Personal Development Archives - Page 20 of 30

33 Things To Do That Your Future Self Will Thank You For

Who doesn’t like making life a bit easier? Well, here are 33 things to do that your future self will thank you for.

These ideas are a mix of practical and personal growth tips.

Take what you like and leave what doesn’t speak to you.

Enjoy!

1. Follow a financial plan

Don’t just spend the money you earn as you go along through life.

Your future self will be eternally grateful if you take the time to work out a financial plan that you can follow effortlessly.

This could be dedicating 10% of your earnings without fault to a savings account.

This could be getting a financial advisor who puts a portion of your money into investments each month.

The exact financial plan you follow doesn’t matter quite as much as the fact that you consciously follow a plan you worked out for yourself.

If you do that, you are already so much more mature and organized than most adults.

2. Always study something

If you are in school or college, you’re already doing that, and you know exactly why this is important for your future self.

But what about after school and college?

Most people stop studying once they don’t have to write tests anymore.

However, our world doesn’t stop evolving, and new information is being released every day.

If you want to advance in any area of your life, you need to gain more knowledge.

So make sure to be a student for life. Set aside an hour or two a day as study time, so your future self is smarter and more skilled all way around.

3. Meditating

The list of benefits to meditating is long and ranges from lessening stress to gaining profound insights.

Start making meditation a daily habit – even if it is for just 5 minutes – so that your future self will be able to do it as easily as brushing teeth.

Tools like the Muse Headband can make meditation more fun.

4. Journaling

Journaling can help you clear your mind, organize your thoughts, feel less overwhelmed and stressed, gain breakthroughs, and manifest your goals.

Even if you disregard all these benefits, starting a journaling habit will give your future self the chance to look back and remember the thoughts and feelings you once had.

5. Summarize your day in one-two sentences

Have you ever looked back at the end of the year and wondered where the time has gone? How is it possible for 365 days to pass by so quickly?

Time seems to slip by because we don’t experience enough noteworthy moments that create lasting memories in our minds.

If there is nothing specific we remember, the days slowly but surely blend into each other.

That means the key to feeling like you’ve lived a long and exciting life is accumulating many memories of it.

One great way to slow time down is to summarize every day in one or two sentences. Find something unique about the day and include it in that summary.

Try it for a month and look back to see how much you can remember from the month and how long it feels in retrospect.

6. Start a business

Whether it is a blog, a youtube channel, podcast, or Etsy shop, you should consider spending your time on a side project that could develop into an income-producing business.

Starting a side project like this doesn’t mean you want to become a full-time entrepreneur.

It can stay just a side project that earns you a little bit of money in addition to your income from your job.

At the very least, it is going to create memories and experiences you will never forget.

7. Wear sunscreen

Yes, I get it; applying sunscreen is bothersome. However, there are reasons people do it, and your future self will thank you for it.

Consider taking the time to compare products and choosing the one with the least harmful ingredients.

8. Take care of hormonal imbalances the natural way

Millions of women reach for medications like the birthcontrol pill to solve PMS, acne, and other health issues that stem from hormonal imbalances.

These medications rarely solve the problem. Instead, they hide it for as long as the medication is taken.

These medications in themselves already have many negative if not severe side effects. But if these underlying hormonal balances are not treated, they can increase the risk of severe health problems after menopause.

The book “In the Flo” has convinced me that it is worth taking the time and making an effort to solve these problems naturally and while I am still young.

I know my future self will thank me for it.

9. Write a last will + discuss your funeral

As uncomfortable as the topic of death is to most people, it is important not to disregard it.

Creating a last will and writing down the basics of your prefered funeral arrangement is something that you do primarily for your family and friends to make their life easier in the wake of your passing.

The last thing anyone wants to do while mourning is to obsess over what their loved one would have liked for their funeral. So make sure to give it some thought and either tell them or write it down somewhere for them to find.

If you want to feel a bit more optimistic about your inevitable death, I recommend reading “Life after Life.“

10. Get a drivers license

As someone who has grown up in a village and adores driving, I am always surprised that some people don’t have a driver’s license.

Sure, if you live in a city, you don’t need it.

But do your future self a favor and get a driver’s license.

After all, you never know when you’ll need it. Perhaps you’d like to go on a road trip through Europe one day or help your friends move.

11. Getting a passport

Again as someone who’s had a passport for as long as I can remember, I am always astounded that some people don’t have one.

It makes sense, of course. If you want to travel through Europe as a European, you only need an ID, and a passport costs money.

Still, you never know when the travel bug will bite you, and you’ll want to travel to the other side of the world.

So get yourself a passport and make sure that it is always valid for at least another six months.

12. Learn how to read faster

We are living in an age that is all about information. You will spend a lot of your time reading these information, especially if you commit to being a student for life.

Your future self will thank you if you take the time to learn how to increase your reading speed.

13. Get a job during your summer break

You might not need the money right now, but you most likely will a few years down the line once you want to move out or travel.

So think ahead and spend a part of your holidays working. It will also provide you with valuable experience.

14. Reading books with a variety of topics

Most people don’t read books, and those that do read mainly fiction.

There is, of course, nothing wrong with reading fiction, but you are missing out on a world of wonderful books on all kinds of topics.

Dare to take a step outside your comfort zone and try out a few non-fiction books that excite you.

Read also: Reading List For Personal Growth

15. Keeping a dream journal

Your dreams contain gold that you should reap.

Your dreams can provide you with ingenious solutions to the problems and challenges in your life.

They can also provide you with new ideas that could prove incredibly valuable to you.

Many people recommend keeping a dream journal to practice reaping the gold hidden in your dreams.

So try it out yourself!

16. Writing down at least a rough draft of your imaginary plots

I always have at least one fictional storyline going through my head.

Unfortunately, I still haven’t mastered the discipline and patience actually to bring them to paper.

However, I have started to at least write out small scenes or bullet points with my ideas for future reference.

I don’t even write down something that often, but a surprising amount of ideas has already accumulated at this point.

Every time I rediscover old fanfiction ideas, it makes me incredibly happy and glad that I wrote them down in the past.

17. Keeping the original packaging of tech stuff

If you’ve ever sold your old phone or tablet, you know that the original packaging can bring you quite a lot of extra money.

Therefore, I’ve made it a habit to keep them for as long as I use the device.

Of course, you need the storage room to do so. Perhaps consider storing them on top of cupboards or under your bed.

18. Collecting all relevant receipts of the year

I discovered that as daunting as the task of taxes seems, it can actually be done pretty quickly if you’ve prepared yourself.

By collecting and organizing all relevant receipts in one place, you make it infinitely easier for your future self to get the taxes done and over with.

And hey, who doesn’t like to get money back with little effort.

19. Anticipating recurring expenses

Numerous expenses repeat themselves every year. Sure, the exact amount you have to pay may vary, but usually not by a huge amount.

Even if they do, it’s still better to be prepared to pay something instead of being caught by surprise entirely.

So make a list of recurring expenses like insurance, tuition, etc.

20. Set up automatic backups of your digital devices

Nothing is quite as soul-crushing as losing important or sentimental documents when your laptop, phone, or tablet crashes.

Save your future self from this despair by setting up automatic backups on all your devices.

21. Sort and delete the photos you’ve taken

So, I’m not big on taking photos or selfies.

