10 Rules to a Happy Life

 

At the end of the year and the beginning of the year, I always hear the wishes of "Happy New Year to you". Some people say that happiness is too difficult; maybe it Is because we often forget that happiness is a choice.

Learn these 10 rules of happy life, let's wave goodbye to sorrow and welcome the new year with great strides.

01     Stop thinking too much

Some people like to think too much, ponder too much on the trivialities of life repeatedly, and find fault with themselves, but in the end they just increase anxiety. Don't be overly restrained and sensitive, face life with a normal heart. When people are comfortable, they will feel much better.

02     Don’t pay too much attention to other people’s opinions

I have seen many people who care too much about other people's opinions and try to seek their own value in the other people’s evaluations. But in fact, life is our own; we each have our own light. Let go of paranoia, don't be distracted, and live the present moment, so that you can be more relaxed and comfortable.

03     Control bad mood, release good aura

As the saying goes: nine out of ten things don't go well in life. Those who are always happy are not without problems, but they all know how to control their emotions and are not affected by bad emotions or bad temper. Only by maintaining a good attitude can you control life and feel the beauty of life.

04     Find your comfort zone

Many people have a misunderstanding of the comfort zone, thinking that being in the comfort zone is about being content with the status quo and just living with it. In fact, finding a comfort zone does not mean not working hard, but being able to do what you want to do and be good at, and have a temporary shelter when you are sad.

05     Occasionally "muddled" once

Being forgetful, laugh when something happens, give yourself a time to buffer and relax occasionally, there is nothing wrong. Don't be too serious about things that are unplanned, you will be happier if you are a little muddled.

06     Learn to reject

Some people say: "When you are in your twenties, you feel that life is too long. In fact, sometimes, life is very short." Learn to reject other people's unreasonable demands and things that make you unhappy. Have more joy.

07     Develop Hobbies

Happiness is found by oneself. Cultivate one or two hobbies, such as reading, sports, cooking, growing flowers. Let go of the impetuous mood and experience the joy of life from simple little things, you will become more and more loving life.

08     Tidy up regularly

It has to be said that cleaning up the room seems to have a magical power. Playing your favorite music, tidying up the house, and sweeping away the bad emotions that have accumulated for a long time. The resultant is that the room is cleaner and your mood is brighter.

09     Exercise regularly

Many people have the experience that exercise can make people feel good. Exercise is also an excellent skin care product. People who insist on exercising are healthier in body and mind, and they are more confident. So, go to exercise when you have free time, there is no bad mood that can't be driven away by sweat.

10     Sufficient Sleep

A good night's sleep is probably the easiest way to relax. After a busy day, all the bad emotions were quietly healed in the warm bed at the moment of lying in bed. Tonight, remember to go to bed early and let good dreams heal your body and mind.

 

May you always keep a smile on your face and love for life in the new year.

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Learn these financial management thinking, you can also make money with "money"

Li Ka-shing once said that before the age of 30, one needs to make money from physical strength, and after the age of 30, one needs to make money from “money”.

This sentence tells us that it is very important to learn how to make money by using money to make money.

Before the age of 30, it is a kind of growth, a kind of experience, a kind of knowledge accumulation process.

After the age of 30, both work and life are becoming stable. At this time, we use our own "wealth" to create wealth, which means that at this time, we should pay attention to the way of "making money with money".

That is to say, use your own knowledge, contacts, skills and other wealth to increase the value of your wealth and make money with money!

In short, you must work for money before the age of 30. After the age of 30, you must learn to make money work for yourself and make money with money! Just learn to invest and manage money.

To make money with money, it is an indispensable to have certain investment and financial management knowledge, and the following points can help us better achieve the goal of "making money with money":

First, be aware of financial management

First of all, it must be clear that financial management is not exclusive to the rich, because financial management is needed even if there is no money, so that family financial management is healthy!

We want to buy a house and a car, but we sigh that our income is too low. In fact, after learning financial planning, we discovered that we can realize our dreams after reasonable allocation of income and expenditure and formulating financial planning. The key is whether we implement and learn: Financial management.

