Jared's
Advice Originally
posted on
Educational
Aspect of Life
Knowledge is power. The world is
highly competitive in the 21st century. If you want to compete against the millions
of other people for survival, love, friendship, income, opportunities, and/or
employment, you will have to remain competitive by being educated, succeeding
academically, and continuing your education until the day you breathe your very
last breath.
Going to college or going back to school is achievable.
Anyone can get a college degree these days. There are hundreds of thousands of
opportunities to receiving funding and aid to cover your educational costs. For
those of you who are anti-education, think it over. This is not an issue of doing
what the majority are doing. However, as long as you self-educate yourself with
discipline and support from others, combining dynamic and challenging life experiences
and developing interpersonal relationships, you, too, can become competitive.
Many people lack the discipline and resources to do this one their own. A two
or four-year degree often shows more than a solid education; it shows a two- or
four-year commitment towards education, personal development, and your future
career. It doesn't matter who you are or where you are in life. If you want a
formal education, you can get it, and will be respected for your commitment. Either
way, always keep learning. Never stop reading.
Making mistakes and being
fallible is expected. People learn exceptional life lessons based on actions
or choices that lead to short-term conflicts, loss, or failure. Expect to make
mistakes, just don't lack the discipline, responsibility, and commitment towards
your academic investments. Don't waste your time, effort, or money on your education
by disregarding your values related to your education, training, and knowledge.
Reading
and studying books is a great educational activity. If you find yourself watching
more TV programs in a month compared to reading for pleasure or progress, you
are missing out on investing in your continuing education. While reading content
from web sites is helpful, it is often more powerful to read a published, printed
text from an author. It's even better to study the content and advice in such
a book. Learn to enjoy reading and it will become easier for you. Reading is a
great life experience when you've got books on subjects you are most passionate
about. Studying those books is a great educational experience if you wish to truly
take away what you've learned from those books.
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Financial Aspect of Life
Money comes easily and
frequently. It's truly very easy to make money and a lot of it. What a person
needs is a positive attitude and faith that they will be successful. The moment
a person associates fear with money, paralysis or financial loss may occur. Have
faith and make smart financial decisions.
Invest in the best. You're
going to spend it anyway. Spend your money on your greatest priorities. If your
health is your #1 priority, invest in a gym membership, massage therapy and chiropractic
sessions, and healthier food. If live entertainment is really important to you,
spend your money on concerts and performance art rather than on less-inspirational
distractions.
Risk vs. Reward. Gambling and investing in the stock
market can be risky. If you have faith and decent knowledge about an opportunity,
get some advice from a professional. Then, ask for a second opinion. Then, sleep
on it. Basically, slow down, think about the potential, and ask yourself if it's
worth risking it all, even if the risk is low. If you experience a current loss,
have faith. If you intend to profit, it's very possible. It may take some time,
however. Even 20 years. Ever hear of Taser International?
Creativity
is a Cash Cow. Millionaires are known for their innovation and creativity,
doing things few or none have ever done in the past. If you want to make money
a non-traditional way, be creative. Take time to come up with unique one-of-a-kind
ideas. It may take you weeks or months or years and you may evaluate hundreds
if not thousands of products or services. Nothing is guaranteed unless you intend
to get it by being proactive.
Save it for a rainy year. Having money
for a "rainy day" was popular in the 20th century. Nowadays, it's highly
suggested to have as much savings as possible to prepare you for unexpected life
experiences like injury or illness, unemployment whether voluntary or not, or
for great investment opportunities.
Almost everything is negotiable.
It doesn't hurt to ask if there's any flexibility with the price of a product
or service. You won't be insulting a person if you ask or if you even offer less.
Or a lot less. America is all about capitalism. While it's a free country, it
doesn't always have to cost so much.
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Personal
Aspect of Life
Maintain a healthy and positive attitude.
When you think good thoughts, you feel good. When you feel good and take a proactive
approach towards life, work, and love, good things happen. You can only have one
thought at a time. Make it a good one and keep thinking this way.
Determine
your passions. There must be something that drives you wild. What's your #1
passion? What brings you to tears? What do you absolutely love to do, see, be
apart of, or experience? Whatever it is, as long as it's legal and healthy, invest
in it and include it in your life each and every single day.
