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. 按照你自己的方式生活

总是会有那种放弃未来，来得到暂时满足的诱惑。我们都想买件新潮的科技产品，让自己在镇上度过一个昂贵的晚上，或贷款去买辆自己负担不起的华丽的汽车。这样做在当时可能感觉很棒，轻率的消费会在稍后让你很受伤

享受生活的简单乐趣和尽可能多的保持自己的本性。昂贵的东西并不能创造持久的幸福和安全。谨慎的支出将带给您更多长期的的休闲和享受。

2. 让钱发挥作用

存钱本身值得称赞，但是为了发挥你的存款的最大效力，你应该让其发货作用。好的投资可能成为你能在40岁或者60岁退休的差别。

一篇在 The Simple Dollar 上的帖子让我很是感触。根据特伦特的预测，如果一个人在二十岁时将其收入的20%投资到标准普尔指数化证券投资基金上，当他们四十岁时，收益将与目前的收入持平。他们就可以在收入没有减少的情况下退休。

明智的投资是达到财政的独立性最可靠的路径和它也是所有人都可以做到的。它无疑就是在我的私人生活和此博客上，我所要关注的。

3. 教育自己

应该感到高兴的是我们需要不断增长。增长的最好的办法是终身教育。这并不意味着你需要考取博士学位或花费2小时每天阅读。自我教育可以是那些让你脱离你的舒适区的所有的事情。最重要的是保持开放的态度，寻找新的想法和观点。

教育随着时间的推移慢慢建立。它可能觉得你获得的一点的智慧并不意味着很多，但多年后，这些智慧加起来就将形成一个睿智，善良，更加有趣的人。

4. 发展持久的私人关系

假设你有你想要的一切。你会很高兴没有人分享它吗？我们与朋友们以及家人发展程的关系在我们的生活中将是最大的幸福源泉。不要忘却他们。

找时间来培养和享受的私人关系对于长期幸福是必不可少的。不管你多么成功，加入没有那些你在乎的人，你可能很悲惨

5. 向你充满热情的梦想努力

即使你的生活并不完美，您可以随时建立一个你充满热情的目标。如果您没有建立一个目标，你可能停滞不前。对我来说，我开始觉得自己像一个被困我自己的生活中的受害者。扭转这一局面的最好的办法来正是要努力的目标。

我们无法控制我们生活中一切，但努力工作的目标给了我们一些可以关注和为未来的成功打下基础的积极的东西。不管你对什么充满激情，走出去，开始为之行动。正如老子说，千里之行，始于足下。

赠言：6. 保持身体健康

你只有一个身体。一旦它被破坏了，你就将无能为力。保持运动，拒绝生锈。避免使用大量的破坏性物质和不健康食品。当时它可能让你觉得是严重的自我否定，但在你的晚年能享受健康的身体，这将使牺牲变得很值得。