Measure Your Life

7 Powerful Lessons from “How Will You Measure Your Life?”

1. Define your “yardsticks”: Instead of chasing external metrics like wealth or fame, the book encourages identifying your values and defining metrics that reflect your true priorities. These “yardsticks” become the foundation for measuring your life’s progress and satisfaction.

2. Invest in relationships: The book emphasizes the importance of nurturing strong, meaningful relationships with family, friends, and loved ones. These relationships are the source of true happiness and fulfillment, and investing time and effort in them is crucial for a successful life.

3. Focus on the “becoming” over the “doing”: The book challenges the conventional focus on achievements and results. Instead, it encourages prioritizing growth and learning, the journey of becoming a better person. Continuous improvement and self-development are critical to a fulfilling life.

4. Manage your time like a CEO: Time is your most valuable resource. The book teaches you to manage it effectively, prioritize tasks that align with your values, and avoid distractions that hinder your progress toward your goals.

5. Say no to protect your “yes”: The book emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries and saying “no” to commitments that don’t align with your values or priorities. Setting boundaries allows you to focus your energy on the things that truly matter and maximize the impact of your “yeses.”

6. Embrace the power of “deep love”: The book differentiates between “shallow love” based on external factors and “deep love” rooted in shared values and commitment. Deep love provides a strong foundation for lasting relationships and contributes significantly to a fulfilling life.

7. Remember, it’s never too late to change: The book offers hope and encouragement to individuals at any stage of their lives. It emphasizes that it’s never too late to re-evaluate your priorities, adjust your course, and start living a life that reflects your values and aspirations.

BOOK: https://amzn.to/48DCGPl

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You’re never too young to invest. Starting early to invest in stocks is a major advantage.

In your 20s, and even your 30s, your biggest investment  asset is time. Even when you’re just investing in retirement savings, nothing can make up for the effect of compound interest. Also, if you lose money in the market, you’ll have more time to make it back before you need it.

Your savings account isn’t invested in anything …

You do earn interest on money in savings, but it’s usually less than 1%, and that money sits in the bank. If you’re looking for a better place to keep your cash, high-yield savings accounts pay more like 4% to 5%, but note that rates fluctuate over time.

… but your retirement savings are.

Retirement savings, on the other hand, are invested if you put them in a retirement plan like an IRA or 401(k). This isn’t the case if you simply name your savings account “retirement.”

Investments are one of the only ways to keep up with inflation.

Inflation lopped an average of 3.1% off your money’s value in 2023, so you need your money to grow fast enough to outpace inflation. For most people, investing is the only way to get that kind of growth.

Investing is always a risk.

Investing could earn you money or lose it. Investments typically aren’t FDIC-insured like a bank account, meaning there’s the potential to lose money for good.

A security is a financial instrument. 

You’ll probably hear people refer to “securities,” which is a catch-all term for things like stocks, bonds, or CDs. Securities are divided into debt securities (money owed to us, like from a government bond), and equity securities (actual value we own, like stocks).

Stocks are equity in a company.

When you buy a stock, you’re buying a tiny little piece of an actual company. Not a lot, but ownership nonetheless. Stocks are more volatile than bonds, and may therefore yield greater rewards or losses.

The stock market lets you track stock performance. 

Stocks are traded on “exchanges,” which make up the overall market. The major stock exchanges in the US include the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Nasdaq. Stock prices are also tracked on indices such as the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average. While you’ll want to check in with your individual investments, monitoring stock market activity can give you an idea of how your portfolio might be performing.

Bonds are loans you make.

When you purchase a bond, you’re essentially loaning a little money to an entity — like the US government, for instance — and that entity has to pay you back after a fixed period of time, with interest. There aren’t bond exchanges that show up in a ticker, because bonds are traded differently than stocks. However, there are sites where you can get an idea of bond pricing, like Markets Insider.

Diversification means spreading your money out among different kinds of investments.

There are a lot of opinions out there about how diversified an investment portfolio needs to be, but most everyone agrees that putting all of your financial eggs in one basket is a recipe for disaster.

The ROI is how much money you make on your investments.

