TOP 5 WAYS TO BUILD A WONDERFUL LIFE
TOP 5 WAYS TO BUILD A WONDERFUL LIFE
1. Live Below Your Means
There will always be temptation to
forsake the future for immediate gratification. We all want to buy that new
piece of technology, treat ourselves to an expensive night on the town, or take
out a loan for the flashy car we can’t afford. It might feel great at the time
but rash spending eventually will build and hurt a lot later on.
Enjoy life’s simple pleasures and
save as much as you can. Expensive things don’t create lasting happiness and
security. Careful spending will bring you greater leisure and enjoyment in the
long run.
2. Put Your Money to Work
Saving is great, but to make the
most of your money you need to put it to work. Good investments can be the
difference between retiring in your 40’s or in your 60’s.
A post today at The Simple Dollar
really got me thinking. According to Trent’s
projections, if a person in their early 20’s invests 20% of their
income in an S&P
index fund, the interest they earn will equal their current salary
when they reach their early 40’s. They could retire without a drop in income!
Wise investing is the surest path to
financial independence and it’s something everyone can work on. It’s definitely
an area I’ll be devoting more attention to in my personal life and on this
blog.
3. Educate Yourself
To be happy we need continuous
growth. The best way to grow is life long education. This doesn’t mean you need
to pursue a doctorate or spend 2 hours reading every day. Self
education can be anything that takes you out of your comfort zone.
The important part is keeping an open mind and searching for fresh ideas and
perspectives.
Education builds over time. It might
feel like the bits of wisdom you acquire don’t mean much, but over the years
they add up to form a wiser, kinder, more interesting person.
4. Develop Lasting Personal Relationships
Suppose you had everything you
wanted. Would you be happy without anyone to share it with? The personal
relationships we develop with friends and family members are the greatest
source of happiness in our lives. Don’t forget about them.
Taking the time to cultivate and
enjoy personal relationships is essential to longterm happiness. Without the
people you care about you’ll probably be miserable, no matter how successful
you become.
5. Work Towards a Dream You’re
Passionate About
Even if your life isn’t perfect, you
can always build towards a goal you’re passionate about. If you aren’t building
towards something, you’re probably stagnating. When this happens to me I start
to feel like a victim trapped by my own life. The best way to reverse this is
working towards a goal.
We can’t control everything about
our lives, but working towards a goal gives us something positive to focus on
and lays the foundation for future success. No matter what your passion is, get
out there and start doing something.
As Lao Tzu said, even a journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.
Bonus: 6. Stay in Shape
You only get one body. Once it’s
been ruined there isn’t much you can do about it. Exercise to keep the rust
off. Avoid excessive consumption of damaging substances and unhealthy foods. It
may feel like terrible self denial at the time but enjoying good health in your
later years is worth the sacrifice.
Comments
Post a Comment