Still, after a while, I end up with many unnecessary photos taking up storage of my phone and cloud.

Your future self, looking for certain pictures, will be eternally grateful if you make their life easier by deleting what’s not important at regular intervals.

Even better, consider creating folders in which you can organize these images by theme.

22. Trying out many different things

Life is about creating many different experiences.

And thanks to the vast internet we nowadays know just how much there is to experience worldwide.

Do your future self a favor and make memories as you grow older by trying out all kinds of different things.

Try out pottery, ice skating, karting, drifting, wall climbing, virtual reality, surfing, hiking, origami, blogging, horseriding, and countless other amazing things.

Life is about living. So live to the fullest!

23. Avoid too loud music

Loud music may seem like a great idea at the time, but the older you get, the more your hearing is going to suffer if you act recklessly.

Yes, there are hearing aids nowadays. But I’m sure you’d like to be able to hear properly all on your own.

24. Taking the time to find healthy skin and hair care products

Most people are looking for quick fixes. They purchase the product that promises to clear their skin right away or that claims to make their hair shiny with one use.

Your future self will thank you for taking the time to find products with healthy incrediences instead of quick fixes.

25. Keep an eye out for limiting beliefs and negative self-talk and deal with it right away

Overcoming limiting beliefs before they fester is much easier than after they’ve become an integral part of your worldview.

So do your future self a favor and always keep an eye out for negative thoughts that pop up.

26. Write motivational notes/Record a motivational speech

Certain situations trigger us time and time again.

Maybe you always procrastinate on schoolwork until the stress mounts up and you stumble into a panic spiral.

Use the regret of that moment to write or record yourself a note in which you remind yourself of why you shouldn’t repeat this behavior.

Be emotional so that your future self can feel these emotions when reading the note or listening to it.

27. Block a bit of time daily for personal development

If you are reading this post, I don’t have to do much to convince you of the powers of self-improvement.

But truly, working consciously on your personal growth is immensely powerful, especially in the long term.

It might take a while to get the stone rolling, but if you stick with it long enough, you will improve yourself at a rate that your past self would never have anticipated.

And personal growth often does go hand in hand, not only with more happiness but also more success.

28. Make sure to notice when you are being foolishly stubborn and course correct

There is a fine between heroic persistence and foolish stubbornness.

Many people have the tendency to jump after every shiny object and lack the discipline to finish what they’ve started.

Those people might end their 20s without a degree to show for 10 years of college because they always switched degrees after a few years.

Others (and I suppose this is where I can find myself) are overly committed. If they started something, they are going to finish it no matter what.

Those kinds of people might find themselves in a midlife crisis when they realize that they absolutely hate their job and should have dropped out of college in their third semester.

Yes, it sucks having ‘wasted’ two years of your life going in the wrong direction. But guess what’s worse? Spending decades being unhappy with your decision.

So, course correct today if that will make your future self happier.

29. Learn a few easy recipes by heart

This can come in handy if you stay at an Airbnb in your holidays or if you spontaneously decide to cook something easy.

30. Know the language of food and wine

This means you should be able to read a menu at a restaurant without having to research every second word you read.

Much of that knowledge comes with age and experience, but you can speed up the learning process and save yourself awkward situations.

31. Have a power bank and charger in your bag

You never know when you’ll strand somewhere and need your phone that’s running out of battery.

32. Create a reusable packing list of all your fundamentals

You might not travel often, still, most likely, you are packing some basic things every time you do travel.

Having a list to quickly rely on will significantly speed up your packing process and reduce your risk of leaving any of these basics behind when you return home.

33. Learn how to wrap gifts properly

Seriously, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought to myself I ought to learn how to wrap presents prettily so that I don’t have to struggle ever again.

Learn it once, and spare yourself the trouble once and for all.

I hope these ideas will make your future life easier.

I hope you will look back and be glad to have found this list.

If you do, please leave a small ‘thank you’ in the comments. It really does mean the world to me. ^^

Until next time!

Sophie

17 Reasons Being Short is Awesome | Advantages of Petites

Blog, Personal Development

There are many reasons why being short is awesome. It’s time we petites remember the blessings in our life!

1. An excess amount of legroom wherever you are

I only really started appreciating this advantage of being short once I noticed how my taller friends were suffering.

One of my friends needs to carefully cross his legs in an ‘X’ shape so that he’ll fit in the tight legroom of airplanes and our really old lecture hall at Uni.

It does look painful, and I couldn’t be happier that I have all the space in the world.

2. Smaller Clothes = More Luggage Space

Uusually the clothing department is one of the biggest disadvantages of being petite. It can be incredibly difficult to find clothes that you not only like but that also fit.

But, being short and having smaller clothes also brings the advantage that they take up less space.

This comes in especially handy when you travel and have to fit thick winter clothing into your luggage.

3. Always Enough Blanket Left To Cuddle Into

There are only a few things that are as annoying as having a too-short blanket or someone not leaving enough for you to cover yourself fully.

Being short is awesome in the sense that you can turn yourself into a blanket burrito with pretty much any blanket out there.

And who doesn’t like cuddling into a cozy blanket on a cold day?

4. Effortless cuteness

Small things are automatically cuter than their normal-sized version. Think about small salt shakers or tiny shoes for babies or small bonsais.

There are endless examples where small equals cute.

Luckily, this seems to apply to many petites, too.

Sure, if you are young and want to be taken seriously, this can be extremely annoying.

But other than that, being effortlessly cute can be a wonderful asset in life.

5. Most likely smaller than your boyfriend/girlfriend

This can be as much an advantage as it can be a disadvantage depending on the person.

While many (not all, of course) women prefer to be smaller than their partners, many men would like to be taller.

So if you are lucky enough to preference taller partners, remember to appreciate your shortness.

6. You can get cheaper shoes from the kids’ section

Frankly, I haven’t done that often. For me, the girls’ shoe section is often way too pink and glittery.

But once in a while, especially when looking for sneakers, you can save quite some money if you get the kids’ shoes.

Keep that in mind the next time you are looking for footwear.

Read also: 9 Fashion Hacks For Petite Women

7. You can wear high heels without towering over people

Many tall women feel insecure wearing high heels because it makes them tower above most of the population.

Considering that high heels can often provide an immense confidence boost and make women feel sexy, it is sad if your height prevents you from wearing them.

Being short is a great blessing in this case.

8. You don’t have to squeeze yourself into sportscars

If you’ve ever watched Top Gear/Grant Tour, you might have seen Jeremy Clarkson folding himself in half to get into supercars.

Well, we petites don’t have that issue.

Now, we only need to be able to afford a sports car. ^^’

(And hope that we can pull the seat far enough to the front.)

9. You often seem younger than you are

I get it; it is always a bit awkward to show your ID when buying alcohol or going to the cinema.

But being seen as younger than you are, gets much more beneficial the older you get. Usually, most people feel flattered to be perceived as more youthful than they actually are.

It is also great to surprise people who underestimated you.

And you get less weird looks if you decide to go crazy on a playground with 18+ (honestly, one is never too old for a playground!).

10. You won’t have anyone breathing into your neck in cramped public transportation

I feel like some people might disagree with me on this one, but I am usually quite glad to be shorter than others when cramped into a bus or train.