To get an idea of how well your investments are performing, you can calculate the ROI by dividing an investment’s gains by its costs.

You’ll be charged fees. 

Investing isn’t free. If you’re working with an investment professional, you’ll pay them either a percentage of your portfolio or a flat fee (you’ll want to know if your advisor is “fee-based” or “fee-only” before you sign on), online investment platforms or “robo-advisors” each have their own fee structures, and some mutual funds and ETFs also charge fees. These fees vary, and if you do your research, you can minimize them.

No one can or has ever reliably predict or forecast the stock market.

Pundits and friends just can’t. While professionals can make educated guesses, predicting the market is predicting the future, and no one can do it.

And past market behavior isn’t a reliable way to predict the future.

On that same note, looking at what the markets have done isn’t a reliable way to predict what they will do. Again, this is a case of predicting the future, which could go in an unexpected direction due to unforeseen events known as “black swans.”


References:

 

Ray Charles – America the Beautiful

Ray Charles’s recordings are major landmarks in American culture.

By combining Gospel with R&B, he pioneered soul music, and his groundbreaking move into Country music during the heart of the Civil Rights Movement broke racial barriers, while elevating Country music to world-wide popularity for the very first time.

Ray Charles uniquely succeeded in recording and blending virtually every genre of music including soul, R&B, jazz, blue country, rock and pop in unique and unprecedented ways. This visionary singer, songwriter, pianist and composer brought his expansive musical vision to a worldwide audience and forever changed the face of American Music.

U.S. Investors Avoid Investing in China

China’s economy is in trouble.

China’s President Xi, speaking with forked tongue to the gullible, attempts to both revive an economy struggling to arrest a slide in the property sector by wooing Western capital, while also attempting to strengthen national security as military and trade tensions rise with the US. Even Chinese leader Xi Jinping has acknowledged the many challenges the country’s economy faced in calendar year 2023.

Western ompanies and investors have been caught in the middle, with executives hearing warm words from top Chinese officials only to then see authorities crackdown on consultancy firms, expand a vague anti-spy law and restrict access to data.

The Chinese economy has experienced higher unemployment, a downturn in manufacturing, reduce domestic GDP growth, political unrest, and a crashing real estate market, stated Gary Locke, former U.S. Ambassador to China. There exist lack of investor confidence and uncertainty in Chinese economy.

The country’s shift toward “a more totalitarian environment” has resulted in growing anxiety about being in China among foreign investors, according to Zak Dychtwald, founder of Shanghai-based trend research company Young China Group.

Western business people contemplating trips to China mist be crconcerned and exercise caution about the risks of unwarranted detention and becoming a political hostage similar to what has happened to U.S. citizens traveling to Russia, Venezuela, Iran and North Korea.


Reference:

  1. https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/xi-s-mixed-messages-leave-whiplashed-investors-wary-of-china/ar-AA1moQjP

Positive Thoughts and Stress

Researchers believe that people who maintain a more positive mindset may be better protected against the long-term inflammatory damage of stress.

Also, researchers believe that positive thinking can help people make better health and life decisions and focus more on long-term goals.

Studies also find that negative emotions can weaken immune response.

The bottomline is that there is definitely a strong link between “positive thinking” and health.

There are steps you can take to improve your outlook and improve your health and well-being, according to John Hopkins.

Simply smile more.

A University of Kansas study found that smiling—even fake smiling—reduces heart rate and blood pressure during stressful situations.

Practice reframing.

Instead of stressing about a traffic jam, for instance, appreciate the fact that you can afford a car and get to spend a few extra minutes listening to music or the news, accepting that there is absolutely nothing you can do about the traffic.

Build resiliency.

Resiliency is the ability to adapt to stressful and/or negative situations and losses. Experts recommend these key ways to build yours:

  • Maintain good relationships with family and friends.
  • Accept that change is a part of life.
  • Accept responsibility and take action on problems rather than just hoping they disappear or waiting for them to resolve themselves. 

References:

  1. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-power-of-positive-thinking

U.S. Gross National Debt

U.S. Gross National Debt exceeds $34 trillion.  

The federal government’s gross national debt has surpassed $34 trillion, a record high that foreshadows the coming political and economic challenges to improve America’s financial balance sheet in the coming years and decades.

