4. Marry because you a) love your spouse or b) because you and your spouse want to have a family. Do not marry because you fret being lonely or alone. Being unhappily married is a MUCH lonelier place to be than single.
5. Find work that if you can’t love, you can at least tolerate and that you’re personally proud of. If it’s not your passion (I think about 2.03% of the world is actually employed in their passion), at least ensure it’s a steady paycheck and doesn’t impede your private life. If it does, regardless of how much you make, it’s not worth it. People in these jobs are the ones who have heart attacks on their way to work on Monday morning.
6. Don’t become a lawyer—90 percent of them hate what they do.
7. Try not to own too much. Cars, boats, and homes need maintenance, draining your time and resources—your free time is of way more value to your long term happiness.
8. Expensive clothes, lots of makeup, and all the highlights in the world won’t make you look better than a fit body and a beautiful unencumbered smile. Pass on the shopping mall and hit the gym (or the yoga mat), instead.
9. Attend to annoyances like chores, bills, and doctor’s appointments as soon as the need arises. Feelings of dread create huge and unnecessary drama, and things are never quite as unpleasant as we suspect they will be.
10. When you’re feeling crusty, stressed, or ready to blow your lid, take a second and remind yourself not to take life so seriously! Everything, and I really mean everything, ALWAYS works out in the end. That’s just life.