For example, if you want to buy a $45,000 item in three years, you need to save 15,000 every year, which is broken down to 1,250 a month.

And if you invest your money from regular savings every month, you may only need to save 1,000 to achieve your goal.

Therefore, many needs can be achieved through financial management, but the key is to have a correct understanding of financial management.

For example, some people feel that they have no money, but through compulsory savings and investment and financial management compound interest, they can be surprised to find that they can also become "rich people." In the past, stocks and fund investments were so remote, but only after researching did they discover that it was not as difficult as imagined.

But what is really difficult is my own knowledge and awareness of financial management.

Financial management is life management, clear the finances in life, clarify your life goals, determine the life you want, you will find that financial management is so easy! All my dreams have been realized one by one!

Second, learn financial knowledge from various sources

Speaking of financial investment, many novices may find it difficult, but no one is born with financial management skill.

If you don’t understand, I suggest you read more financial newspaper articles, gradually build up financial awareness and concepts, or get to know some professional financial managers, which can lead you to improve financial management skills.

I never read financial news before, and I found it boring, but after researching on financial management, I was concerned about my investment income.

Therefore, I pay attention to various financial news, policy documents, articles by financial experts, etc everyday. You can learn financial trends from financial news, and only by advancing with the times can you follow the market in financial management and win good returns.

Also read various professional financial management books to improve investment skills.

Through all aspects of financial management learning, I will continuously improve my investment and financial management skills to make my investment more practical and confident! Then investment can obtain greater returns.

Third, set personal financial goals

In the process of financial management, if you want to obtain greater and higher returns, then you have to set financial goals for yourself, so that you have motivation!

Financial management needs to set financial goals, that is, financial income goals.

For this goal, I suggest only making an annual financial management income target, because the economic situation is uncertain every year, so the income target plan is made on an annual basis. After completing the annual income plan, it is then allocated to the monthly plan, so that it can be executed more easily.

The financial income target should not be too high. It is generally recommended to set the average target of your family's financial management funds.

For example, money for fixed income from renting, as well as money for investing in stocks and floating income of funds, etc., you can set a general goal according to your own financial management skills, and then work hard to complete it!

When you reach your financial goals, you must know how to take profits in a timely manner, and you must not be too greedy.

The original intention of setting financial goals is to urge oneself to continuously improve financial awareness, increase investment awareness, and continuously allow wealth to accumulate and appreciate!

Fourth, financial investment must be done within one's ability

When people invest in financial management, they compare wit other people’s income, even to the extent of copying their way of financial management, but the result is that the more you manage your financial affairs, the more you will fail, and lose your principal.

Any investment and financial management is risky, and the return is proportional to the risk. The higher the return of the financial product, the greater the risk.

Therefore, when investing in financial management, you should not blindly chase high-risk financial products, you must learn to configure financial products within your own risk tolerance range.

For example, some prudent investors don't know much about stock funds, so don't follow the trend to buy stocks. They can choose bank wealth management products, treasury bonds, bond funds and other investments based on their own risk tolerance.

And for prudent investors, 70% of the capital invested must be low-risk products.

If you are a person with high risk tolerance and have certain investment experience, you can choose aggressive stocks and fund investments. If your investment skills are immature, you can choose fund ETFs or fixed investment funds.

In general, no matter who you are investing, you must choose a financial product that suits your investment skills and risks, and you must not operate blindly.

When investing in financial management, you must remember a classic saying: Keeping your principal means winning!

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Learn to do "subtraction" at times, so life can in turn be "addition"

 

01

I still remember when I was in university; I will choose a quiet corner in the library and start my day. I really like this kind of life where there is no interruption, having my ‘alone’ time.

My friend Jane is different from me: she will keep herself busy by participating in various competitions and obtained various certificates. Her life is full of actions and envied by many people.

But she also has her own worries. She found that she couldn't even devote herself 100% to her studies. Even if the phone was on silent mode, she always picked up the phone to see if there is a new task. She felt like she was just plain busy, and she was envious of me being able to live a regular life according to my plan.

