Plant a tree. As a wise person once said, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.

You can marry more money in a minute than you can make in a lifetime

Be a good friend, be a good son or daughter, do what you love , save money, travel and have fun, smile, lots of sleep,give, give your time, give your love, be present, learn something new , enjoy nature, don't let opinions of others affect you, you have to live your own life, treat your body as a temple with respect, eat right , don't eat animals because they have been tortured to get to your plate, eat grains, nuts and beans , fruits and vegetables, dance , have friends.

Eat healthy and exercise but not in a obsessive way. Sleep 8 hours , have friends, work and enjoy, teeth are very important, sex, marry someone who accepts you as you are and lifts you , use sunscreen but also enjoy outdoors, laugh at yourself and laugh some more. Have pets , be a good human being , compassionate and caring , care for your parents and grandparents, because you will also age and need care and love

Play the game and play it well. Make money, as much as you can, marry well, have a child or two, make smart investments, and live carefully below your means. There is a reason everyone does that stuff, and it's not because they are unimaginative.

Don't compare yourself with people (especially imaginary people) who you think are doing everything better. They're not. And even if they are, so what? They're not you.

If you have kids, don't worry about the clutter, the grime, the many ways you have to lower your standards to get through the day. You can always raise your standards when things get easier (they do get easier, I promise!). This isn't to say that yo have to Cherish! Every! Moment! But cut yourself some slack. Cut your kids some slack. You're in this together.

Don't worry about getting fat or frumpy. Do the best you can with as much attention as you muster on any given day. That's good enough.

Save as much as you can for retirement. If you have kids, have term life insurance and a will. Spend money on experiences and ease (trips! handymen! housekeepers), not stuff.

bump

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I could change anything, I wouldn't worry about competition and I would help every single person I could along the way. It comes back in spades. I started doing that in my 40 and its life-changing. Especially, help other women.

Can you give some examples? I always try to help everyone-- from a single Mom neighbor that needs a favor, have found numerous people jobs, have given jobs to numerous people to give them a resume boost and volunteer an average of 10-20/hours per month on many different projects over the years..... Yet, I find that whenever I could use a little help (personal or professional)..... it's very slow to come 9 times out of 10. It gets discouraging!

I think one of the most virtuous things a person can do is a kind act for someone who cannot reciprocate. Better yet, don't expect anything in return. What a wonderful example you would be for your kids.
You sound like a lovely person. Your spirit just may be contagious

Anonymous wrote:If I could change anything, I wouldn't worry about competition and I would help every single person I could along the way. It comes back in spades. I started doing that in my 40 and its life-changing. Especially, help other women.

Can you give some examples? I always try to help everyone-- from a single Mom neighbor that needs a favor, have found numerous people jobs, have given jobs to numerous people to give them a resume boost and volunteer an average of 10-20/hours per month on many different projects over the years..... Yet, I find that whenever I could use a little help (personal or professional)..... it's very slow to come 9 times out of 10. It gets discouraging!

If I could change anything, I wouldn't worry about competition and I would help every single person I could along the way. It comes back in spades. I started doing that in my 40 and its life-changing. Especially, help other women.

Anonymous wrote:Do the fun stuff you think you might regret not doing later.

+ 1

And to this I would add that there's nothing like traveling when you're young. While it's still fun to travel when you're older, it's just different.

I should have been better about weight, teeth and the person I married- and that sucks but not huge big deals.

BUT

The one thing I really did right is invest in real estate. It was not always fun (and frequently very annoying!!) but sitting here at 50- I am very happy. I have several properties and they are all on target to be paid off before I am 60 (probably more like 55). The income (after taxes, insurance, maintenance) will be close to 6k/month. Feels good to know I will be financially secure.

People will say to marry for love. Of course, that's a given. However, if you're used to a particular lifestyle, you will resent marrying "down."

It's not a nice thing to say, but it's the truth. To some, a lovely home and nice vacations are important.

Agree with the healthy diet and excercize suggestions and find a husband with the same health values and active interests that you do. Couples that sit on the couch together or share drinking and partying as their common interest tend to age so much faster (or not at all).

Do the fun stuff you think you might regret not doing later.