 | Emotions are like muscles, you need to work them out |
| It’s amazing how much of our lives are controlled by our emotions. In fact, it could be said that pretty much everything we do is in pursuit of some sort of emotional comfort. If you’re hungry, lonely or cold, your emotions are going to let you know by making you feel miserable. This is generally a good thing. |
 | If investments become cheaper, and you’re a buyer, that’s a good thing |
| In the last few years, stock markets around the world have been hammered. Currencies have also fallen to historic lows. People see their portfolios down and are running scared. |
 | Don’t forget to keep your body happy |
| One of the problems with modern society is that many of us can completely ignore important needs of our bodies. The obsession with electronic entertainment means most of us are focused on feeding our minds. Modern workplaces and transportation let us spend most of our lives sitting in comfort. Convenience foods mean we don’t have to put much thought into what we our fuelling ourselves with. |
| The most basic principle of personal finance |
| There are thousands of books and millions of articles written on the subject of money. How to get rich is a popular topic, and everyone has an opinion on it. |
 | Become excellent at creating new opportunities |
| The scouts have an excellent motto. It says simply “Be prepared”. Whether or not you have ever been a scout or a guide, this is a good attitude to have towards life. |
 | Most worthwhile things involve difficult decisions |
| One of the problems with the modern attitude to living is people’s tendency to avoid making difficult decisions. Many of us are reluctant to commit to anything, and so we drift through life achieving little. This saves us from a lot of pain, but also takes away much of life’s meaning. |
 | How you recover from a crisis is what defines you |
| One thing that’s certain in life is that you’re occasionally going to be hit by a big unexpected shock. Perhaps you will have a health problem, the death of a loved one or a financial loss. |
| Remember to live a bit sometimes |
| We all have things in our life we wish we could change and improve. Maybe you don’t have enough money. Maybe you need to lose some weight. Maybe you need to put some effort into improving your relationships. |
 | Take the initiative in establishing new relationships |
| The world is filled with people who are dissatisfied with the state of their relationships. They think they haven't got enough others in their lives, or else they believe the others they have aren't up to scratch. Whether it's friendships that are missing or something more, a lack of satisfactory relationships is a common complaint. |
| Always be looking for new ways to enrich your life |
| One problem I notice a lot is people stomping over the same ground all the time. They find a few things they like, or that reward them, then they just keep trying to wring out every last drop of juice from those sources. |
| Work hard to give yourself lots of options and opportunities |
| Always finish what you start, is an adage that many people try to follow. And it's a good one in a lot of ways. But it probably focusses too much on the importance of the entire process towards achieving a goal. Generally, it's the earlier part that's most important, in my view. |
| Learn how to give up one pleasurable thing for another |
| We humans are funny creatures. We seem to be part animal on one side, and part angel on the other. When I go to the zoo and I observe the creatures there, I'm often struck by how similar their behaviours and motivations are to our own. They act on lust, hunger, power, love and anger, just as we do. |
| Bring on the bad news |
| A common problem for people who are unsuccessful is that they slavishly avoid bad news. If such news has to be received, they prefer to put it off as long as possible. Often, they prefer to dodge it altogether. |
| Assertiveness is about balance |
| We've all met people who have a problem understanding assertiveness. Often, they're people who've spent much of their lives being walked over. One day, they get sick of putting up with this behaviour from others and do a complete flip. Suddenly, they're so busy being "assertive" that they don't realise how much they're annoying those around them. |
| Don't fall into the habit of finding excuses not to take action |
| Sometimes it's good not to take action. It's just not called for under some circumstances and can actually make things worse. I've written about this before. |
| Operate in the real world |
| I grew up in a somewhat academic family. Many of my parent's friend are academics, and I've spent a lot of time socialising with such people. My own career has been mostly in the business world. What strikes me is how different their world-view of how things operate is to what I've experienced. |
| The world's best investment |
| Many people don't think of it consciously, but much of our lives are spent deciding how to invest our resources. Families decide whether to move into a bigger house, or save their money and stay in the current one. Young women decide which man they should bet their reproductive potential on. Workers ponder what they should do with their holidays. And so on. |
| Give away lots of little gifts |
| It amazes me how many people don't pay attention to developing their relationships. Other people are extremely useful in life. Indeed, for me, I think they are probably my favourite thing in the whole world. A good connection with another can be the most wonderful thing you can have. |
| How your identity can hold you back |
| We all have this picture inside our heads of who we are. And let's face it, for most of us, we're probably a little bit more generous than reality warrants. Who doesn't secretly believe that they may be a little smarter, more attractive, and more moral than those around them? |
| Understand some of the roots of poor motivation |
| I was in a gym class today lifting barbells, when I looked around. You could see everyone was having a hard time of it. I attend that same class regularly, and it's common to get people who turn up a couple of times and then never come back. If you just look at the obesity epidemic, it's clear a lot of people don't get as much exercise as they should. |