My ultimate motto in life is to ânever fail due to a lack of effort because effort requires no skill.â
Your ultimate goal is to be proud of yourself and where youâve landed. Surely we still have some work to do and no one usually says they are complete but being grateful is the easiest tip I can give you to be forever joyful.
Unfortunately, with our short attention spans these days mixed with multitasking and endless screen time, our presence and self-awareness has shrunken dramatically.
But whatâs most shocking is that barely anyone cares. They continue to feed themselves toxic content online, eat processed junk food and want to continue living their best life doing these useless tasks.
But how is that possible?
You only have 1Â brain.
How do you expect it to bring you greatness when you are exposing yourself to chemicals on your phone and in the food you eat?
You know the saying, âyou are the average of the people you are with.â
No joke.
You are the compilation of the things you do too.
Nuggets
I believe through years of unwavering commitment and dedication, your luck will be presented. The more you try to time luck and life, the more you will fall of track.
The more you try to compare yourself to others, the more time you waste being jealous of what you donât have instead of chasing it.
You can observe others for inspiration, but donât drool and become obsessive because you canât get anywhere without taking that leap of faith.
Best Investments In Life
Although investments are known to be used in the finance world, Iâm not talking about assets or portfolio allocation this time.
You can check out my collection of articles for that.
Iâm talking about you.
The commitment and dedication you put yourself through directly translates what you will do and end up in.
Work hard to invest in yourself. Embrace mistakes and become 100% comfortable with not knowing anything, be embarrassed and fail more because to fail is truly a privilege.
The older you get the more defendants, responsibilities, less energy and time you have to pursue and try new things.
When you are young, time is on your side.
After all, it is your most precious asset. Ops! I said a finance word! Asset!
Asset is anything that grows (appreciates) in value and will become an investment (pays off) for your future self.
When I started working on my startup at the start of quarantine in March 2020, what really stood out and kept me going was what one of my dearest mentors told me.
He stated, âmost people fail due to a lack of patience or preparation, not IQ or what they donât know.â
Donât strive to be a genius. That wonât get you far. Become a generalist with an open mind that is agile. Being able to adapt to difference environments and become flexible is more important than ever in this day in age as all industries seem to be clashing and merging.
Most people donât fulfill their dream not because of smarts rather because they take 1 step in 100s of directions instead of 2 steps forward.
Happiness Effect
My definition of happiness is simple just like me.
It has nothing to do with that paycheck or title even though most students obsess over those until itâs too late.
It comes from having control and perspective about myself.
The worst regret is regret itself but life isnât hard because youâre doing it wrong, itâs hard because youâre doing it right.
I know. That was deep.
Taking shortcuts and timing life will only set you back.
Thereâs no point in not gaining perspective, cutting corners and not slowing down a little because that will actually make you go faster and ahead.
7 Scientific Proven Ways To Boost Happiness Forever
I donât know about you but Iâm tired of hearing self-help gurus talk about how theyâre convinced their 5am workout will turn them into Bezos and reading âAtomic Habitsâ 600 times will make them happy.
Spoiler Alert: Following millionaire/billionaire/rich (you name it) habits wonât make you any more successful or happy if you donât enjoy it and do it for yourself.
Although Iâve followed the 5am workout since 7th grade, I do in fact enjoy it, thatâs why I do it. I donât do it for the benefit of making more.
Exercise naturally elevates my mood, which increases my energy levels, allows me to eat better, feel better, stay present and naturally become a better version of myself which may or may not translate into making more.
More time on the treadmill doesnât equate to more success. Itâs overtime the mindset will change that can lead to it.
But besides the books, workouts and shakes, what about something actually fun and different?
Because tbh, not everyone loves to read especially since school ruined our perception about books.
#1: Understanding that the âbadâ isnât that bad
I know, donât bash me. This isnât an activity but something so vital that most people neglect.
When I used to see an ambulance driving 60 mph past the traffic, I felt sad that someone is hurting but then my friend told me to reverse my thinking and be positive.
Be thankful that someone is there to help them!
Considering the positive aspect of life instead of putting two things in buckets; good or bad will help elevate your way of life.
For peace of mind, learn to become appreciative and grateful for what you have.
Grateful = joy not the opposite.
#2: Work Hard on Yourself
Seriously, but donât beat yourself up.
If you want someone to invest in you, you must invest in yourself.
When I was in middle school, I hated reading but knew it was good for me. I cheated and went to SparkNotes, printed our summaries and literally memorized what was in Shakespeare because it was so incredibly boring. I couldnât get past the 1st page.
Now as a sophomore in college, although I still dislike Shakespeare, fantasy, fiction and most novels that arenât about science, finance, or in the non-fiction category, I came to appreciate why my teacher wanted me to be exposed to random topics.
