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 hurts 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 long-term 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.

1．量入为出的生活方式

这个世界充满太多的诱惑，使得很多人都因暂时的满足感而放弃了未来。我们都想要拥有最新最昂贵的技术产品，奢侈地享受某个夜晚，或者用贷款购买一辆无法负担的豪华轿车。当种感觉可能真的很好，但毫无计划的开支只会带来更多的后遗症。

享受生活简单的快乐，并尽可能保持这种状态。奢侈的物质享受是无法带来持久的快乐和安全感的。最终，只有量入为出的生活方式才能带来安逸的生活和幸福。

2.投资事业

节俭是美德，但要充分地利用你的金钱，就把它们投资在事业上。好的投资能让你在40岁时就得到财务上的解脱，这比60岁退休要好得多。

今天收到的来自The Simple Dollar公司的邮件让我为之深思。特伦特的观点是，如果有人在20岁早期就开始将收入的20%投资在S&P的指数化证券投资基金上，那么当他们40岁时所赚的利息就等于现在的工资。那时，他们就可能在没有任何收入的情况下达到财务解脱。

明智的投资是通向财务解脱最可靠的途经，也是每个人都学得会。毫无疑问，这是我愿意为之付出心血致力在这个博客上研究和学习的。

3．自我培养

我们需要不断地成长来获得最终的快乐幸福。成长的最好方法是穷其一生的学习。但这并不意味着你必须要获得博士头衔或每天两小时的阅读。自我培养是能让你从安逸环境中走出的任何方式。最关键的是保持思想开放，寻求崭新的想法和观点。

自我培养是通过时间累积而成的。可能你所学到的聪明才智在目前并无特别之处，但许多年后，它们会在渐渐累积，帮助你成为一位智者，善人，或幽默风趣的人。

4．持久的人际关系

假设你已拥有想要的一切。但如若无人分享，你还会开心吗？我们与朋友亲人间建立的感情关系是快乐的最大来源。切莫忘了这点。

懂得花时间来培养和享受人际关系是永久快乐的本质因素。假如你没有真正想要关心的人，那样的你是悲惨的，不管有多成功。

5．致力于你的梦想

即使你的生活并不够完美，你也可以朝着你的梦想前进。没有可为之努力的目标，可能就会慢慢变得颓废。当这种情况发生我身上时，我就开始感觉那是生活的一个陷阱。扭转这种状况最好的办法是朝着一个目标前进。

对于生活，我们无法掌控，但不停地追求目标可以让我们变得积极，为成功打下基础。不管你的目标是什么，只要你下定决心踏出第一步。老子曾说，千里之行始于足下，就是这个道理。

6．保持良好状态

生命只有一次。一旦身体出了什么问题，就再无法挽回。多做运动会让身体更加健康。尽量避免有损身体的过量运动和危害健康的食物。也许你会有反抗情绪，但为了以后的健康生活，这种牺牲绝对是值得的

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