Tuesday, March 10, 2009

From thriving to struggling

PERSONAL FINANCE

Saw it on USA Today front page: as economy falls, success is being redefined and expectation lowered.

That's sad. I know that as long as I have a job, I am secure. However, to prosper, it's not enough to have a job. You need to have two. Also on today's issue (March 10, 2009) in Money section: Automotive industry let one family make a life, there is a detail how the elder Faust would moonlight other jobs. That is the same approach that Jay Leno is taking: one to live, and one to save. The benefit is that you are becoming more resilient and be able to withstand downturn better. Just like Amy Beers who now depends on her moonlight job to weather the downturn.

In the meantime, though, I am being reminded of my lesson to keep humble. I think all self made millionaire are like that. My expenses didn't really skyrocket after last year's spectacular income level increase. Just an extra $200 a month in rental space, and an extra thousand in my annual Christmas shopping spree. Okay, so I went out hogwild on books and magazines, but those are education investments, something that will stay by me for life.

So now that economy is tanking and my income level dropped, it's business as usual, minus a few books. That's all. I'm not living paycheck to paycheck, and that's the way it should be.

Also there's an article about how CEOs' philosophies become more refined after close to dying. As Steve Jobs puts it: "Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true."

In my opinion, nothing clears your life like the threat of dying. Ask yourself this: If there's only one thing that you can accomplish before you die, what would it be?

That is your life's work, and once that is accomplished, you have succeeded, and you can then die in peace and contentment.

Steve Jobs: "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life." Once you know what to do with your life, everything becomes easier. You have become guided. You can plan your life easier.

Always keep in mind the long haul, and you will prosper. Just don't forget to take life pleasures every now and then.

Bad things happen, and they happen to good people. What you should do isn't wondering what you can do to prevent it from happening, but what you should do if it happens to you.

That's what life is really all about: Decide what you want to do with your life. Develop a plan to do achieve it. And, uh, have Plan B. That's all there is to it.

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