15 Things I Know For Sure
See Lesson 15
★ To Thy Own Self Be True. Shakespeare said it best. When you can wake up every morning, look yourself in the mirror and be proud, it makes life effortless.
★ People are the same, no matter where you go. The same cliques exist from Istanbul to Iowa.
★ Karma and your grace define who you are, cyclically. Everything you put out in this world comes back to you, ten fold.
★ Fake it, until you make it. The title says it all.
★ Enjoy being single. Unfortunately, most learn this lesson after a divorce. Save yourself the trouble and learn it at 16.
★ Get a pet. A turtle, fish, or a fluffy kitten. Whatever you choose, get one. It’s unconditional love at it’s best.
★ Learn to cook. Not because it will impress a future mate or garner you more friends (which it will); do it because it’s a basic survival skill. Everyday, you have to eat and eating out everyday is expensive! An omelette at a decent diner will run you around $7 with tax and tip, a dozen eggs cost $2.50 and that’s a week’s worth of breakfast! Beyond money savings, the best way to control calories is to cook at home. Win-win!
★ Cling to true friends. Weed out those that aren’t and make them acquaintances. There’s no need to waste your time around people who don’t contribute equally to your life. It’s a hard lesson, because people change similar to seasons. Once you’ve mastered this, your quality of life improves drastically.
★ Be frugal and save your money. Learn to eat what’s on sale, buy winter clothes in the summer, shop at double coupon groceries. Take the money you save and place it in a high yielding savings account. Never spend more than $20 a month on a credit card, that way you can afford to pay it off. There’s no shame in being savvy.
★ Learn to invest. Read investment books (Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Robert Kiyosaki; Real Money by Jim Cramer) and get an understanding on how money really works. Learn the principals of investing. Understand what a ETF, mutual fund, and stock is. Choose your own investment tools by opening an account at TD Ameritrade. Before you ever get a stock broker, you need to understand what a broker does. This way you can identify a bad one (which there are an over abundance of).
★ Buy health insurance. Especially if you are self employed. PPOs are better than HMOs, but much more expensive when they sell individual plans. If you can afford it, great, if not, get an HMO. They key is to finding a doctor you trust and feel is competent. Get a plan that includes dental insurance. Your annual payout limit for health care should be at least 1 million dollars, dental $2,500. For women, get a maternity rider even if you aren’t considering kids. Number of unplanned pregnancies: 74%.
★ Get a hobby. Nothing work related. Bowling, painting, knitting, photography, there are so many! Find something that brings you complete joy! Forget about the potential to profit off of it in the beginning. Once you realize it’s a hobby you want to stick with, then consider monetizing it! Do what you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life!
★ Get a good office chair, camera, or computer. Buy an item directly beneficial to work or a hobby. Try to stay away from a PS3 unless you’re an engineer. For writers a good laptop or office chair is a must. Artist needs drawing instruments or tablets. Buy this item after you have stuck with a hobby for at least 3 months.
★ Your body is a temple. Eat unprocessed food! This means anything in the produce aisle. Cut back on the salt and sugar and learn to drink water. Swap out dairy milk for soy or coconut milk. Limit junk and fried foods to the holidays.
★ Laugh everyday. This is a must. Watch a funny movie or read a book from your favorite comedian. Take silly cat pictures.
15, 13, 10 my favorites!
I take puppy pictures!