University life provided us with many choices and opportunities. It’s easy for us young people to think about everything, only to find out at the end that we are so tired yet so busy that we have no direction. In fact, if you are willing to do ‘subtraction’ for your life, you can live more fulfillingly.

02

After getting out of university, as I got older, I discovered that the simpler life is, the easier it is.

There is a friend of me who likes to buy and buy. Her purchase routine is: if she was only attracted by the cover of the book, she would buy it; when she saw beautiful clothes, she bought them immediately, but put them in the corner of the closet without wearing them. Finally, she got more and more things in the house, it was a pity to throw it away.

Later, she finally made up her mind to make a change. First is to throw away or donate useless things. Second, remind herself whether it is necessary before buying things, and clean the room regularly. As a result, her room has become particularly minimal, she said: I feel that the burden on my heart has become less after seeing her house when she goes home everyday.

03

In addition to simplifying the material items, inner cleansing is even more important.

My cousin is a very caring person. It's always difficult to let go and feel unhappy because of someone's unbelievable words and unkind things. Once, she met someone who had attacked her before. She originally wanted to find a reason to attack him this time, but found that the other party could no longer remember who she was. My cousin only realized that others had forgotten everything, and she was the only one who was stuck in the midst of it.

We always conceal the people and things that have hurt us, and it is hard to let go. We then become negative. In fact, it is just that we can't get through ourselves. Don't let some unimportant people and things condense into a burden and affect your life. Press the delete button, you will feel much lighter.

In many cases, we want too many things, but we really need very little. By ‘subtracting’ items from our lives at times, we will have more energy and time to enjoy the beauty of life and pursue a more meaningful life.

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How to save money during grocery shopping

Since the start of pandemic, I have been spending more on groceries and cooking at home. I was curious how I can reduce unnecessary expenditure on groceries so I did research to how I can make grocery shopping more cost efficient.

1. Eat before you go shopping. If you go shopping hungry, you’ll spend a lot more.  Grocery stores purposely let the smell of baking bread waft through their bakery aisles, triggering the cravings of unsuspecting customers. To avoid coming under a sudden hankering for carbs, stay away from the bakery.

2. Avoid prepared food. They will most probably cost more for the convenience.

3. Make a list. Sit down to make a shopping list. Make the list comprehensive enough to include everything you need, then stick to it! There’s no point in planning your shopping if you’re going to add impulse items to your shopping cart when you get to the store.

4. Do not take your children or your spouse. If you have kids, this one should be self-explanatory. It’s difficult to stick to a shopping list when you have other people throwing things into the cart.

5. Take a calculator. Be prepared to put things back on the shelf if the numbers don’t add up. Get in the habit of including prices on your shopping list, and set priorities so you’ll know what not to buy if the prices aren’t right.

6. Take cash only. If you set realistic food budget and only take that much cash to the store, then there’s NO WAY you can overspend! Leave the credit card and the ATM card at home, and you’ll have no choice but to stick to your budget.

7. Buy in bulk, especially for non-perishables items.

8. Consider shopping from bottom to top to grab a better deal. Most of the expensive items are placed around 1.5m off the ground (or at ‘eye level’) where most customers are looking for and grabbing items to place in the cart.

9. Get the smaller shopping cart or better still, get the basket. It is more psychological, it is the same theory as you are likely to eat more food when you get a bigger plate. Thus get a basket so that you don’t fill up the shopping cart.

10. Shop from inside out. Grocery stores will most probably place the essentials at the back; this will help to reduce the time and money in the other aisles.

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One’s greatest upbringing is to forgive parents’ imperfections

01

I once saw a post: "Why do one always lose control of their temper and want to blame their parents when they make a naive mistake?" The answer that impressed me the most was: We are angry with our parents, but not angry they did something wrong, but angry that they shouldn't be the wrongdoer.

They used to tell you not to talk to strangers, but now they can blabber our family issues to random people who sell unknown health products on the street; they used to tell you not to anyhow spend money, but now they will just buy things we do not need but they are on discounts in the shopping centre; they used to tell you things you should do, but now they always break their promises.