It feels like I have a whole level for myself, and often I don’t have to fight for the lower places of the pole to hold on to.

I mean, yes, if you’re unlucky, you’re coming face to face with someone’s sweaty armpit.

But hey, it all depends on what you want to focus on.

11. You’re always going to be on top of a human pyramid!

Random, yes.

But very true ^^

After all, who likes having a hard knee press painfully into their spine?

12. Easier to slip through crowds

There are plenty of times I was glad for being short because it enabled me to smoothly slip in between people without having to wait for them to make space for me.

13. You’re rarely at risk of hitting your head somewhere

It’s always amusing to walk underneath a low-hanging tree branch standing tall while others have to bend to avoid getting the greenery into their faces.

14. You often get the front row place because you don’t obstruct the view

Of course, this can be a disadvantage if people are not considered and don’t let you stand in front of them.

But most often, they will be kind enough to do so if you ask them nicely.

15. Taking photos from above makes you look great, so be glad people have to look down on you

This is also great in terms of acne around your jawline.

People will notice it less because they don’t have such a good view of it looking down on you.

16. You’re part of the petite club – you will instantly bond with petites all over the world!

Weirdly, I always feel instantly sympathetic towards any petite person.

Obviously, they can lose that sympathy if they prove themselves to be rude, but in a way, they do have a headstart compared to taller people.

17. Being petite makes you more unique

I am aware that this can be more of a downside than an upside for some people. Especially teenagers would rather like to fit in than stand out.

I, for example, was annoyed by the attention I got when I was in grades 5 and 6. Everyone would ask me how old and tall I am and what shoe size I have (Seriously, what kind of question is that?).

But nowadays, I do love my height. Being petite is a huge part of my identity, and I like how it makes me more unique.

After all, we don’t celebrate and remember ordinary people. Every great person has been unique in one way or another.

So, embrace being petite! Being short is awesome because it gives you only another characteristic that makes you stand out from the crowd.

That’s it for this blog post.

I’m curious, how tall/short are you? I’m 153cm or five feet tall.

Have you noticed any other benefits of being short?

Until next time, shorty ^^

Sophie

The Richest Man of Babylon Book Review | 11 Lessons + Quotes

Blog, Books, Personal Development

The Richest Man of Babylon has been a classic in financial literature for many years. This book review will show you why.

As always, with these book reviews, you should be aware that they are not a final list of all the lessons one can learn from the book.

Instead, I picked out some of the most important ones I came across. But everybody will come across different smaller lessons in their own subjective reading experience.

So consider reading the book yourself as well.

Reading Experience

The Richest Man of Babylon was … ok, I guess.

It didn’t teach me anything overwhelmingly new, but it did teach some very basic financial lessons that justify it being a classic.

The individual stories about different citizens of Babylon were interesting to read as they painted a good picture of what life could have been like in that unique city.

I have to admit the old writing style was a bit exhausting to read. But then again, English isn’t my first language, so that might have made it a bit more difficult.

Lessons

1. Hard work alone won’t make you wealthy; you need a plan

“Who would believe there could be such a difference in results between following a financial plan and just drifting along.”
– George S. Clason (The Richest Man of Babylon)

There are lots of people who work hard in life. They spend many decades doing this hard work, yet they don’t seem to get wealthier.

Their money comes and goes just as quickly.

The universe won’t simply notice you for your hard work and turn you into a millionaire overnight.

Instead, you need a plan that goes beyond working hard to accumulate more money.

Do you have a plan yet, or are you simply working and waiting?

2. Spend less than you earn

“I found the road to wealth when I decided that a part of all I earned was mine to keep. And so will you.”
– George S. Clason (The Richest Man of Babylon)

“A part of all you earn is yours to keep. It should be not less than a tenth no matter how little you earn. It can be as much more as you can afford. Pay yourself first.”
– George S. Clason (The Richest Man of Babylon)

Step one to becoming wealthy is not to spend everything that you earn.

Instead, you need to pay yourself first in the form of saving and investing your money.

Once you get your paycheck, the first thing you should do is transferring a part of the money to a separate bank account that is not to be touched under any circumstances.

Then make do with the rest of your income.

Think about it this way: If you’d suddenly lost your job (which can happen to everyone) and found a new job that pays less, you would also manage to finance your life based on that smaller income, am I right?

From now on, you are simply going to pretend you earn only the amount left after paying your savings.

3. You have to let your money work for you

“If you would become wealthy, then what you save must earn, and its children must earn, that all may help to give to you the abundance you crave.”
– George S. Clason (The Richest Man of Babylon)

Now that your savings are slowly but surely growing with each paycheck, you have to take another step.

You have to invest that money in some way to make it earn even more money for you.

One book that helps you get started with investments is Money: Master the Game by Tony Robbins.

You can find it in my Reading List for Personal Growth.

4. Always be ready for an opportunity to arise

“Opportunity is a haughty goddess who wastes no time with those who are unprepared.”
– George S. Clason (The Richest Man of Babylon)

“The truth is this: Good luck can be enticed by accepting opportunity.”
– George S. Clason (The Richest Man of Babylon)

“Men of Action are Favored by the goddess of Good Luck.”
– George S. Clason (The Richest Man of Babylon)

Despite what most people believe, there are plenty of opportunities for wealth in most of our lives.

Sadly, only a few people recognize them as such, and even fewer take advantage of them when they present themselves.

You should always keep an eye out for opportunities that present themselves.

Having a solid amount of savings will help you to take advantage of them.

5. Practise seeing plans through till the end

“If I set for myself a task, be it ever so trifling, I shall see it through. How else shall I have confidence in myself to do important things?”
– George S. Clason (The Richest Man of Babylon)

“When I set a task for myself, I complete it. Therefore, I am careful not to start difficult and impractical tasks, because I love leisure.”
– George S. Clason (The Richest Man of Babylon)

Nobody succeeds in life by being lazy and falling prey to the shiny object syndrome.

You have to be disciplined enough to pursue one goal until you achieved it, or all your effort will be wasted.

Self-discipline is a habit. The more you are disciplined, the easier it is to be disciplined the next time.

And soon, you will see yourself as a disciplined person that follows through on their plans.

Reaching your financial goals is one of the most important plans you are ever going to make, and it is of utmost importance that you see it through.

So make sure not to plan too big in the beginning.

You should rather save 5% of your income every month and keep up with it, compared to planning to save 30% and falling short after only two months.

Consistency is key.

6. Don’t postpone living a good life in favor of saving

“Enjoy life while you are here. Do not overstrain or try to save too much. If one-tenth of all you earn is as much as you can comfortably keep, be content to keep this portion. Live otherwise according to your income and let not yourself get niggardly and afraid to spend. Life is good and life is rich with things worthwhile and things to enjoy.”
– George S. Clason (The Richest Man of Babylon)

Saving for the goal of a luxurious and financially free future is a noble pursuit.

However, you shouldn’t take it too far and let it get in the way of you enjoying the present.

You never know what the future beholds, so you should make the most out of the life you have right now.

Allow yourself to go on holiday once in a while. Maybe treat yourself with a massage.

Don’t do anything that would blow your savings account to pieces. But do allow yourself some luxuries.

That way, you won’t feel resentful towards your financial plan, and it will be easier to be consistent.

