Focus your life’s efforts on spending more time with your children, being kinder to others, and practicing forgiveness, as these are universal regrets of the elderly, not earning more money or working harder.
Recognize that success in finance and health is primarily driven by consistent positive behaviors, not merely by what you know; therefore, focus on implementing good habits.
Achieve 80-90% of your health goals by consistently practicing basic habits: don’t eat too much sugar, eat mostly real foods, walk for 45 minutes a day, and sleep seven to eight hours a night.
Prioritize and actively invest in cultivating good quality relationships, as they are one of the best predictors not only of happiness but also of your longevity and overall health.
Engage in the ‘reverse obituary’ exercise: imagine you are on your deathbed and reflect on what you would want your obituary to say (e.g., good father, good spouse, helped community) to clarify your life’s true priorities and guide your efforts.
Based on your defined legacy, identify and commit to three specific ‘happiness habits’ each week (e.g., undistracted family meals, pursuing passions) to ensure your daily actions align with your long-term vision for a happy life.
Prioritize intrinsic sources of contentment and happiness in your life, including health, family, regular exercise, adequate sleep, and mental clarity, over the pursuit of material goods.
Prioritize gaining a sense of control and hope about your future, as these psychological traits are fundamental to lifetime well-being and people are willing to do nearly anything to achieve them.
Reduce judgment of others by deeply understanding their psychology, childhood, and experiences, recognizing that if you were in their exact situation, you would likely behave in the same manner.
Avoid the temptation to neglect fundamental, proven strategies in favor of shortcuts, secret hacks, or silver bullets, as these often lead to poorer outcomes in the long run.
Build wealth by consistently investing (dollar-cost averaging) into basic index funds and holding them for a long duration, such as 30 years, rather than seeking quick financial hacks.
Recognize that financial independence is not binary but a spectrum, where every dollar saved provides a slice of future ownership and a nugget of independence, allowing for more choices and flexibility.
Understand that saving even small amounts of money, like a few thousand dollars, makes a significant difference by providing a crucial sense of independence and flexibility, such as the ability to seek a better job.
Take an individual approach to your finances by introspectively determining what is truly best for your family and what will make you happy, as there is no universal financial formula.
Avoid disillusionment by setting realistic, incremental goals that are just ‘one notch higher’ than your current state, as achieving these smaller milestones provides momentum and motivation.
Be careful about who you choose as role models; if you are of lower financial means, select someone who is just one notch higher than you to maintain motivation and achieve attainable goals.
Break down your goals and tasks into smaller, achievable steps, similar to short book chapters, to foster a sense of accomplishment and maintain momentum as you progress.
Be careful who you admire; prioritize qualities like happy marriages and good parenting over career success or income, as these ‘unseen’ aspects are what truly make the biggest difference in a person’s life.
Understand that being rich and famous is not the solution to personal problems or a guarantee of happiness, encouraging a focus on internal well-being rather than external achievements.
To achieve happiness in life, focus your efforts and attention on your family and loved ones, as these relationships are the true source of contentment, not career success or making more money.
Focus on fundamental health practices such as sleeping well, eating better, and exercising more, as these are what will truly keep you happy and healthy, rather than external achievements.
Believe that much of your personality, often seen as fixed, is actually an adaptation to your childhood experiences and can be changed, opening the door to personal growth and self-improvement.
Cultivate the belief that it is possible to change certain elements of your personality, rather than assuming you must remain who you are, and actively investigate ways to achieve that personal transformation.
Consciously quantify the hidden costs of career opportunities against your personal priorities, such as spending quality time with family, and make decisions that align with your true values, even if it means declining certain engagements.
Clarify your priorities by regularly asking yourself what regrets you would have if you were on your deathbed tomorrow, prompting you to take immediate action on things like reconnecting, forgiving, or showing more grace.
Practice frugal saving throughout your life, as the financial security it provides for your family will be a source of profound pleasure and eliminate regrets about their well-being on your deathbed.
Seek respect and admiration through intrinsic qualities such as intelligence, wisdom, humor, and the ability to love and help others, rather than relying on material possessions to fill that need.
Prioritize spending more time with your loved ones, being kinder to them, and helping them, as these actions will cultivate their love and appreciation more effectively than acquiring material possessions.
Understand that children primarily learn by observing your actions, so model the behaviors you wish them to adopt, such as being present, kind, and respectful, rather than just instructing them.
When evaluating yourself and others, remember that not all success is solely due to hard work, nor is all poverty due to laziness; acknowledge the significant role of luck and circumstance in life outcomes.
Consciously acknowledge and appreciate the ‘forces of luck’ – good things that happen outside your control – in your life, rather than solely obsessing over risks and downsides.
Challenge your preconceived notions about what will bring you happiness, as it is often not the material possessions or external achievements you initially believe it to be.
Cultivate true wealth and contentment by constantly asking yourself ‘what is enough?’ in your life, rather than continuously striving for more material possessions or external achievements.
Approach practices like meditation with the goal of identifying and becoming aware of your thoughts, rather than trying to fix them, to foster greater self-understanding.
To gain clarity, regularly ask yourself, ‘Which of my current views would change if my incentives were different?’ to uncover potential biases influencing your perspectives.
Foster humility and a balanced perspective by regularly asking yourself, ‘How many things outside my control contributed to things I take credit for?’
Critically evaluate your role models by asking, ‘Who do I look up to that is secretly miserable?’ to ensure you are not idealizing external success without understanding their true well-being.