The reason why you are unhappy is actually because you have discovered their imperfections, but you are still reluctant to admit and understand them.

02

Two or three years ago, my mother suddenly became fascinated with cheongsam. Every time she went shopping, she had to carry one or two pieces back. The colors of each cheongsam are mainly of red, green and purple. It was very ‘flashy’. Every time she puts on a new cheongsam, she had to stand in front of me and asked if she look good. My answer will very negative every time: "It's not good-looking."

I found my mother packing her cheongsam and preparing to give it to others one morning. I asked her what was wrong, she sighed and said disheartenedly: "I'm old and can't wear it anymore."

At that moment, I understood why she always asked me if she looked good. The affirmation of us as her children means that she is still young. But I understood it too late and had hurt her too many times inadvertently.

I have come across this short story: "I don’t remember loving my parents. When I was young, I was afraid of them, and when I was older, I began to bother them. When I grow even older, we will argue when we met, and since don’t know when, I began to look down on them. Although I know that I need to be responsible for them but I just cannot bring myself to do that.”

The stupidest way to show care and concern is to show your parents a nasty face and tell them: "You are wrong, you are so stupid", and you think you are doing them well.

03

There is a saying that goes: "When parents are getting older, it is always difficult to change their mindset. it is necessary to ask children to forgive their parents instead."

Let them ask questions that they can’t understand; let them make some naive mistakes; let them express some outdated opinions; let them do things they like, even though you may not agree with those things. Don't rush to preach to your parents. 

In many cases, filial piety is not to do what we think is good, but to make them feel good.

We always think that our parents are not perfect, but we don't know that they have silently paid a lot behind our backs in order to make you recognize them. As we grow up, we should gradually accept the fact that our parents are just ordinary people, and should gradually understand their difficulties.

When your parents are old, please remember to love them as they did when they loved you. Don't do things that will make you regret it, and don't wait until they are gone to leave regrets.

The greatest upbringing of a person is to forgive the imperfections of his parents. May I wish all the parents live a long and healthy life! We won't be here without them !

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There is a kind of happiness, that is to go home and eat

There is a kind of happiness, that is to go home and eat

It is the first day of the year. I will take this time to talk about the importance of family warmth.

There is this female colleague in my company; she will go home for dinner most of the time. When we order takeaways or settle our meals in the company, she will ride her beloved motorbike and goes home for dinner happily.

At first, we thought she disliked takeaway or company food. Later, I learned from her that she is the only daughter brought up by her mother painstakingly. Now her mother is retired at home. If she doesn't go home to eat, her mother will eat casually. Only when she comes home, her mother will bother to cook more proper and nutritious food.

Her home is not far from the company, and it takes about 20 minutes to her house. Whenever, she goes home for her dinner, colleagues in our department will watch her go home with envy.

In fact, what we envy is, not only the happiness of her being able to go home and eating delicious meals, but also the little fortune of her being with her family every day.

If one can accompany their parents to a meal everyday, I think they are very fortunate. I remembered playing  till wee hours with my friends when I was young, and when it was too late, my mother would call me home for dinner.

"Mom calls you to go home for dinner." Then I will reluctantly bid farewell to my friends.

When I first started working, I turned into a complete workaholic. If there is nothing important, I will never go home easily. I will not let go of work just because of the "trivial thing" of going home for dinner.

As long as I go home to eat, my parents will be happier than anyone else.

They went to the market early to prepare the ingredients, solemnly prepared a table of dishes, and then waited for me to go home. When I get to the door of my house, I will feel safe and secure when I smell the fragrance of familiar food.

The dishes prepared by my parents are not delicacies, but they are delicious, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, tomato scrambled eggs, fish-flavored pork, braised prawns, spicy lotus root slices...Infused with love, these dishes have become works of art that I need to appreciate in my whole life.

My parents taught me a lot of things. But what they often say is this sentence:

Where can I eat the best food? Of course at home!

After I grew up, I realized that being able to go home for dinner is a kind of happiness. This kind of happiness can support you through countless difficult times.