Also, a happier you is a more motivated and creative you, which can open new opportunities.

7. The greatest success can come from the simplest plan

“Deride not what I say because of its simplicity. Truth is always simple.”
– George S. Clason (The Richest Man of Babylon)

Don’t dismiss simple plans as too good to be true.

If someone tries to tell you, you can become a billionaire overnight, then yes, that is most likely too good to be true.

However, the simple plan of saving 10% of your income and investing it over decades until it makes you wealthy relies on the powers of compounding, which are very much real.

We often don’t take the first step because we overcomplicate things.

Allow yourself to keep it simple.

8. Only follow the advice of people who walk the talk

“Consult with wise men. Secure the advice of those experienced in the profitable handling of gold. Let their wisdom protect thy treasure from unsafe investments.”
– George S. Clason (The Richest Man of Babylon)

If you are looking for financial advice, you will find an endless amount of people assuring you that they know best.

Many of these people are so convinced by their advice that we easily want to believe them too.

However, if you look at their finances, the quality of their advice quickly becomes questionable.

You should never take financial advice from someone who doesn’t have the financial success you are aiming for.

After all, you wouldn’t ask a mechanic for health advice or a doctor about tips to fix your car.

Only follow the advice of experts who walk the talk.

9. Prepare early for retirement

“Provide in advance for the needs of thy growing age and the protection of thy family.”
– George S. Clason (The Richest Man of Babylon)

While retirement may seem like a distant spot on the horizon for young people, it can approach much faster than we’d expect.

The benefit of preparing early for retirement is a stark decrease in stress and insecurity.

Also, as pessimistic as it sounds, you should at least consider the possibility that you become unable to work much sooner in your life due to an unfortunate accident.

If you’ve prepared nothing until then, you are going to have an even harder time making ends meet.

So look ahead and set up a simple savings plan that you can follow without much effort, and that’ll guarantee a financially stable retirement.

10. You only need to invest small amounts regularly; compounding will turn it into wealth

“The more gold I accumulate, the more readily it comes to me and in increased quantities.”
– George S. Clason (The Richest Man of Babylon)

It’s easy to think that only big investments will give you a big return.

We fall prey to that belief because we think linearly.

We have a hard time thinking exponentially, but that’s exactly how our investments will develop with the power of compounding.

As long as you start early, stay consistent and reinvest your return, you only have to put in a small portion of your income to achieve extraordinary wealth.

There has been a janitor who became a multi-millionaire by the time of his death through his investments.

11. Help yourself first

“If you desire to help thy friend, do so in a way that will not bring thy friend’s burdens upon thyself.”
– George S. Clason (The Richest Man of Babylon)

There is no glory in playing the martyr.

The worse off you are in life, the less you can help others.

Instead of trying to help all your friends and family members immediately, sometimes it can be much more effective to help yourself first to lift them more easily from your higher level.

Think about what they teach you in the airplane safety lessons. You should always put on your oxygen mask first before helping others.

There is a reason millions of people are taught that lesson every day. It’s time we apply this lesson in our daily life as well.

What was your favorite lesson from ancient Babylon?

Did you already read the book? What did you think?

I’m curious to hear from you!

Sophie

55 Ways to Get Out of a Slump | How to get Motivated

Blog, Personal Development

Everyone gets stuck in a rut from time to time. Here are 55 tips to help you get out of a slump and get motivated.

You could also be interested in these:

Productivity Tips
Personal Growth Ideas

1. Don’t beat yourself up; accept it for what it is

Getting stuck in a slump now and then is normal. It happens to the most energetic and motivated people.

Therefore there is absolutely no sense in beating yourself up over it.

Yes, it would be great to be more productive, but this slump you’re in gives you the necessary energy for your next phase of hustling.

So accept it for what it is, be kind to yourself and try out the following ideas to slowly get out of a slump.

2. Rearrange furniture

There is something weirdly powerful to moving your furniture around.

I know some people do it regularly, but I barely ever move something into a different place.

All the more powerful it is, once I do.

Just a small change can make the room feel different and fresh. It gives me the feeling of a new start.

And that’s perfect for getting out of a slump!

3. Put plants into your room

Aside from plants cleaning the air, they also make your room feel the more alive and high vibe.

They provide beauty and bring a part of mother nature into daily hustle without you having to go out.

Furthermore, it can be incredibly rewarding to take care of plants.

I’m always very happy when my orchids bloom anew.

4. Put flowers on your desk

Aside from potted plants, it can also be great to put a vase with flowers on your desk.

Since they don’t last that long, you can create variety in your life by purchasing different kinds of flowers every time.

5. Discover new music

Discovering new music that you are listening to day in and day out is one of the most beautiful feelings.

Go and watch some edits on YouTube or research the songs of TikTok clips. You could also listen to the soundtrack of your favorite series.

6. Rediscover old favorites

Rediscovering an old favorite can transport you back in time and make you suddenly feel all the things you felt back then.

So maybe go and read Harry Potter again or watch Winx Club.

7. Break out of your routine

One of the things that get me stuck in a slump the most is doing the same thing day in and day out for weeks or even months.

To some extent, we all need variety in our life. So make sure to get yours.

This could be by switching your workout and reading time in your morning routine.

You could also sleep in longer or wake up much earlier.

Maybe go and sit in a different room of your house when you work at home.

There are infinite ways to break out of your routine.

8. Wear a more stylish outfit at home

Clothes can heavily impact our mood. If we love what we wear, it makes us feel ready to take on the world.

Don’t let the home office keep you from wearing nice things.

Start dressing up, even if it is just for yourself and the mailman.

9. Take a walk somewhere new

How about some exploring?

When was the last time you walked around the neighborhood without a goal in mind?

Why not try out a few of the scenic tracks that the internet recommends for your area.

10. Have a day off

Take one day off entirely.

Don’t plan anything for it – no appointments, no work, no studying.

Say awake longer the night before, sleep in during the morning, chill in bed, watch Netflix, or read Fanficitons all day.

Give yourself one day to do all the things you always wanted to do but couldn’t because of your busy schedule.

11. Buy new stationery

Ah stationary!

Who doesn’t love stationery?

Getting new folders, pens, and notebooks at the beginning of a school year always felt like a brand new beginning.

Why not use that feeling to get out of a slump?

12. Create a vision board

If you do it right, a vision board can be the epitome of inspiration and motivation for you.

One look at it, and you remember what you are doing this all for. It gives you a sense of purpose and direction.

13. Change your lock screen/background

I don’t know about you, but I don’t change my lock screen or background image very often.

Every time I do change it, it feels very special and exciting to see the new image.

It brings a fresh breeze into my life.

14. Create an inspirational board on Pinterest

I LOVE Pinterest!

I love pinning aesthetic and motivating images.

You can also use Pinterest as your digital vision board.

15. Start a side project

To get out of a slump, a new goal in the form of a project can help you.

Find a project that excites you. Perhaps even a project that in the long-term can change your life – like starting a blog.

16. Finish things you’ve started

I love it to finally finish a book or a series I’ve been procrastinating on. It makes me feel accomplished and as if there is room in my life for something new.

17. Abandon things you procrastinate to finish

Sometimes, though, it is not worth wasting time to finish something you don’t like.

In that case, abandon it officially instead of half-heartedly clinging to it.

