The Best 6 Areas You Can Master for a Better Life

Some life skills are often needed, yet rarely mastered. This post will get you on track to mastering them in no time, for a better life!

Not mastering these life areas?sets us up for limited results at best, or frequent?pain?at worst. Some people think they are not good at these life areas, so they rely on others for advice or even the full responsibility.

What we might not realize is that it?is up to each of us to be accountable for the results in our?lives.?

Why focus on a few?skills

We are all busy. We end up thinking we cannot do it or that someone else can do it better.?The good news is that we can have more control than we realize.

..."You want to be great at a few things, rather than mediocre at many."

This could not be truer than with the areas of health,?career,?money, taxes,?relationships and?emotions. Let's look at them, how they are related and how they impact your life. (Feel free to skip any you've already mastered ;)

1) Health

"If you don't have your health, you don't have anything." If you are not healthy, you have limited capacity to do anything else in life. You might not be sick, but do you have the energy to even maintain your daily life? Are you reliant on food for fuel, stimulation or comfort?

I'll admit, this is a tough one for me! It is an area that I am always aware of and trying to improve by buying organic foods, avoiding HFCS and extra sugars, getting more fat instead of?more fads,?etc.

I am recently encouraged by Dr. David L. Katz's?epiphany about what?we already knew...

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"More than 20 years ago, in 1993... we already knew how to prevent 80% of all premature deaths and the chronic diseases propagating them by modifying just three things: what we do each day with our FEET (physical activity), FORKS?(dietary pattern), and FINGERS (not smoking)." -? Dr. David David L. Katz?

Your body tells you when it is suffering!

It is well documented about the healing powers of our bodies. We'd do better to listen to the body more.

• If you are in acute pain, I'd suggest Pain Free for amazing, simple "e-cises" by Pete Egoscue...?
• ...Sitting at a computer all day, I often get back pain. This book gets me "back" every time ;)
• If you are looking for more energy, try Googling "have more energy naturally". One interesting result near?the top was the following...

2) Career

Unless you inherited wealth, you get jobs and have to manage them. You?get busy climbing that corporate ladder. You are lucky if you had a Career Services?department in college that helps you throw together a resume and do mock interviews.

"From my experience, I think that every actor has to make sure that they're in charge of their own career somehow or other." –?Alan Rickman

You can't just act your way into a job. Or a career. Companies don't give you a job. You have to prove to a specific hiring manager that you are the best candidate. Did you know you usually have just six seconds?to pull that off?!

You need to know your skills and what value you can add to the world, then articulate it well. Hopefully, this is something you love, so your work is play...

?“Do what you love and the money will follow.”?–? Marsha Sinetar

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Oh, you're the Do It Yourself type...

1. JUST A RESUME??(Résumé Some Perspective)
2. Does Work SUCK? Then DO Something About It!?(You're not alone. Learn what you can do.)
3. Tagline, Talent, Target... YOUR Headline Job?(Attract jobs from your LinkedIn headline.)
4. [STAND OUT!] on LinkedIn: Why, How & Impacts?(Think LinkedIn is not important? Think again!)
5. Burn Your Résumé? Here's Why Not!?(For only your profile? No way!)
6. Get/Lose a Job: Just 6 Seconds!?(That's how long you get for a hiring manager to scan your LinkedIn profile AND résumé!)
7. "Quit Social Media - for Your Career!"?(How it helps your career, in 15 minutes/day.)
8. Change?Your?Career: Positively Disrupting Opportunities?(Welcome change, see the positive disruption.)
9. Why and How to Master - Your Career?(You're the only one who can!)
10. Career Tips & Links: YOUR Reference Site?(A one-stop-shop!)

3) Money

Once you get a job or come into wealth, you must handle money.

"Studies indicate that most of young adults struggle to grasp even the most basic financial principles that will allow them to manage money and prepare for their future."?- Ron Lewis

Remember, saving more is not enough; you have to invest...?

"Saving isn’t the key to financial success.?Investing is the key to financial success."

“You either master money, or, on some level, money masters you.”?–? Tony Robbins

"If you want to be successful in life and in business, then you need to take massive action. Before you do, however, you need to make these three important decisions." In short, they are financial (what percentage of your paycheck you will automate toward your retirement), investment (what percentage asset allocation) and business (who you will model your success after) decisions.

a) How much to invest?

Experts suggest at least 10% of all money you earn. Just like - but?in addition to - any tithing. The idea is to "pay yourself first" so it is out of sight. The article above cites 10-50%!

b) Where?to invest?