If you have time, please go home more for dinner. Just a simple, plain meal can calm you down and gain joy and happiness. A gluttonous feast is no better than home-cooked dishes. Live your life well, no matter how far you go, no matter how high you fly, please remember to go home for dinner.

Home is always the best harbour for a person. The delicious food at home is a cure for everything. The family sits around the dinner table, sharing food while chatting, enjoying themselves, what is there to be unsatisfied in life?

Cheers Everyone and have a great year ahead.=)

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A letter to the 2021 Self

2021 is coming to an end soon. Looking back on this year, you may have experienced success and failure, as well as loneliness and longing. It is a good time to conclude and write a letter to yourself at the end of the year.

 

01      To the Struggling You

 

For you who struggled:

 

After going through 2021, you know that being strong means having the courage to try and persevere no matter if you win or lose.

You are very fortunate that this year that you did not waste too much time on indecisiveness, did not neglect your life, and did not disappoint yourself. No one can predict whether life will be what we think in the end. But what is certain is that the harder you work, the luckier you will be.

Do not choose to slack because you are afraid of hard work. Instead of being dragged forward by life, it is better to challenge it, conquer it, and strive to live life as you expect. Stand firm to your goals without hesitating, face your own shortcomings and work hard to make up for them; you will eventually meet a better version of yourself.

In the days to come, I hope you will survive in the adverse situations and still come out fresh; I hope you have experienced hardships and still love life. The rest of your life is still long; I hope you can continue to be strong and shine like a gem!

 

02     To the Homesick You

 

To you who are homesick:

 

During this year, you have experienced many things and visited many places most probably locally. When you look back, you will find that home is the only place where you can cry and laugh happily. There are parents who love and worry about you at home, there are loved ones who accompany you, and there are brothers and sisters who will reach out to help you in the times of difficulties.

When we were young, we always felt that the outside world was more exciting. After growing up and leaving home, we always want to go home. If you regard life as the four seasons, then home is the clothes that you wear on your body in the four seasons. If you regard life as a journey, then home is a cozy pit stop for you to rest during the journey. As long as you get home, be it just a cup of hot tea, and a light meal, you are able to carry on fighting, no matter how much grievances you have experienced outside.

Maybe you have not been home this year, but don’t forget to call home no matter how busy you are.

 

03     To the Undiscouraged You

 

To you who are not discouraged:

 

You have suffered some setbacks, but don’t be discouraged. Life is long. Nothing can be seen at a glance, no one know whether it’s full of spring breeze or dust. You can only find out yourself. The suffering, the loss you have suffered, and the pain you have endured will eventually become the light, illuminating your way.

I’ve heard this sentence: “You won’t remember how you survived after the storm is over. You are not even sure that the storm is over. But one thing is certain: when you passed through the storm, you are no longer the same person." Adversity tests a person's attitude toward troughs and that can often determine the height of his life. The beginning of a period of ascent is often extended from a low point and in many cases there is no way to retreat, forcing us to find a way out.

Life is not a smooth road. Facing the crit of life, you must learn to adjust your emotions, have hope, and live hard. Because if you are at the bottom of life, as long as you work hard, no matter which direction you are in, it can only go upwards. When you are down, you don't blame yourself, and you don't give up when you are frustrated. As long as you can keep moving on, passed this bitter cold, there will always clear sky.

 

04     To the Lonely You

 

To the lonely you:

 

You may have been through many solitary times that you haven't mentioned to others in 2021. But when you look back at that period of time, you will find that what you see along the way is not bitterness, but strength. It is those tears and sweat that have paved the way you have to walk in your life.

Some people say that the more you are alone, the better for self-improvement. Some people complain due to loneliness; some people struggle in loneliness. Those who struggled and overcame loneliness will become tougher. So, don't be afraid of being alone. Those days when we walked silently, the little things we struggled for will eventually become our bonus points in our future life. Although this road is not well lit, it is bright enough.

 

The 2021 train is about to reach the end

We are going to say goodbye to the 2021 selves

Please believe

The 2022 You

You will definitely meet a better self!

 

See you in 2022.

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