Just back from an overseas trip to Europe with my wife in May hence the mini-break in articles recently. I wrote this list about 2 years ago when we hit a few family milestones, the youngest of our 4 kids turned 18, my wife and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and I was approaching my 45th birthday. Two years later the 22 lessons are just as true as ever. I’ve added many more followers since then, so I thought it was worth resharing.
This is what I want my kids to know about work, money, and life:
Make every single day count. There is one thing I know for sure, it’s that time stops for no one. That doesn’t mean be constantly busy or rush. It means be mindful, not wasteful.
Do what you love. Everyone says that these days, but people still struggle with it. Do what you really love, and you’ll end up being successful and more importantly, happy.
Give it a go. Whatever it is you really want to do, just go and do it. There will never be a perfect time, so don’t overthink it, just do it. If it doesn’t work out, then just start again.
Don’t be scared to try new things. If you don’t know what you want to do, try a bunch of things. You’re not going to find your passion thinking about it. Get out there and do.
Learn good habits. This goes for work ethic, health and fitness as much as financial discipline. Start off by making it easy and build on it every day until it's unbreakable.
Develop a good daily routine. This follows on from good habits. Almost everyone who I’ve seen succeed has a reliable routine. It’s what helps you get through the tough times in life.
Choose your partner wisely. It will probably be one of the single biggest factors in the happiness of your life. This applies to love and business.
Pick your battles. Don’t get distracted from your goals by everything that goes wrong or every problem that appears. Save your energy for the fights that really matter.
Enjoy the journey of life. It goes quickly and very few times is anything as serious or grave as it may seem. So, stress less and enjoy each day as it comes.
Buy books. The best investment you can ever make is to buy a book for $30 to get the insights a world-class expert gained over a lifetime. It remains the best deal I’ve ever seen.
Spend less than you make. Always. Save and then invest. Once you build your savings add to your investments regularly. It doesn’t matter if it's shares or property as long as you invest.
Credit cards are dumb. Pay cash. If you can’t pay cash, then guess what? You can’t afford it. Only use debt to buy appreciating assets like property and even then, with caution.
Start a business when you are young. Whatever it is you want to try once you’ve learned the basics try it. Start small scale and assume you’ll fail. But learn by doing.
Turn off notifications. And most social media for that matter. If you don’t consciously turn off from it, you’ll be distracted from your own goals by the barrage of addictive marketing.
Learn about money. Understand the magic of compound interest, the importance of cash flow and how to read a balance sheet. Invest don’t speculate.
Learn the power of words. They impact all your relationships, your ability to communicate at every level and negotiate the outcomes you want in life. They matter.
Be a lifelong learner. Be curious about the world. Travel and open your mind to other cultures and views. Most importantly never stop learning no matter how old you are.
Embrace change. In your everyday life and in the way technology is changing the world. Understanding how the world is changing is one of the most interesting parts of what I do.
Take regular holidays and breaks. Spend time with family and rest. I try to take a short mini-break every 3-4 months if I can. Rest, rejuvenate and smell the roses along the way.
I assume I’ll die in 10 years. For perspective, it reminds me that life is short and to get on with it, but at the same time, it's far enough away that I’m not too worried about it.
The meaning of life. In my younger years, I gave a lot of thought to this and concluded it was a waste of time. There is none. It’s up to us to create whatever we want from our lives.
Have fun. Remember to laugh and enjoy every day if you can.
Feel free to share with your kids or grandkids if you think it may provide them with useful insights.