As I enter my "preparing for" retirement phase, I have so much advice for younger people (which they probably will not take, as everyone needs to find out their own way down life's highway). Usually I am an optimist, but about this I am not.
- Find a good career where you are happy before you are 40
- Save 25% of your income for a happy, fun-filled early retirement
- Don't be afraid to invest in opportunities
- Laugh often, find a partner who laughs with you...sometimes even at you
- If your partner wakes you up to watch a lighting storm, get up and you will not be sorry
- Sneak a bit of chocolate into your partner's pocket/lunch box/bedside table
- Drink 60 oz of water a day
- Never stop walking
- Tell your parents you love them and any idiosyncrasies you may have are of your own choice and NOT their fault
- Be nice to people
- Have a hobby
- Learn the names of clouds
- Buy nice underwear, you will not regret it
- Enjoy all types of weather - be grateful
- Talk to old people, they have had such interesting lives
- Eat oatmeal more often, add fresh fruit and vanilla creamer (hey, I am rambling, but this is good)
- ALWAYS buy good quality shoes and several pair. Care for your feet and care for your shoes - make a shoe care kit and get in the habit of polishing and oiling all your shoes - your feet ARE noticed!
- Details about you are noticed - and people make assumptions about what they see. They are allowed to do so. So, if you decide to have a tattoo of the word "SEX" in the middle of your forehead, don't be surprised if you get skanky people approaching you. Examine your plans BEFORE you make a snap decision and know WHY you are doing something. "Because I want attention" may not be a good enough reason.
- More later. Hope it's not 5 years down the road. Now it's time for my oatmeal breakfast.
