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 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.

1.理智消费

人们总是为了满足眼前利益而不顾后顾之忧。每个人都想拥有最新的电子产品，享受一次奢侈的夜晚，或者贷款购买一辆根本无法负担的炫车。尽管可以满足一时的快感，但盲目消费会对以后的生活造成不良的影响。

应当享受简单的生活并尽全力的储蓄。奢侈品并不能令人产生持久的幸福感和安全感。理智消费才能带来更大的乐趣和长远的享受。

2. 让你的钱为你工作

储蓄很重要，但是为了赚得更多的钱你需要理财。正确的投资会极大的影响你的生活。例如，你的退休年龄将会是40岁还是60岁。

今天《The Simple Dollar》中的一则快讯引起了我的思考。根据Trent的统计，如果一个人在２０岁时将收入的20%投入到S&P基金中；当他４０岁时，赚的利息等同于他当时的薪水。这意味着，他可以提前退休并不会损失一分钱。

合理投资是通向经济独立的最可靠途径。这也是每个人都可以掌握的技能。就我个人而言，这也是我的博客，甚至我的生活中很重要的一部分。

3. 学习，学习，再学习！

为了获得幸福，我们需要不断的成长，而其中最好的方式就是终生学习。然而这并不意味着你需要获得博士学位或者每天阅读2小时。教育的真正目的在于永不满足，重要的是保持开放性的思维方式，追求新鲜的理念，开拓更广阔的视角。

学习需要积累。每一个知识点似乎不足挂齿，但日积月累，你就会成为一个更加智慧，善良，阅历更加丰富的人。

4.建立长久的人际关系

假如你拥有了梦想的一切，但没有人与你分享，你还会快乐吗？我们与朋友和家人的关系是生活中最大的幸福来源。别忽视他们。花时间建立并享受这种人际关系是延续幸福的必要手段。如果一个人周围没有值得去关心的人，无论多成功，都是可悲的。

5.努力工作，向梦想挺进！

即使生活不完美，你也可以充满激情的去创造。生活如逆水行舟，不进则退。当我处于这种境况时，我会觉得像一名被自我束缚的受害者。最好的解决办法是设立目标，并努力工作。

我们不能控制生活中的一切，但有目的的打拼让我们集中精力于某一积极性的目标，并为未来的成功奠定基础。无论你的目标是什么，开始吧！正如老子说的，千里之行，始于足下。

6.保持身体健康

每个人都只拥有一个身体，失而不能复得。应当坚持锻炼，让身体充满活力；避免过多消耗对身体有害的物质；远离不健康食品。起初你会觉得难以坚持，但比起晚年所能得到的健康，这些代价是值得付出的。