In short, you want rock-bottom fees and costs, and diversification. If you are just beginning, skip the middle man, open an account directly at a mutual fund?company like Vanguard. Pick no-load index funds per your risk-based asset allocation. You can even setup automatic deposits. Go with a world fund for your risk/growth allocation -?not just the S&P 500 - as that is just the large, US asset class. You can get funds that charge as little as 0.08%! For your safety allocation, go with a mix of short and medium bond and inflation-protected funds. For more information, see the following post...

c) How to take it up a notch with an advisor

If you have a decent amount of money, find a true fiduciary?who charges no more than 1%. I have one who charges 0.25%!

d) What about rules that protect us??Anyone working with a broker-dealer relationship is a broker. See what the fmr Secretary of Labor, Prof. Robert Reich said about the "new fiduciary rules" that were supposed to protect us.

e) How do you find a good fiduciary/advisor??REMEMBER: Brokers always get their cut and are?not bound to put you first!

Check out this?DIRECTORY OF FEE-BASED ADVISORS.?One caveat: just because they are on the list doesn’t mean they are skilled, best or cheapest. If you choose to find your own fiduciary, below are five key initial criteria to consider when selecting an advisor, per Tony Robbins' research with the 50 smartest investors:

1. Make sure registered with the state or the SEC as a registered investment advisor (RIA) or is an investment advisor representative (IAR) of a RIA.
2. Make sure the RIA is compensated on a % of your assets under management, and nothing else. The only way they get more is if you get more.
3. Make sure the RIA does not receive compensation for trading anything - even as a second job/registration.
4. Make sure the RIA does not have an affiliation with a broker-dealer. They would be getting a commission as well - a true conflict of interest.
5. Do not just give them your money directly. You want your money with a reputable third-party custodian, such as Fidelity, Schwab, or TD Ameritrade.

4) Taxes

Once you have all that money, you need to be aware of the taxes that impact it - unless you are just born rich ;)?

"We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes."?– Leona Helmsley

Accountants ask you for information, yet you must pay them several hundred dollars per year. They claim only they can save you thousands in deductions.

“Day in and day out, your tax accountant can make or lose you more money than any single person in your life, with the possible exception of your kids.”?– ? Harvey Mackay

Actually, there are programs like TaxAct.com that can walk you through itemized returns for homeowners and investors for $35 or less, sometimes cheaper with coupons and specials. I tried both that and TurboTax and found the cheaper one gave me more of a refund! For WI state taxes, you can e-file for free if you have a PDF of your federal taxes.?

What good is earning a lot of money if you have no clue on how to prepare for and minimize taxes? This is where an advisor can come in handy too.?At least look into?tax-managed funds in your taxable accounts.

5) Relationships

Whether you are interacting with family, friends or colleagues - you eventually realize how key relationships are and the work they require. Relationships impact all other areas of your life!?

The quality of your life is the quality of your relationships." –? Tony Robbins

“And always remember the ultimate truth: life is not about money, it’s about emotion.”?–? Tony Robbins

"Some of the biggest challenges in relationships come from the fact that most people enter a relationship in order to get something: they’re trying to find someone who’s going to make them feel good. In reality, the only way a relationship will last is if you see your relationship as a place that you go to give, and not a place that you go to take."?–? Tony Robbins

In addition to the great strategies by Tony Robbins, check out a culmination of nearly four decades of research?by The Gottman Institute. They have a wonderful book,?Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. "Our research shows that to make a relationship last, couples must become better friends, learn to manage conflict, and create ways to support each other’s hopes for the future. "

6)?Emotions

We all have good days and bad ones. Yet, did you realize how much you can do to control that?! Here is a great intro...

Another way to look at the referenced THE EMOTIONAL TRIAD - actually reversed - also comes from Tony Robbins:

1. What to FOCUS?on
2. What those things MEAN?(Language)
3. What to DO?about them (Physiology)

Remembering and answering just these three points alone is a great strategy to change your state (how you feel) in an instant!

Conclusions

This post covered the areas of health,?career,?money, taxes,?relationships and?emotions. It was not meant as an end-all, be-all. I just wanted to get you thinking about some areas you might be taking for granted and give you action ideas!?Add a comment below and I can elaborate :)

I am writing in hopes of paying it forward. This is information I wish I had known a lot earlier in my life, as I have realized how much of an impact a few life skills have on us.?

#abetterlife #PayItForward #career #careers #resume #job #jobs #work #jobsearch #interview #CV #health #money #investing #taxes #relationships #emotions

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