18. Clear out your wardrobe

Depending on how many clothes you buy, you should clear out your wardrobe once a year or so.

Get rid of the things that don’t spark joy whenever you see and wear them.

Your clothes should make you feel beautiful, cozy, sexy, powerful, and ready to hustle.

19. Clear out your digital devices

Get rid of those apps that you never use and delete the screenshots and blurry selfies you never look at anyway.

20. Try out new recipes

Introduce a new recipe into your life now, and then create the variety that will get you out of a slump.

Or perhaps buy a different bread or fruit or sweets the next time you go shopping.

Try out something new.

21. Try out new restaurants & Cafés

You don’t have to abandon your favorite café or restaurant. But to get out of a slump, it can be immensely helpful to discover a new favorite.

So go out there and explore your options!

22. Talk to someone new

Easier said than done, I know. But if the opportunity presents itself, talk to that stranger instead of giving a clipped answer and running for the hills.

23. Pour out your heart to a friend

When did you have the last heart-to-heart with a friend?

If you want to get out of a slump, this is the perfect time to do so.

Learn what’s going on in their life. Chances are they are also stuck in a rut, and this talk will help you both.

24. Go through old pictures and organize them

Taking pictures is easy. Finding old pictures not so much.

Use your slump to organize the mess that is your photograph library.

Afterward, you will not only feel accomplished, but you will have discovered lots of awesome moments from the past that can spark motivation in you.

25. Do something that scares you

Stepping outside your comfort zone helps you to level up.

So do something that scares you. Maybe traveling alone or speaking up in class.

26. Join a challenge

Let’s activate the competitive streak in you. Joining a challenge will give you a short-term goal to focus on .

27. Create a past milestones list

I LOVE doing this. It gives me a real feeling of accomplishment and motivation every time I look at it.

Take out a journal or the notes app on your phone and write down all the milestones you’ve already had in a certain area of life.

I’ve written down the exams I passed for my law studies, the internships I did, and more.

I love seeing the list grow longer and longer.

28. Create a future milestones list

Similarly, it can be very motivating to see the next milestones you have to tackle written out.

It gives you a sense of direction desperately needed during a slump.

29. Watch Day in the Life Vlogs

If your own life is not exciting enough, how about checking in on what others do.

It might spark some new ideas in you and motivate you to get productive again.

30. Watch reality shows

Same idea here. Reality shows also have the bonus of being a bit more entertaining than vlogs.

31. Keep track of the times you get into a slump

Figure out if there is a common trigger that gets you into a slump. If there is, it will be easier to avoid slumps in the future.

32. Keep track of the things that get you out of the slump

Just as important as knowing a potential trigger knows the solution that works for you.

Figure out what motivates and inspires you, and make sure to use it regularly.

33. Play Animal Crossing/Sims/ANNO

If your real life is in a slump, it can be great to escape into virtual life.

How about spending some time playing animal crossing or Sims or ANNO?

34. Create a secret Instagram Account purely for inspiration

Sometimes it is great to be a little less social and a bit more private.

You can create a secret Instagram account without telling anyone about it. That way you can follow all the accounts and like all the pins you want without your followers noticing.

Go and subscribe purely to inspirational and motivational accounts. Nothing that makes you feel in any shape or form negative.

35. Use affirmations

While stuck in a slump, it’s easy to fall into negative self-talk. Make sure to combat this toxic habit by using positive affirmations often.

36. Start a gratitude list

You can’t be grateful and at the same time feel bored, lost, or unmotivated.

If you manage to feel truly grateful, these other emotions can’t exist at the same time.

37. Take a different route to and from work/school

Variety is key to get out of a slump. So how about changing something small, like the route you take to and from work or school?

Driving back from uni, I always take a more fun route which is still about the same length as the quickest option. I truly live for those few minutes of more fun.

38. Create a bucket list

Getting excited about your future is perhaps the most powerful way to get out of a slump.

Create a bucket list of the things you want to do in your life, in your 20s, or after your degree.

39. Choose pleasure over productivity/efficiency more often

You are not a machine; you are human. We are meant to experience pleasure in our lives.

This can mean studying in the sunshine for a while even though you can’t focus your best there.

Allow yourself to feel good even if it isn’t the most efficient option.

40. Find new hair products

I love discovering a new hair care product. Using a product with a fresh scent, texture and color gives my life a tiny bit more variety and excitement.

41. Find new skincare products

The same goes for a new skincare product.

42. Have a pamper day

How about some face masks and a bath with candles?

Or you could even go out and get a massage!

Treat yourself! It’s the perfect time to do so while stuck in a slump.

43. Hire a coach/Get a discovery coaching session

A coach or mentor is there to kick you in your butt and get you moving when you feel stuck, unmotivated, or make excuses.

Therefore they can be a powerful ally in helping you to get out of a slump.

44. Watch a documentation about someone’s journey

Last year I watched the Black Pink documentary on Netflix. Let me tell you, it got me so fired up!

For days afterward, I was inspired and felt ready to hustle.

Seeing people working passionately just makes you want to follow along.

45. Start listening to a (new) Podcast while doing chores/working out

Podcasts have been such a powerful source of inspiration for me ever since I discovered them.

They make me want to be a better person and introduce me to new books and courses.

46. Keep a habit tracker

Nothing motivates quite as much as keeping a streak alive.

So start tracking your daily habits and fight to keep the stream going.

47. Take tiny steps

It’s ok to be in a slump and unmotivated once in a while. You don’t need to do great and life-changing things if you are unmotivated.

But try to take the first tiny step of this project or task, and after that, see if you have it in you to take another small step.

48. Visualize your dream life

If you do it right, visualizing yourself living your dream life will make excitement bloom in your chest.

A smile will start to spread across your face as you feel the feelings you will be feeling in that dream life.

Having that vision before your eyes will motivate you to start hustling again.

49. Script about your dream life

Take out your journal and write in the present tense about your day or your thoughts as if you were already living your dream life.

If done right, this should have the same effect as visualizing your dream life.

50. Create playlists for different chores/seasons/moods

There is so much great music out there for every mood and situation.

Take some time to sort your favorite songs into different playlists that you can listen to at the right time to get motivated and inspired.

51. Discover Spotify playlists for your favorite fictional character

I love the feeling of becoming obsessed with a new song.

I sometimes look through Spotify for public playlists that are themed according to a fictional character to discover new music. (e. g. Tommy Shelby, the Marauders)

52. Get scented candles/sticks or a diffusor with essential oils

You can also bring variety into your life through pleasant scents.

Get yourself deliciously scented candles, aroma sticks, or essential oils.

53. Get a new planner

Usually, new planners always go hand in hand with a new year or new school year.

This feeling of a new start is very much needed during a slump, so why not get yourself a new gorgeous planner right now?

54. Get a new haircut/color

A new haircut or color can make you feel like a whole new person.

What tool could help you better to get out of a slump?

55. Try out non-permanent tattoos

And lastly, something I’ve been wanting to do ever since I discovered Inkbox.

Semi-permanent tattoos are a fun way to experiment and make you happy every time you look at the tattoo.

Let that black ink help you to get out of a slump!

That’s it!

What is your favorite idea to get out of a slump?

Do you have any additional ideas to share?

Until next time!

