in almost three years.
But I like
to think about what works in my life and what doesnÂ’t. So I
take a look at pre-2009 and post-2009 and think of the biggest things
that mightÂ’ve been factors in me getting a cold.
Pre-May
2009.
1. I didnÂ’t
sleep for more than 2 to 3 hours at a stretch. Then IÂ’d
wake up anxious about one thing or other. Check the markets, check
email, google stuff, read news, even watch a TV show. Then try to
go back to sleep and usually fail. I was a daytrader for many years
and that didnÂ’t help matters since markets were always open
somewhere in the world.
2. I never
exercised. For awhile in 2003 I exercised during my peak period
of daytrading but only very little (from 5-6 in the morning until
the cafes with donuts would open up).
3. I ate
three big meals a day. Often steak or pasta at dinner. With
a nice dessert. And 2-3 croissants for breakfast. In early 2009
I was definitely gaining weight. And then I would eat junk food
in between.
4. I drank
alcohol. I have more stories about drinking alcohol and maybe
I will put them here. Suffice to say the more I drank, the more
colds I would get.
5. Stress.
Not only I was stressed with my own life but everyone elseÂ’s
as well. Always worried not only about what people thought of me
but worried about the news. Would so and so bomb the other so-and-so?
Would Intel have bad earnings? Would my trades work? Would my businesses?
Would XYZ invest in my fund? Would the IRS take my settlement? Would
my book sell. Worry, worry, worry.
I donÂ’t
think I did this in the right order. I think 1, 4, 3, 2, 5 is the
right order of importance. So now I compare with Post-May, 2009
to see whatÂ’s different.
Post-May
2009
1. I started
sleeping at least 8 hours a day. Without looking at the computer
in the middle. I once read that its bad to sleep too much. That
7-8 hours a day is good. Some days now I sleep between 10 and 11
hours. The body rejuvenates during sleep. Think about it. When you
actually do get sick, whatÂ’s the thing the doctor tells you
to do? Hydrate yourself and sleep. ThatÂ’s the best cure.
The question
is: we are busy people. How can we sleep 10 hours a day. ThatÂ’s
answered below.
2. I donÂ’t
drink alcohol. Ever. For one thing. ItÂ’s a depressant.
IÂ’ve been depressed enough in my life. Why tempt it. Second,
inhibitions get loosened. Mine are loosened enough. I donÂ’t
need more loosening. When IÂ’ve loosened them, enough material
for five blog posts have come out. I donÂ’t need any more blog
posts.
Third, itÂ’s
a poison. I know there’s a saying – all things in moderation.
But I can think of at three basic ways alcohol can kill you:
- its a poison
so it has a lethal limit. - itÂ’s
physically addictive so IÂ’ve seen instances where someone
was so sick if they didnÂ’t wake up in the middle of the night
to drink they would have to go to the hospital or die. - You can,
of course, drive drunk. Or get in a fight. Or whatever. And then
die from that. We all have anecdotes of one sort or other that
wasnÂ’t old wivesÂ’ tales but seen with our own two eyes.
Most importantly,
it obviously doesnÂ’t boost your immune system. It destroys
it and is the cause of countless cancers. Some people say one glass
a wine a day is good for the heart. Even if this was true (all the
evidence is unclear) it is true that this number is not an average:
even two glasses on any ONE day ruins any positive effects and sets
you back.
I donÂ’t
drink alcohol because IÂ’m some sort of puritan. IÂ’m the
opposite. I just simply want to live a long life with high quality
in my later years. One can say, ‘well, you can get hit by a
car tomorrow so why worry about living to be 80 or 90?Â’
My response:
IÂ’m not going to get hit by a car tomorrow.
February
3, 2012
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© 2012 The
Altucher Confidential