Showing posts with label dreams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dreams. Show all posts

Monday, 10 June 2013

On my birthday

28 May 2013 - genap 29 tahun saya lahir. Last year sebelum masuk 30 series. 
Kebetulan birthday kali ni time holiday kat kampung. 

Since the last few months, hubby saya dok minta hint nak hadiah apa this year. Birthday present kot..mana aci bagi hint. Nak surprise birthday present la baru best.. 
Dah masuk bulan May pun dia sibuk dok tanya lagi. Geram pun ada. Tapi biarkan je. Kadang-kadang hubby saya ni poyo je, konon-konon takde apa-apa macam last year. 
No, i never believe him.
Just wait for it.

When we arrived KL, I give him suggestion to celebrate my birthday (only two of us) & tengok wayang cerita romantic. Dia pun setuju. So thats the plan on my birthday. 

I am so excited waiting for that moment. Lama dah tak tengok wayang berdua since pregnant Adam dulu sampai la adam dah setahun lebih. Nak dating-dating macam dulu..haha.

On the special day
Bangun dari tidur, celik mata, tengok ada satu paper bag yang saya memang kenal sangat la. Awal-awal macam tak percaya je nampak paper bag tu. "ishh.. isinya benda lain kot.."
Terketar-ketar tangan seluk dalam paper bag tu..ada satu kotak kecil dalam bag tu. Suara macam dah kat tengah-tengah tekak dah ni..tahan je tak kasi keluar. 

Bila bukak je kotak comel yang ber "ribbon" putih tu, i just cant hold my voice any longer, jerit tak percaya...

I got my 1st chanel on my birthday!!!!


A Chanel brooch. Sangat cantik - simple & sweet. 
a precious gift daripada hubby. Thank you so muchhh..
To have a Chanel - My dreams come true.

Pastu rasa geram yang amat sangat, sebab dia dok cakap takde hadiah apa-apa tahun ni. 
"ok.. u dah guna trick yang sama in 2 years in a row. Next year, sumpah tak percaya lagi. Abis la u...."

Brooch tu my hubby order dari kawan dia, Yla from Germany, way cheaper dari beli kat Malaysia. Pastu Ija, adik ipar saya pun bersekongkol jugak dengan plan ni. Dia drive pergi Seremban untuk amek brooch ni dari Yla. Rupanya plan ni dah lama dah. Bijak-bijak...

Thanks to Yla, Ija, Epi yang bersusah payah untuk hasilkan surprise yang awesome ni. Tak dapat hidu langsung. Thank hunny, i love u so much. 

So our plan nak celebrate my birthday still on. We went to One Utama for lunch, shopping & nak tengok wayang. 

Muka happy birthday girl.. sengih sampai telinga



Muka orang tak bersalah yang plan semua ni.. hehe



 Our guilty food from T.G.I. F. 
Makan sampai tak larat nak jalan. 

 Little cupcake waiting for her turn to be NGAPP



Unfortunately we are running out of time & kena balik awal. So we decided to dropped movie agenda. =(

Habis pusing OU, singgah pulak kat SACC Mall, Shah Alam nak usha baju raya. 
Terserempak dari jauh dengan my mentor Naa Kamaruddin. She got an appointment with her client. 

Then i have another cake on my birthday for tea break at Secret Recipe. 


Birthday outing yang best. Again, thank you hunny for this wonderful treats. 

Birthday wishes from him. You are the best.. 


P/S: Thank you very much to all my families & friends yang wish happy birthday aritu. Terharu sebab dapat banyak sangat wishes. =) =) =)


Love,
Anith

Thursday, 11 April 2013

It is all about confidence

Assalamulaikum

Self confidence = keyakinan diri.
How do you rate ourself? 10/10 or 1/10?

Ramai orang cakap, anak melayu ni kurang self confidence. Bila pegi interview susah nak lepas sebab jawab tergagap-gagap.
Pernah tak dengar ayat ni "kalau kita tak yakin, kita takkan menang dalam pertandingan yang kita boleh menang." Siapa yang selalu on channel 611 - Astro Ceria -  selalu sebut benda ni.

It is true. Self confidence adalah criteria yang penting dalam diri kita.

Saya ni bukan pakar motivasi, saya cuma nak tulis berdasarkan pengalaman hidup saya.

Pada hari hari terakhir saya kat office, ada beberapa kawan saya yang datang ucap selamat & wishes. Antara yang saya dapat adalah.. 
"i will miss u sebab u suka bagi kata-kata semangat kat i. 
"u confident, dari awal i kenal u, u sangat confident" 
"bila u takde nanti, siapa nak bagi true comment & positive words kat i" 
"i dah takde teman berborak nanti"
Hahaha.. nampak sangat saya suka berborak time office hour. 

Berbalik kepada comment yang saya ni confident. The truth is I build this confidence level for years. Secara semulajadinya saya ni sangat pemalu & agak penakut. Saya selalu rasa rendah diri & terlalu memikirkan tentang kekurangan diri saya.

Saya ingat lagi lepas SPM saya pilih untuk masuk matrikulasi, sebab saya tak yakin dengan keputusan SPM saya. Saya taknak ambik risiko berada dalam golongan university yang pastinya result lebih baik dari saya. Di matrik, saya bahagia.. when i know i am ahead of the rest. Masa tu confident level saya memang tinggi. I can lead a small discussion on English Literature in class. 