The U.S. Gross National Debt is on an unsustainable path of growth, interest costs are exploding, and the Social Security and Medicare trust funds are approaching insolvency.

Source:  Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget

Positive Thinking and Thoughts

Positive thinking means approaching life’s daily opportunities and challenges with a positive mindset.

Research has found that positive thinking aids in stress management and can play an important role in your overall health and well-being.

People with a family history of heart disease who also had a positive outlook were one-third less likely to have a heart attack or other cardiovascular event within five to 25 years than those with a more negative outlook.[2]

That’s according to the findings from Johns Hopkins expert Lisa R. Yanek, M.P.H., and her colleagues. The finding held even in people with family history who had the most risk factors for coronary artery disease.

Positive thinking is about looking at things from a positive point of view. It is a type of thinking that focuses on maintaining a positive, optimistic attitude.

Positive thinking does not mean avoiding challenges or difficult situations. Instead, positive thinking means making the most of potential obstacles, trying to see the best in other people, and viewing yourself and being confident about your abilities.

Positive thinking is linked to a wide range of health benefits, including:

  • Better stress management and coping skills
  • Enhanced psychological health
  • Greater resistance to catching a cold
  • Increased physical well-being
  • Longer life span
  • Lower rates of depression
  • Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease-related death

Positive thinking has been shown to help people live healthier, happier lives. When you have a positive outlook, you are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors such as exercising, eating healthy, and getting plenty of rest.

How to Cultivate Positive Thinking 

Practicing mindfulness can be a way to build self-awareness and become more conscious of how your positive or negative thoughts affect your mood and behavior.

As you become better at identifying your thought patterns, you can then take steps to shift into a more positive mindset. Actively replacing negative thoughts with positive ones can help you eventually learn to embrace a more positive mindset.


References:

  1. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-positive-thinking-2794772
  2. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-power-of-positive-thinking

Positive Thoughts for a New Year

“Great things happen to those who don’t stop believing, trying, learning, and being grateful.” ― Roy T. Bennett

“Optimism is a huge asset. We can always use more of it. But optimism isn’t a belief that things will automatically get better; it’s a conviction that we can make things better.” — Melinda French Gates

“Confidence isn’t optimism or pessimism, and it’s not a character attribute. It’s the expectation of a positive outcome.” — Rosabeth Moss Kanter

“The most important step a man (or woman) can take. It’s not the first one, is it? It’s the next one. Always the next step.” ― Brandon Sanderson

“The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.” — Marcus Aurelius

“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” — Omar Khayyam

You can live a happier, healthier, more joyful, and successful life in the New Year by embracing positive thinking and thoughts!😀😀😀

Positivity refers to your tendency to be optimistic in life and believe that tomorrow will better than today.  When have have positivity, you think positive, have positive emotions, and do positive things.

Studies have shown that being optimistic can affect your health and well-being. Positive thinking and optimism are effective and proven ways to manage stress. And effective stress management has many health benefits.


References:

  1. https://bestlifeonline.com/positive-quotes/
  2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/positive-thinking/art-20043950

Happy New Year

Embracing gratitude on New Year’s Day is a wonderful way to start your year with a positive mindset.

Here are some thoughtful ways to express gratitude and reflect on the blessings in your life:

1. **Journaling**: Write down the things you’re grateful for, including the experiences, people, and moments that brought you joy in the past year.
2. **Thank-You Notes**: Send a heartfelt note or message to someone who made a difference in your life. It could be a family member, friend, colleague, or even a mentor.
3. **Reflect and Meditate**: Take some quiet time to reflect on the past year. Meditating on gratitude can help you appreciate the small and big blessings in your life.
4. **Acts of Kindness**: Perform a random act of kindness. It could be as simple as helping a neighbor, donating to a charity, or volunteering your time.
5. **Celebrate with Loved Ones**: Share a meal or a special moment with those you care about. Expressing your gratitude to them in person can strengthen your relationships.

Starting the New Year with a heart full of gratitude can set a positive tone for the days and year ahead.

Wishing you a joyful and blessed year ahead! 🌟