Develop
your interests and hobbies. Figure out what fascinates you and what you'd
like to commit towards learning more about in the future. What do you want to
tell people when they ask what you're into or what you do for fun? As long as
it's healthy and legal, it can be a positive part of your life.
Develop
your talents. While you don't have to be good at anything in particular, if
there is something you do well or would like to do better, invest in it. If you
love to play the piano, but have forgotten how to read music, commit to learning
how to do it again. If you love to sing, but your throat becomes sore after a
few notes, get a voice coach. It'll help you professionally as well as personally.
Focus
on doing and contributing to things that bring you pleasure. Do what makes
you feel good and attempt to avoid things that make you feel bad. If meeting people
online, for example, makes you feel good short-term, then enjoy it. However, if
you know that long-term, nothing will come from fruitless relationships, stop
immediately. Feel good.
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Physical
Aspect of Life
Make your health your #1
priority. Without a healthy mind and body, you won't be able to enjoy the
benefits of living a pain-free, long-lasting life filled with pleasure, joy, and
happiness. Without exceptional health, you will have to manage the implications
of illness and injury, taking resources away from your other priorites such as
family, friends, progress, making contributions to the world, and pleasure. There
is no rational reason for not making health the most important aspect of your
life.
Think good thoughts and love your body. If you're not happy
with your body image, change it by starting with your thoughts. Be grateful that
you're alive, intend to improve your body, and accept yourself. When you're committed
to better health and a better body, you will see results. Discipline, faith, and
a positive attitude are necessary. Imagine what you want to be like and you will
become that person.
Make sure you know what you're putting into your
body. Do you know how your food is processed, where it comes from, or how
it got to your plate? If not, create awareness by doing research, speaking with
healthcare professionals, and determining if what you've been doing for years
is no longer right for you. If you want to find out why millions of people are
becoming vegetarians, all you have to do is ask.
"Watch your mouth"
when it comes to the liquids. Substances that may lead to substance abuse
can gradually hurt you. Alcohol, nicotine, narcotics, and other substances are
not given to children for a reason. That doesn't mean that adults should take
advantage of their availability. Legal implications aside, avoid all nicotine
and narcotics at all costs and limit your intake of alcohol to a minimum. It's
very easy. Until you become addicted. As for soda, cut it out. Stick to water.
Rest
as much as possible unless you suffer from depression. We're often "on"
doing more and more each year. If you find yourself fatigued, try to slow down,
and prioritize on your most important goals. Go to your bedroom earlier. Watch
less TV. Be less productive by spending less time using the computer for personal
purposes. Get a massage. Give a massage.
Join a gym and use it for at
least 30 minutes each day. The costs are nothing as important as the quality
of your life and your health. Join a convenient gym with a short-term contract
and reasonable rates. Check out eBay for transferable memberships to save money
long-term. Many gyms offer complimentary classes such as spinning and yoga. Take
advantage and get addicted to the benefits of physical fitness. Consider a gym's
personal trainer or hire a coach if you lack discipline.
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Professional
Aspect of Life
Do what it takes to do what you want.
Your career can entail anything you desire if you have the right attitude, resources,
and opportunities. Do what's right not what's easy. If you feel that you must
compromise and focus on a short-term employment distraction to get you closer
to where you need to be to cover your costs of living or payback debts, then go
for it. However, if you get sucked into an opportunity that won't let you progress
with your professional priorities, it's time to leave. Take risks and have faith.
Drop "fear" from your vocabulary.
Traditional jobs are not
for everyone. Independent contractors, self-employed individuals, and entrepreneurs
are flourishing. Don't be pressured by people who say that traditional jobs are
more secure. Focusing on your professional priorities are the most secure opportunities
out there. No job is guaranteed to last or guaranteed to help you progress with
your career objectives.
We're in this together. Success is based
on relationships: who you know and who they know. Creating and maintaining mutually-beneficial
relationships is crucial. It's rare for someone to "do it all"
on their own. The opportunities of always being connected, benchmarking on the
best, and creating valuable partnerships is always out there waiting for your
investment. Developing authentic relationships can be challenge and time-consuming
and essentially easier than attempting to become successful working with strangers.