Sophie

11 Rules Of Success to Learn from Bridgerton

Blog, Personal Development, Success

There is a lot to learn from Bridgerton besides all the romance drama. Discover 11 rules of success from the period drama.

1. Always hear others out

Yes, you may have the most experience and authority over a certain topic, but that does not automatically mean you know best.

An almost unwavering rule for life is that you never know everything.

So you should always hear others out on their opinion before disregarding them completely.

Anthony thought he knew best when dealing with Berbrooke and disregarded Daphny and her mother’s ideas and opinions straight from the beginning.

Luckily the women knew how to help themselves and solved the issue much better than the Viscount could have.

So always hear others out. You don’t need to agree with them, but perhaps their opinions and ideas spark something in you.

2. Be bold!

Eloise pushes Benedict to take advantage of his privileged position. She urges him to be bold with the power it gives him because at least he has the chance to do so.

The same goes for you. If you are reading this, chances are very high you are among the very privileged human individuals on this planet.

You probably have a stable roof over your head, warm meals on the table, the first world problem of feeling annoyed about school, and internet connection wherever you go.

I could go on and on and on about all the things you most likely have that make you so much more privileged than others.

If you start to look at your life that way, there suddenly really isn’t any excuse anymore for why you shouldn’t boldly go out into the world and create your dream life.

If you want to build a business, go and start with something. Start a blog, a podcast, or a Youtube channel.

And don’t tell me you don’t have the money to do so. Starting a business has never been as inexpensive as it is nowadays. If you have an iPhone, a Netflix subscription (I know you have, after all, you know Bridgerton!), and buy yourself Starbucks coffee, there really isn’t any valid excuse for you monetary wise.

And if you say you don’t have the time, well, why are you watching Netflix?

And if you’re scared of what others might say, do you need to let them know about your new project? I didn’t tell anyone, and it worked for me.

As I said, there really are almost no excuses for people in our fortunate position.

So be bold! Go out and create the life of your dreams!

3. The opinions others have of you don’t define you

The Bridgerton is all about who thinks what about whom. It’s a constant fight for people, especially women, to appeal to others.

And yes, what society thinks of the ladies does very much define their value in their suitors’ eyes and shape their future.

However, thankfully our society has matured enough to distance itself from a marriage market like the one in the series. Therefore we don’t need to worry to such an extent about appealing to the public eye.

However, what is still the same nowadays are individual people, be it family members, supposed friends, or bullies trying to diminish our value.

In the series, we can see flashbacks of the late Duke declaring his son Simon a worthless disappointment who will never fulfill his role as a Duke because of his stutter.

It’s quite possibly one of the worst things one could ever hear out of their parents’ mouth, and it takes a lot of strength, even with a support system like Lady Danbury, to not let this become one’s self-image.

But Simon proves that what his father thinks of him doesn’t define him. He grows up to be a handsome, eloquent, healthy, and overall capable young Duke.

You have it in your hand to give others power over you by taking their words by heart.

4. Don’t make things more complicated than they need to be

I love the Bridgerton scene in the drawing-room, in which Violet Bridgerton says to Daphne. “My dear, why ever do you complicate matters so? You must simply marry the man who feels like your dearest friend.”

Because truly, Simon and Daphney complicate matters unnecessarily … and Anthony for that matter.

But the series is very well justified to have unnecessary dramas in the plot since we include so much of it into our daily life.

I’ve noticed repeatedly in my own life that I overcomplicate matters. It can be mundane things, from what should I eat or wear today to me wanting to learn something new but spending more time worrying about how to do it than it actually takes to learn it.

Life can be so much easier if we’d just stop making it so bloody difficult all the time.

Don’t obsess about the how of starting a blog. Simply start writing a bit of content daily and do a bit of research about setting up a website.

That’s it. Literally, if you do not stand in your own way, it can be done in a matter of a few hours.

One way to keep things simple and doable is to go with your first instinct.

This can be in making decisions based on your first intuitive choice or starting something based on that first spike of sudden motivation.

For example, if you find yourself suddenly convinced that a Podcast is for you, then get out your phone and just start recording a practice episode before all the doubts and ‘what if’s’ kick in.

Trust me, the more you learn to listen to your intuition and act before your mind can start to overcomplicate matters, the easier your life gets and the quicker you’ll get things done that aid your success.

I believe it goes without saying that this does NOT include any grave and life-changing decisions. Don’t go out and sign any contracts simply based on your intuition.

Those are things that reasonably are a more complicated matter. Although again, your intuition can be of help. So write down or remember your first intuitive response. It might be helpful later on.

5. Privacy Is Power

Throughout the Bridgerton series, it is proven repeatedly that privacy is the most powerful asset of successful people.

The Duke and Daphne keep their arrangement private. Marina Thompson keeps her pregnancy private. The Duke keeps his stutter private, and of course, Lady Whistledown keeps her identity secret.

Privacy protects you. What others don’t know they can’t attack or use against you.

In our social media world, many people share significant parts of their life freely on the internet for strangers to see.

If you’re one of the few, who honors their privacy, you have an ace in your sleeve at all times.

The most important thing is to consider how much you want to share with whom. If you set clear boundaries around that, you are already far ahead of everyone else.

Read also: 11 Easy Ways To Honor Your Privacy

6. Don’t draw hasty conclusions

Eloise is on the hunt for Lady Whistledown. Her research is ambitious and persistent.

Yet, she quickly falls prey to hasty conclusions.

First, the mysterious writer must be a servant, and next, she must be Madame Delacroix.

Both times she was suddenly ripped out of her perceived discovery only to realize she had been wrong.

The lesson here isn’t to avoid creating hypotheses.

Instead, the lesson is to avoid falling in love with your hypothesis so much that you forget to prove it true.

Keep on researching and consider opposing opinions. Allow yourself to think again and change your mind.

7. Take the path less traveled

One reason why social norms stick so much is that they work for many people. They make them happy.

However, just because most people like the path society has laid out for them doesn’t mean that you do so as well.

In season 1 of Bridgerton, we get to see how Benedict discovers an alternative life for himself, much different from the life he always expected himself to lead.

It takes a while for him to accept this different concept but the more he does, the freer and more fulfilled he feels.

There could also lie happiness and success in a path less traveled for you.

Have you ever considered it?

Have you considered what it would be like not to get a degree but to jump straight into the working experience?

Have you envisioned what life could be like for you with your own business instead of a 9-to-5?

And how about making a home for yourself in a different country?

Besides the few paths traveled by the masses, there are endless options for you to discover.

Be open and if some of them interest you, try them out.

8. Think again

This has already been included in some of the previous points. Multiple Bridgerton characters had to think again and abandon some of their long-held beliefs to move forward.

It is essential for success to always course correct and adapts to challenges.

The more flexible you are in your approach – without being a flip-flopper – the quicker you will achieve your goals.

9. Nurture your connections

Humans are social beings that live in societies. Naturally, connections are an important dynamic in our lives.

I know that networking often sounds dreadful, and there is certainly a lot of this kind of networking going on in Bridgerton.

However, the series also highlights the power of purer connections.

It shows in the way Daphney as a new dutchess, supports her family after a scandal.

It’s illustrated in the way Benedict keeps the secret of his acquaintance Granville.

