Two little pieces of advice that could change your life

I’ve received so many great pieces of advice over the years from family and friends, from great books, and from wise people. Recently, I sat down to make a list of the key pieces of advice that I wanted to pass along to my children. Part of my role as a parent is to fill in the gaps that they don’t learn in school, after all.

As the list grew, I found some of the items to be very useful and some perhaps not so useful. A handful of them rose to the top of the list, though. Here are two really useful pieces of advice that have served me very well in many different aspects of life. They’ve helped in growing my finances, in my career, my personal relationships and my personal growth as well. Hopefully, you will find some value in them, too.

First, make a conscious effort to be happy at all times and be nice to others, too. Over the long haul, people gravitate toward others that they perceive as being happy and pleasant and gravitate away from people who are negative. If you make a conscious effort to be kind to everyone and keep a smile on your face regularly, the net benefits will really add up over time in the form of better relationships with people and a stronger social reputation. This can open doors for you with regard to getting the top-paying job you have always wanted, promotions, or business deals that others would struggle to find.

What are some of the tactics that will keep me smiling and remain nice to people? Well, I try to keep several things in mind that naturally make me smile and I think about them regularly, particularly when I see or meet other people. Thinking about hugs from my two boys brings a smile to my face really quickly and I can draw on that in mixed situations to mask any uncertainty I might be feeling. On the other hand, if I don’t have something nice to say about others, I don’t say it. I usually try to think of something nice to say, though. Sometimes, when criticism is called for or asked for, I give it, but I include the positive aspects as well.

Second, you are the average of the five people you associate with the most. Make a list of the five other people you associate with most in your life. Consider a particular trait shared by all of those people, and rank the other five. Most of the time, you’ll be right around the middle of that list if you included yourself on it. In other words, our performance and our life is in many ways dictated by who we spend our time with. We become like the people we associate with the most. Thus, the best way to improve yourself is to make a conscious effort to associate with people who are strong in a particular area where you want to improve. If you want to be a business leader, hang out with people having strong business leadership traits. If you want to be the best in your profession, associate with the best in your field of specialisation. If you want to be frugal, hang out with the frugal people, not the big spenders.

Have a blessed weekend as you make a conscious decision to succeed in your finances, career and relationships.