Build upon your network daily and always be personal.
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Social
Aspect of Life
FAMILYUnderstand,
accept, and forgive your family. Sometimes being related and sharing a history
may be all that you've got in common. When mixed together, personality differences,
differences in values, interests, and goals, and mental illness, can lead to conflict
or potential chaos. If you and your family members are fully-functioning mentally
and you instill values of open-communication, respect, and trust - and understanding,
acceptance, and forgiveness, you will have a foundation of love stronger than
many foundations found in families across the nation. Learn to say, "I'm
sorry," and mean it sincerely and expect the same as well. Just
because you're related doesn't mean you have to have a relationship. The first
thing that must be done is to understand, accept, and forgive a family member
who has hurt you in the past. If you and another family member have a bad past
and it is clear that neither of you wish to have an authentic relationship moving
forward, it's okay to move on with separate lives and never speak again. If it's
"not that easy" because of family events that both may attend, either
only one of the parties may attend or there must be a cordial agreement between
the two incompatible parties. There is no point to trying to reconcile for the
good of the family when one of the two family members involved is not genuinely
interested in patching things up and moving forward with understanding, acceptance,
and forgiveness. Finally, if one of them has a negative attitude and is filled
with regret, anger, and disappointment and simply wont let it go, let them go.
Being a healthy family member entails understanding, acceptance, and forgiveness. It's
never too late to say, "I love you." Some families may not share
the level of intimacy and emotion where saying, "I love you," flows
naturally and often. At any point in your life, you have the power to share love
with those you love. At any time you are able to express your love and devotion
towards the most important people in your life. Written and verbal expression
is powerful. There's nothing to lose when it comes to unconditional love. Worse
case scenario: you'll both be saying, "I love you," all the time. Scary,
huh. Do it today. It will change your life.
It's never too late to get
to know your family members. If you feel it would be nice to really get to
know your family, do it. Coordinate some time to essentially interview those closest
to you. It'll probably bring you closer. In the end, you won't feel guilty or
remorseful for not truly knowing your loved ones. FRIENDSHIP You
are with whom you associate. Basically, you will be associated with anyone
and everyone with whom you associate, so prioritize when it comes to spending
time with and on friends.
You can always have too many friends.
If you don't feel you have the capacity to maintain authentic and high-quality
relationships, don't be pressured into being everything to everyone. The moment
you don't know when a friend (or a dozen friends for that matter) celebrates their
birthday, it's either time to ask and get to know them better or focus on your
closest buddies. They'll know it's nothing personal, which is the problem from
the start. The friendship isn't personal, but imaginary.
Friendships
can come and go. It's only natural not to have as much as common with one
friend as you did in second grade. People change all the time and especially after
twenty years. If you notice that you value a friend a lot less than you did in
the past, it's okay to move on. Nothing lasts forever. Who knows, perhaps in the
future, you both may reunite and share more than a shared history together.
LOVE
Your
soulmates are out there. Focus on doing what's right and not doing what's
easy. Invest in the best potential life partners that are out there. Determine
exactly the type of partner you desire and know that you would be committed to
long-term. Then, go after them and don't give up. The moment you do, the chances
of experiencing future divorce increases.
Practice being alone.
Making the wrong decisions and investing your time, effort, resources, and heart
in the wrong people can be lessened by feeling comfortable by being alone. Don't
invest yourself out of desperation. Less is more. Think quality vs. quantity.
Why have 100 spoons when you can have one amazing knife? You get the point.
Dating
is like shopping and everything is on sale. "Dating" forces us to
act quickly, take advantage of the opportunity, and often take what we can get.
While "returns" are possible, "exchanges" can become common
if two people don't take things slowly and develop a foundation of respect, trust,
and friendship. Try going for a walk during the day rather than meeting for drinks
at night. What's the rush? Start "shopping" for luxury "items"
and focus on the best investments and not necessarily the best short-term "deals."
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Spiritual
Aspect of Life
Over 30,000 gods have been
documented. You can believe in whatever you want to believe in. Ultimately,
we hopefully believe in the same thing - ourselves.
It's not your way
or the highway. Understand, respect, and accept other people for having different
faiths, beliefs, or religions.
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