Favorite Media

Keep your favorite songs, pictures, movies and TV shows handy on an iPod. Your favorite song shouldn't be buried in some box in a back room in a CD case.

Family Day

Have a designated Family Day every week on the same day. Reward children on this day for their successes during the week. Don't do work on that day, set it apart.

Public Services

Don't rely on public services unduly. Take responsibility for the books you need, educating your children, your financial security and savings, your health care and your personal safety. Don't rely on government to provide these things. The Supreme Court has ruled that police departments don't have any responsibility to protect individual citizens from harm, only "the public at large" so you're wrong if you think Mr. Policeman out to make sure you and your family are safe. Learn how to use firearms responsibly and with accuracy. Learn about how to carry yourself in a way that deters criminals. Get a good private health care plan. Have your own reference library instead of relying on the public library. Teach your children what they need to know, don't rely on a public school teacher to do it.

Your "Happy Place"

Define at least one "Happy Place" and bring it to life via a picture, a CD, etc. that stays near you. I keep episodes of my favorite TV show on my iPhone and Apple TV to cheer me up when I'm needing a boost, and pictures of pirate adventures and sailboats on the walls near my workspace.

Treat your family on pay-day

On the day your paycheck comes, do something extra nourishing for your family like going out to dinner before the stresses and demands of running out of money can encroach. Put your personal luxuries as vulnerable to shortages at the end of the paycheck period, not the family stuff.

Keep your word

Be ready to sacrifice personal gains to keep your word. If you agree to sell your bicycle to Person A for $200 but then the day they are supposed to come get it Person B offers you $300, don't bail on Person A and fail to keep your word for the extra $100. You'll feel like a jerk and it won't be worth it. No one needs $100 that badly.

View all you have as undeserved gifts

View all you have as undeserved gifts. That way, if someone steals from you, your glass is still half full and you don't have to waste time avenging the loss.

Burn energy for real

Burn energy doing actual work that needs to be done like chopping wood, carrying things that need to be relocated and scrubbing windows for exercise. Forget the nautilus machines! It's fake work. You need that energy to do the real stuff.

Take pride in your workspace

Dust/Clean/Organize your workspace regularly. Get the lighting just right. Adjust table height, chair height, mouse pad placement, keyboard placement, monitor position and angle, etc. JUST RIGHT. Remove distractions and discomforts and eyesores. Get an Alora essential oil diffuser with your favorite scent. Put up a picture or poster that reminds you of your happy place like a sunset over Key West or a New England scene in Autumn. Have all power switches and controls exactly where you need them to be by using extension cords, multi-outlets strips and cord ties.

Short Haircut

Get a short haircut that looks good as soon as you get out of bed. Having a high maintenance "do" is not practical.

Have enough energy

For those moments where your enthusiasm and energy really count, like making a presentation or playing a concert or making a speech, make sure your energy is at its peak. Have that extra cup of coffee if you need to... you don't want your shining moment to be interrupted by a yawn.

Organize your tools

Organize your tools meticulously and regularly. Whether your tools are your musical instruments and accessories, your drill and drill bits, your knitting needles and yarn or your ninja throwing stars, don't settle for them being scattered about. Get an organizer that puts those items EXACTLY where you need them. If nothing is on the market, hire someone to build what you need.

Eat enough salt

Eat enough salt that you are actively thirsty for water most of the day.

Use cash for problem budget categories

Use envelopes of cash or reloadable gift cards to tame the dragon of the categories of your budget that are out of control.

Don't let kids interrupt

Don't let kids interrupt grown-ups when they are speaking or demand the attention of grown ups with stories and actions. Let them hold a hand up to signal they would like to say something, and give them permission to speak when you decide it's appropriate. In the old days kids were "seen, not heard".

Let kids fix their own mistakes

Let your kids fix their own mistakes whenever possible. If something needs scrubbing, cleaning, fixing or attention because they "screwed up" and did something they knew was wrong, let them fix the problem. This will help them learn the doctrine of personal responsibility and avoid becoming a liberal later in life.

Outsource trivial matters

Outsource trivial matters to whomever you can. Laundry, landscaping, accounting, whatever it is that burns tons of time and energy but doesn't have a real value to match, outsource it. To a neighbor, a business, an intern, even a kid. Spend some money having that huge time consuming task handled by someone who wants that work and can do it well for you. Get your life back.

Deal with the roots

Deal with the ROOTS of stress, not the symptoms. If you have physical problems due to worry, stress, toxic relationships, secrets or skeletons in the closet, don't waste your life covering up the symptoms with medicine, distractions, carnal pleasures and overcompensating. Dig in to the real marrow of the problem, have the courage to exhume the skeletons and face the cause. Then you will be able to actually live a vibrant life.

Reject psychology as a way to view problems

Psychology is a hoax. The fundamental idea of it is that people are victims to "diseases" that they can't control or overcome, and that it's not really our fault that we do the toxic things we do. The victim mindset breeds irresponsibility, laziness and stagnation. Don't accept this cop-out in your own life and don't encourage others to take this easy way out either.

Budget for philanthropy

Budget at least $100 per month for being generous to people you care about. That way, when you are struck with the urge to help someone, buy them lunch, buy them a bag of groceries or fill their gas tank "just because" it's in your budget and you don't short change your expenses. Expect to do these things and look forward to finding opportunities to do it.

Don't keep stuff on the floor

If you value something, never keep it on the floor. Buy some small tables where you can put these things where you can reach/adjust/enjoy/operate these things. The difference of 2 feet can make an unbelievable difference.

Separate your work from its preparation

Preparing to work and working are not the same, especially when your work is creative and inspiration-driven. You need to set the "work" apart from the mindless and frustrating labor that gets you ready for the work. Plugging in cords, preparing materials, getting your tools ready, cleaning up your workspace, getting the lighting right, opening a window, adjusting ergonomics, getting a comfortable chair, etc. - dial it in and then take a 30 minute break to clear your head. Take a walk. THEN dive in and "work". You might actually enjoy it.

Get good shoes

Spend whatever you need to on shoes and/or insoles to truly be comfortable as you walk around in life. Get a second pair of the same shoes and use it for backup. If you get the first pair muddy or stinky or otherwise compromised, switch to the second pair while you clean them up. Or use the second pair just inside the house. $200 is nothing for comfort all day long!

Get the biggest hard drive you can

Get the biggest hard drive you can for your internal drive on your main computer. Put all the things you really care about on this drive - pictures, movies, home movies, music, etc. so that it's always with you. Resist saving money by putting important data on external drives that you are required to cart around, bring cables and power supplies for and worry about. Sometimes you'll have to go to a hi-tech guru near you to get the bigger hard drive installed. It's worth it. Also, use Carbonite to have the files from this main drive backed up nightly with no work added to your to-do list. Carbonite only allows you to use this one, main drive for backup, so make it as big as you can!

Play different music in the house

Play different music in the house... on a special day like Sunday. Set it apart from the other days of the week and let the people you share your house with know it's special, by playing music you don't otherwise play. My father in law plays classical music on Sundays. The music fills the air in a very unique and memorable way, letting guests know that this day is no ordinary day.

Park at the back of the parking lot

Beat claustrophobia, fender benders, covetousness and that inactive lifestyle. Park at the back of the parking lot and walk to where you're going. No one will put a ding in the door of your car because they won't be anyone parked next to you. Watch the people arguing over who gets the close spaces as you stroll past.