And it shows in the way Lady Danbury supports Simon and Daphney in their wedding plans.

If you go out into the world and are open and friendly, you will always make new connections.

Nurture these connections by giving first without aiming to receive. And should you ever need help, you have your network to rely on.

10. There is always a way

Daphney got out of the seemingly hopeless affair with Berbrooke.

Lady Whistledown manages to run the most widely read column in London as a woman and has managed to evade any attempts to reveal her identity.

Simon has become an esteemed duke despite his childhood struggles.

The Granvilles managed to save themselves from being restricted in listless marriages and have designed a life freer than many people can enjoy.

No matter how hopeless a situation may appear, there is a way to turn things for the better in the vast majority of cases.

Bridgerton gives splendid examples of how one can defy all odds and succeed through resourcefulness and perseverance.

Learn from them and search for ways to improve what seems hopeless.

11. Lack of knowledge leaves you vulnerable

Daphney and Eloise were rightfully angry at their mother for keeping them in the dark about the topics that every woman should know.

Their lack of knowledge makes them weak in certain situations.

They could fall prey to the lies others tell them about pregnancies, sex, and marriage because they don’t know better.

They also can’t solve, let alone recognize problems that occur in these areas.

Overall Bridgerton shows exactly why knowledge is potential power.

It should be a lesson to all of us to never stop learning.

I’m curious, how did you like Netflix’s Bridgerton?

To be honest, the storyline didn’t excite me too much. However, I did love the characters, and that made up for the rest.

Just because of the great characters, I went ahead and read the second book of the series. And let me tell you, it was hilarious! I truly loved it!

Until next time!

Sophie

The Psychology of Money Book Review | 13 Lessons + Quotes

Blog, Personal Development, Success

Money is not all about numbers and strategy. The Psychology of Money teaches what the real driving forces of finances are.

I’ve listed some of my favorite lessons and quotes from the book to help you up-level your monetary mindset.

Reading Experience

I really liked this book.

The lessons were short and precise, without wasting pages on lengthy explanations, and still, there was enough room to write about real-life examples.

Even though this is not the first financial book I’ve read, it did teach me quite a few new things and changed my outlook on the financial market and monetary decisions that are being made.

A word of warning: The book is heavily focused on America, its financial system, and history. So that might be bothersome for non-Americans, though I didn’t mind too much. The lessons still matter for everyone.

Lessons

1. The way you treat money depends largely on when and where you grew up

The Psychology of Money opened my eyes to how important our adolescents’ circumstances are to how we treat money throughout our life.

Different generations can vary drastically in their opinion about spending, debts, stocks, and income.

The reason for that is that once we have had certain experiences and developed a mindset on the topic, we don’t easily change our opinions and expectations even if reality changes.

I’ve often noticed this in my own approach towards bank accounts.

Many adults older than me still look at their bank account as a place to store their money, so it earns interest.

Therefore they are always understandably annoyed by the almost non-existent interest rates many banks offer nowadays.

I’ve grown up like that. I never consciously experienced a time in which my savings would get high-interest rates.

Therefore, I’ve always viewed my savings account as a secure place to store my money and not as a money-increasing machine.

A difference in understanding like this can impact financial decisions, like how much you save, how much hard cash you keep, or at which point throughout the month you pay your bills.

The Psychology of Money gives an interesting overview of how the Great Depression, WWII, and the housing bubble-shaped different generations’ financial beliefs.

Reading about it will make you look differently at other people’s financial decisions.

2. You don’t have to act rational, just reasonable

“Do not aim to be coldly rational when making financial decisions. Aim to just be pretty reasonable. Reasonable is more realistic and you have a better chance of sticking with it for the long run, which is what matters most when managing money.”
– Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)

“Good decisions aren’t always rational. At some point you have to choose between being happy or being “right.””
– Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)

It always seems like every decision we make should bring us the biggest returns or save as much money as possible.

And while it is certainly rational to aim for these things that will increase your fortune, sometimes irrational behavior is better if it is reasonable for you.

A financial decision is reasonable if it lets you sleep better at night because you worry less.

This could be in the form of you not taking the money out of your savings account to purchase your new car. Instead, you go for a more expensive financing plan because without that safety of your savings, you’d feel vulnerable to unexpected bills.

Humans are not driven by rationality but by emotions.

As rational as a decision might be, if it causes you to worry and stress, it might not be worth it.

Allow yourself to act reasonably with money, even if it is irrational.

3. Don’t follow people playing a different game!

“When investors have different goals and time horizons—and they do in every asset class—prices that look ridiculous to one person can make sense to another, because the factors those investors pay attention to are different.”
– Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)

“A takeaway here is that few things matter more with money than understanding your own time horizon and not being persuaded by the actions and behaviors of people playing different games than you are.”
– Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)

The financial crisis of 2008 showed how detrimental it can be for long-term investors to copy the actions of day traders.

Just like how there will be chaos if you try to play Monopoly with UNO rules, you won’t achieve your financial goals if you copy a strategy with an entirely different aim.

You need to be aware that not everyone who seemingly does the same thing as you do, has the same goal.

You might invest to prepare for your retirement in 40 years; others might want to sell that stock the same day for a higher price.

You might be looking for a house to settle in for the rest of your life; others might do it to renovate and sell the house for a higher price.

Your strategy should always suit your goal. So make sure that you only follow the advice that applies to your goal.

4. Nobody is crazy; their decisions make sense for them

“People do some crazy things with money. But no one is crazy.”
– Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)

As the previous points illustrate, many invisible factors influence other people’s financial decisions.

Unless you ask them and let them explain their reasoning, you will never be able to grasp why exactly someone acted as they did.

Therefore it’s high time that we stop calling people dumb for making financial decisions that blew up in their face.

We are always wiser afterward. But back then, it could very well have been a reasonable decision to make for one specific person.

Don’t judge harshly what you don’t understand.

And don’t be so naive as to expect to know and understand everything.

5. Financial developments are less about calculations and more about emotions

Unsurprisingly the book The Psychology of Money deals much more with the emotional and mindset level of finances than concrete strategies.

Finances are not governed by strict rules like physics are.

Most of the financial markets’ development can be better understood if one looks at it from a psychological perspective.

You need to consider people’s hopes, fears, and expectations into the mix of facts and cold numbers to understand why things developed as they did and roughly predict how they will develop in the future.

You should also always consider your own emotions when making financial decisions.

Recognize your current emotional state and anticipate how the emotions caused by future events could influence your behavior.

Starting an investment strategy that will make you feel nervous as soon as times get bad might be an absurd idea no matter how rational it seems right now.

Don’t disregard the power your emotions have over your monetary decisions!

6. Don’t get seduced by pessimism

“Pessimism isn’t just more common than optimism. It also sounds smarter. It’s intellectually captivating, and it’s paid more attention than optimism, which is often viewed as being oblivious to risk.”
– Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)

“Real optimists don’t believe that everything will be great. That’s complacency. Optimism is a belief that the odds of a good outcome are in your favor over time, even when there will be setbacks along the way.”
– Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)

“The historical odds of making money in U.S. markets are 50/50 over one-day periods, 68% in one-year periods, 88% in 10-year periods, and (so far) 100% in 20-year periods.”
– Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)

Dare to be optimistic.

This doesn’t mean disregarding risks and expecting the world to be all sunshine and rainbows. But expect things to work out well in the long term.