No wonder I cannot pick up a conversation about history as best as others can!
I didnât read many of the books that were assigned in topics that I disliked!
Sometimes in life, you have to do what you hate. Thereâs no such thing as a perfect job or class.
Having an open-mind and staying curious in randomness is key.
Since then, Iâve made it a daily morning habit to implement randomness into my 3 hour reading schedule.
Iâve surely seen my knowledge expand rapidly.
Life doensât necessarily get harder as you get older, only if you donât invest in yourself today.
After all you are the best investment because:
-No one can take education away from you
-You never know when a random fact is helpful, especially in any conversation
-When you know more, you create and spread more
-Build a better community
-Naturally curious
= Happiness
I believe the less you know, the less happy you are, in most circumstances.
Certainly if you didnât know your partner was cheating on you, you would be happier but would you really?
Make you a priority, be selfish and invest.
#3: Live Frugally
Thereâs a difference between being cheap and frugal.
Frugal is:
-Appreciating what you have
-Less = More mindset
-Limiting distractions, technology and looking out into nature and with people
-Spending at least a few months contemplating big purchases: car, house, big vacations, etc.
-Buuy what they need, not what others need
-Invest in oneself that appreciates not in depreciating junk such as clothes and luxury goods
Being cheap entails:
-Not caring about oneself
-Unhealthy obsession with wasting time finding the best bargain
-Having to pay for many cheap things instead of a few investment pieces that save money and time overall
-Being bombarded and overwhelmed by what to find next to save a few dollars that arenât worth it
-Never appreciates what couldâve been boughten with care and effort
The more money you have, doesnât mean the more you should spend.
Yes, itâs common that most fall into lifestyle inflation but that doesnât make anyone happier. Trust me Iâve lived that way as an upper class teen.
Junk only deprecates in value, takes up space and you have to bother selling or removing it in the long run.
Buy and focus on what matters.
Less junk = clearer mind.
#4: Get that Daily Dose
No not alcohol or meds, Iâm talking about daily doses of things that will help you in your life.
Health = Wealth.
From food to screen time, everything requires moderation. I believe daily doses are healthier than major fixes that donât last.
Especially if youâre trying to burn off that pandemic weight.
Nothing happens overnight.
These are the daily doses I get each day:
-Vitamin C + D from the outdoors
-Spending time in nature, around trees and away from my phone
-Being around family, friend and pets
-Taking a 20 min power nap, no more, no less
-Getting a quick high intensity workout instead of 2 hour cardio burnout session
-Get up from your desk every 20â30 minutes and do 5 jumping jacks
-Read books, randomness for a few minutes a few hours is too hard for some, keep it realistic and fun
Compounding is the 8th wonder of the world for a reason.
Opps, I said another finance word! Compounding!
See how finance intermingles with our lives!
#5: Get Your Hands Dirty
No wonder kids are so fun, simple, innocent and donât overcomplicate things!
They get dirty, experiment and love to do nonsense!
Be silly.
There are scientific benefits to being goofy.
Find your inner kid in you so you can get through anything.
Why take the world or most importantly yourself so seriously?
Take off your shoes and run on the grass with your bare feet.
Dig your hands into some soil and let the bugs crawl up your fingers.
Donât be scared.
No one is watching except for you.
Trust me. We wish people paid attention to us more than they really do.
#6: Hire Someone
Part of investing in yourself, is taking advantage of every second of your precious time.
Time is the only thing you cannot buy back. No matter how rich you are, you cannot get more.
No wonder one of the wealthiest men on Earth: Warren Buffet says more noâs than yesâ.
You have to be selective of what you want and spend your time on.
Personally, I would pay someone a lot to waste my time.
In reward, if you can get your time back, hire someone which will most likely be paid to let you earn more in return.
If you hate sweeping floors or cooking, let someone make your life easier and do it for you.
But if you do enjoy cleaning toilets or trying new recipes, do it yourself but remove as much friction and time wasted as possible from other parts of life.
This is the frugal mindset.
You are mindful of what you have and what needs to be done to get more done.
#7: Listen to Sad Music
Ironically sad music lets us get in-tune with our emotions and accumulate more happy thoughts than if we listened to only happy ecstatic music 24/7.
Think of a happy and sad song in your playlist.
Which one makes you think deeper, feel more appreciative and alive?
Maybe the happy one but according to a 2014 study that surveyed 722 around the globe, âListening to sad music can lead to beneficial emotional effects such as regulation of negative emotion and mood as well as consolation.â
Crank up that sadness and become happier!
Boosting your happiness doesnât come straight away.
Itâs a skill and habit that must keep developing like building muscle.
If you werenât scared, where would you be?
You have nothing to loose from trying these free 7 activities to get you one step closer to becoming the best version of yourself.
Have fun!