Hi Friends,
How is the 2011 so far? Seems like this year has started like a runaway train. It seemed like we celebrated New Year just yesterday. We are in March 2011 already.
Now the question is, are you going to let the year and your life runaway like the train? You will not be in control of your life and before you know it you may be in the same boat as last year-overweight, unhealthy, less well off, doing so so in your career, did not start working on your New Year Resolution and the list goes on as far as what you could have done or achieved.
You should take stock of your life, analyze and take control of your life. Be the Master of Your Life and Destiny! I am of the school of thought that you create the life you want. It may not be perfect but at least you do not have to blame anyone else for it. My favorite adage: "God helps those who help themselves!" If you leave it to chance/fate you are doomed. You will be a runaway train and before you know it you are 60 years old and broke and sickly.
Just think about it. When you were growing up you chose which college to go to and what you wanted to be e.g. a teacher, a lawyer, a doctor, an engineer, etc. Some of us became what we desired to do because we took the right actions and did the right things. The rest of us stumbled into what we are doing right now.Those who had a plan seem to do slightly better or really well. The rest of wish we could roll back time. You have only One Life...Live it Well!
Be the Master of your Life
1) Family
In my opinion, family is an important part of one's life. But in today's context, family nucleus is no longer close. Most children use their parents as their personal banks and once they get their education, they just migrate and abandon their parents. Or after they get married, their parents become their grand children's caretakers/babysitters while the parents go and have fun. But many of them do not return the love and care the parents shower on them and their children. At the end of the day no matter what happens, our family is the one that is going to standby us. If you have any differences, talk it out and stay united. It is not easy, but you must try to stay close. Say "I love you" to you family members.
2) Health
Take Care of your health starting now (if you have not already started). What you do now will show up ten, twenty, thirty years down the road. By the time you hit 30 years of age, most of the damage may have been done if you had been neglecting your health, drinking too much, eating too much and not getting enough rest when you were young. After that you can only do damage control.
Manage your stress level. Keep it at a manageable level. Career is important but not at the expense of your health. If your work is stressful, change your job. Choose something that you enjoy. Never mind if it is for a lesser pay. You will have a better quality of life.
Exercise at least two to three times a week! Exercise is one way to maintain healthy lifestyle and manage stress.
Remember....Health is Wealth. If you are healthy, you will spend less money on medicine and hospitals. You not only save money but you will be healthy enough to work and earn more money.
3) Wealth
Everybody wants to be rich but not everybody knows how to be rich.Read related books and ask for advise from experts. You need to earn residual (PASSIVE) income in form of rentals, dividends, capital gains, monthly revenue from side business, etc.
Invest in the following to earn passive income. Do your research before you embark on any business to see if there is any potential.:
i) Property- within your means. Do not over stretch yourself. Rental income will provide for retirement savings. The new property rulings have affected property investment plans of many. So tread carefully.
ii) Stocks- do your research. Investing in "blue chip" stock is usually a safe bet. The dividends can be your passive income. It will give you more than the interest you get from your savings in banks. Plus, there is always the possibility of capital appreciation with "blue-chip" stocks. Research the stocks carefully before buying. Diversification of your investments is another safe rule to adopt to preserve your hard earned money.
iii) Unit Trust- read publication like The Edge Singapore and Business Times for information. Talk to financial advisers. But always make your own informed decision because people have been burnt listening to advise of others. You can get good returns if you are well informed about markets, trends, and if you know how to read financial reports ( or ask someone who knows to explain to you).
iv) Side Business- Start a blogshop, give tuition, offer your services for a fee- home catering, bake cakes for children's birthday parties, be a ghost-writer, part-time gym instructor, photography services, etc.
v) Savings - Force yourself to save 10% to 30% of your income. Set that aside and do not touch it for daily use or frivolous buys such as handbags, shoes, holidays, & "iPad". Use that to invest, pay off outstanding debts and make sure you set aside 6 months to a year's salary as "Emergency Fund". If you have difficulty setting aside money, than set aside $1 a day. In a year you will be able to save $365 and in 10 years $3,650 (before interest). It is not a lot in today's context. But you got to start somewhere. If you want to have more than save $10 a day. In 10 years, you will have $36,500 (before interest).
4) Friends
Friends are an important part of our lives. But choose your friends carefully. They can sometimes make or break you. Positive and like minded friends can be great source of inspiration to your life. Pessimistic and selfish friends can drain the energy out of you. There are too many people who are "fair-weather friends". They are only there when the going is good for you and them. Once you have no use for them, they are out of the door looking for the next catch. The social network is essential for us to have a meaningful balance between family and work. For me, my friends are important. They have been a source motivation and inspiration. Hence, it is important who we choose as our friends, so that you remain friends for life.
5) Mental
You need to be mentally strong to overcome any obstacle or difficulty. You must have the "Can Do Attitude". "Be Positive". Don't just look at problems.....look for solutions to your problems.If you can look at the glass as being "half full" rather than being "half empty" you can have a better chance of overcoming a difficulty because psychologically you on a high and therefore able to think clearly.
6) Career
Choose a career you love. You will get great joy and your stress level will be much less. For example, for some "Teaching" is a perfect career because most teachers like to shape young minds. There are those who have given up their professional career such as lawyer or banker to become social workers and chefs and are doing extremely well.
7) Spiritual
There is a "God" in all of us. You don't have to be religious to be spiritual. You can follow certain code of conduct that respects the humanity within you and others. You can meditate, you can pray for world peace and pray for well being of all in this world. For some you need a religion to be spiritual. For others being a good person is more important. Whatever your belief, Spirituality helps to bring stability and peace of mind to those who seek this path of Spirituality.
8) Charity
Helping others is good because you can make someone happy for change. Some like to give 10% or more to charity. Giving your time is even better because there are people who need new houses or well to be built so that they can have a good supply of water. Some places require good teachers and medical staff to take care of their health. Whether you choose to give $1 or $1,000 or 10 hours of your time, the important thing is you do it. It would be better if you can do it on monthly or weekly basis. You can do something for the New Zealand or Japan earthquake victims. They really need our help. The assistance you provide will bring you good "Karma".
Take Charge of your life now. Set your goals and work towards achieving them. You will be much happier person when you know that you can have the power to achieve your "realistic" goals. In order to have the power, you need to make some serious changes to your personality make-up. That will take time and you need to be patient and you must keep working at it. Rome wasn't built in one day.
Good Luck!
Cheers,
Mark