Humans are immensely adaptable and have overcome so much already; the chances are very high we will also turn the next challenge around in our favor.

So be very careful when confronted with the advice of preachers of doom.

If they are unrealistically pessimistic, who is to say they are not also drastically wrong about their financial advice?

7. Don’t try to outplay the market

“More than I want big returns, I want to be financially unbreakable. And if I’m unbreakable I actually think I’ll get the biggest returns, because I’ll be able to stick around long enough for compounding to work wonders.”
– Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)

If outplaying the market would be easy or just mildly challenging, everyone would do it.

Even hedge fund managers who spend decades of their working life trying to win big with their investments only manage to do so maybe a couple times.

The chances that you or I will ever manage that are very slim. And trying to do so is costly.

Luckily, there is no need to outplay to market. You can get solid investment returns if you create a more conservative investment plan and stick with it over the long run.

If you simply put aside a small portion of your salary and invest it, you will be surprised at how much can compound over the years!

8. Consistency is key to unlock the mind-boggling magic of compounding

“If something compounds—if a little growth serves as the fuel for future growth—a small starting base can lead to results so extraordinary they seem to defy logic.”
– Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)

“Compounding doesn’t rely on earning big returns. Merely good returns sustained uninterrupted for the longest period of time—especially in times of chaos and havoc—will always win.”
– Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)

The Psychology of Money illustrates some mind-boggling numbers that can be achieved by investing tiny amounts consistently for many decades.

As mentioned before, if you invest for the long-term into a broad portfolio, you are pretty much guaranteed to make some good returns.

But then why are so few people doing it that way?

Well, one reason is that they are trying to outsmart the market. They want to make big bugs quickly and find the next Facebook, Netflix, or Tesla.

When that inevitably fails for 99,99999% of people, they lose courage and give up.

Another reason is that they get cold feet when the market is going down.

It’s easy to invest in good times. However, if you have to watch your investments dwindle away, losing 5%, 10%, or even 30% of their worth, it’s only natural to get a fight or flight instinct and try saving whatever you can instead of putting more money into the market.

However, if you manage to stay patient and determinedly continue investing, then the compounding effect will work its wonders and reward you accordingly.

Small but consistent investments can compound to more than you’d ever expect!

9. Expect to fail in a good portion of your investments

“Planning is important, but the most important part of every plan is to plan on the plan not going according to plan.”
– Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)

“Something I’ve learned from both investors and entrepreneurs is that no one makes good decisions all the time. The most impressive people are packed full of horrendous ideas that are often acted upon.”
– Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)

“Become OK with a lot of things going wrong. You can be wrong half the time and still make a fortune, because a small minority of things account for the majority of outcomes.”
– Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)

It is so easy to believe that the best investors have such a keen eye for the market that their investments are a raging success.

Most people absolutely hate failing.

Even more so if that failure is costing you money.

No surprise, therefore, that many investors try not to lose money and only to make good investments.

The reality is, however, that losing money is to be expected. It is the price you have to pay for being in this investment game.

The best investors accumulate a fortune not because every investment is spot on. But because they land a few hits that outweigh the many losses and mediocre results.

This realization can take a huge pressure off your shoulders.

You don’t have to be perfect. It’s not even possible.

So anticipate losing money and prepare accordingly.

Don’t put all eggs into one basket, and don’t lose confidence when you inevitably stumble.

Just keep going with the certainty that you will also win here and there.

10. Luck and risk are two sides of the same coin

“Luck and risk are both the reality that every outcome in life is guided by forces other than individual effort. They are so similar that you can’t believe in one without equally respecting the other.”
– Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)

“But keeping money requires the opposite of taking risk. It requires humility, and fear that what you’ve made can be taken away from you just as fast. It requires frugality and an acceptance that at least some of what you’ve made is attributable to luck, so past success can’t be relied upon to repeat indefinitely.”
– Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)

Many people like to contribute their own success to hard work and their own failure to bad luck.

However, judging others they often attribute success to luck and failure as entirely the other person’s fault.

The truth is: Nothing is as good or as bad as it seems.

There is always equally as much a chance of you ending up lucky as there is of you failing through risk.

Most success can partly be attributed to luck and most failure to risk.

This means, just because you’ve succeeded once with a strategy, it is not guaranteed to make you succeed again.

Also, just because you lost money once in the financial market doesn’t mean you’ll lose it again.

The key is to be aware of the role luck and risk play and always prepare for the latter hitting.

You need enough of a safety margin in any plan to overcome bad luck and try again until you get lucky.

11. Knowing how to get wealthy is useless if you don’t have the skills to stay wealthy

“If I had to summarize money success in a single word it would be “survival.””
– Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)

“There are a million ways to get wealthy, and plenty of books on how to do so. But there’s only one way to stay wealthy: some combination of frugality and paranoia.”
– Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)

Earning money in itself is easy. There are a million different ways to earn money. Some bring you a higher income than others, but you can make money either way.

There are also a million ways to lose money, yet only a few ways to keep it.

Clearly, maintaining your wealth is the more difficult task. Just look at how many rich people end up bankrupt or close to it!

For all the time you spend focusing on earning more, you should spend just as much on keeping what you’ve made.

Have a savings account and investments that you feed with money from every paycheck.

Save without a specific goal. Just save money for future unforeseeable events and to sleep better at night.

Don’t spend everything you earn, or you’ll always need to make more.

12. Regard forecasts with a large grain of salt

“The majority of what’s happening at any given moment in the global economy can be tied back to a handful of past events that were nearly impossible to predict.”
– Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)

“The correct lesson to learn from surprises is that the world is surprising. Not that we should use past surprises as a guide to future boundaries; that we should use past surprises as an admission that we have no idea what might happen next.”
– Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)

The financial market is heavily impacted by significant events that become benchmarks in human history.

Do you think anyone was able to foresee the world wars or life-changing innovations?

Whether good or bad, significant events are almost impossible to predict.

And since they impact the markets, we can also hardly predict how the markets will develop.

We can make an educated guess that might turn outright, but at any given moment, a surprise could change everything.

So consider forecasts with a grain of salt.

13. Realize that you don’t know your future self

“It’s another to admit that you, yourself, don’t know today what you will even want in the future. And the truth is, few of us do.”
– Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)

“We should also come to accept the reality of changing our minds.”
– Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)

“Sunk costs—anchoring decisions to past efforts that can’t be refunded—are a devil in a world where people change over time. They make our future selves prisoners to our past, different, selves. It’s the equivalent of a stranger making major life decisions for you.”
– Morgan Housel (The Psychology of Money)

Allow yourself to change your mind.

I’m sure if you look back 5 or 10 years, you will say that your past self has had vastly different interests, opinions, and goals from your current self.

So why would you expect your future self to still have the same goals that you have today?

Don’t make decisions today and expect yourself to stick with them for decades to come.

Life is about evolving yourself.

Don’t feel forced to live inside the boundaries placed by your younger self.

If your lifelong dream of becoming a doctor doesn’t sound so good anymore, that’s ok. Create a new vision.

If living as a minimalist doesn’t fulfill you anymore, then find something that does.

Don’t let your past dictate your future.

What was your favorite lesson?

Do you have any great finance books you can recommend?

I’d love to hear from you!

Sophie