Tak lama di matrik, saya diterima masuk ke UTP. I did well in my interview - which i never expected.(nanti saya share cerita disebalik Petronas interview)

Hari pertama di UTP adalah hari yang menggerunkan. Saya fikir, mungkin saya student yang paling tak pandai. Seminggu saya menangis sorang-sorang dalam bilik. Saya taknak jumpa sesiapa, taknak kenal sesiapa, rasa sangat rendah diri. Ya Allah, rasa nak keluar dari UTP masa tu jugak. Nasib baik saya jumpa kawan-kawan yang sangat-sangat baik yang banyak tolong saya =)
Note: Kuritas ( u know who u are).. kite takkan lupakan jasa korang kat kite sampai kite mati. Miss & Love u all very strong!

Selama bertahun, dalam kelas saya sepi. Jarang sekali nak angkat tangan bertanya apa-apa. Kalau kena berdiri jawab soalan, automatic muka saya merah padam, rasa panas di pipi, suara tersekat-sekat macam nak menangis. Seriously memang rasa nak nangis. I really hate that. Kalau boleh biar saya nak jadi invisible girl.

The problem with confidence really affect me, my social life & especially my study. Selalu rasa diri sendiri bodoh. Keep thinking of that really make me one. Seriously!

During my 4th year of study, I think I really need to change. I start to take charge of my life.
1st thing I did was to learn to drive a car. Saya ni penakut nak pandu kereta, rasa macam nak accident je kalau memandu, ataupun saya takut saya sesat. So i decided i should conquer my fear. Masa tu baru dapat lesen kereta tau tak? Orang lain lepas SPM je dah boleh ronda satu pekan. 

Then I learnt to swim again. Kali ni saya belajar dari kawan2 saya. Sebenarnya dulu masa darjah 5 saya masuk kelas swimming tapi sebab tak confident boleh pandai berenang,   -  rugi je bayar yuran bulan-bulan. Boleh terapung je, swimming sikit dah pancit sebab teknik tak betul.

I started doing things yang selama ni saya rasa takkan buat, saya takut, saya tak pandai. I just give it a try.

( gambar hiasan - maaf saya tak simpan gambar2 saya dulu . Semua dalam hard copy. =p)

Achievement paling membanggakan, saya signed up kelas Aikido (martial art from Japan) on my 4th year 2 sem. My decision on joining the class really shocked my friends. Saya tekad nak masuk. 1st day was really terrifying;

-Pertama, sebab saya join sorang-sorang, saya tak kenal orang lain dalam kelas tu. 

-Kedua, sebab the class was conducted by a student from Iran ( my sensei). Most of the members are international students (berapa kerat je melayu, 2-3 orang je perempuan melayu terakhir nak belajar martial art ni yg konon-kononnye suitable for ladies). So terpaksa la saya speaking all the time.

-Ketiga, kelas diadakan 2 kali seminggu, sebelah malam for 2-3 hours. Location class pulak punya la jauh dari hostel. Jalan kaki je sebab takde transport. Paling malas bila lepas training, badan dah sakit-sakit, pastu nak jalan kaki balik pulak. Letih oooo..
Tu tak kira warmed up session yang kena lari pusing dewan 7-10 kali, step yang jatuhkan diri sendiri atas lantai & bergolek-golek dari hujung ke hujung & aktiviti sparing. Saya pun tak sangka saya berjaya lakukan semua tu sendiri. Saya pernah lawan dengan Negro lady yang 2 kali besar dari saya. huhu


Saya tekad jugak nak habiskan training 1 semester & berjaya naik level. 
Ada seorang student cina dalam kelas Aikido saya, dia baru semester ke-2  & dah naik 3 level. Nama dia Chun Wei. Bila dia tahu saya ni dah nak masuk final year tahun depan, dia terkejut.. maybe sebab saya ni maintain madam budak kecik kot time tu. hehe.Bajet cute..
  so dia tanye saya "kenapa u tak join kelas ni awal-awal dulu?" 
saya jawab "Sebab saya baru rasa berani sekarang" 

Niat saya untuk belajar martial art bukan untuk master the skill. (sound a bit silly) tapi saya nak build confidence level saya. Saya cabar diri saya untuk buat sesuatu yang saya fikir saya takkan saya mampu. 
Kalau niat saya nak master, saya takkan join in the first place, sebab saya tau saya takkan lama di UTP. 

Saya dapat rasa diri saya yang baru. Lebih yakin berbanding dgn sebelum ni. 
I am glad that i did it.
Mungkin cerita saya masuk aikido mean nothing untuk orang lain. But it means a lot to me.  

Kenapa keyakinan diri ni penting?
Untuk berjaya kita mesti yakin yang kita boleh berjaya. Mesti yakin dengan kebolehan sendiri. 

When mind speaks, action will follow. 
We get the result of what our mind said. 

The law of attraction says "like attracts like, so when you think a thought, you are attracting like thoughts to you."

So kalau kita fikir kita boleh, kita yakin kita boleh buat..maka kita akan boleh buat dengan izin Allah. 

Dalam business ni bila saya start business ni dulu secara part time. Ada beberapa orang bagi komen. Antaranya: 
"I pun teringin nak buat business, tp I tak reti nak cakap macam U." 
"ohh.. U takpe la, pandai promote-promote barang ni."
"i ni sembang pandai la, tapi nak selling ni tak reti."
"I tak reti la nak buat macam U."
"I nak berenti kerja & buat business sendiri, tapi I tak tau apa-apa pasal business." 

 "tak reti, tak pandai, tak nak" 

Sebenarnya saya pun awal-awal tak reti. Tapi saya nak belajar. 
Saya awal-awal pun tak pandai. Tapi saya keep doing it sampai saya pandai. 
Saya dah lama terfikir nak buat business sendiri, saya pun tak amek course business & marketing kat university dulu. Tapi saya nak try buat business sebab itu la impian saya. 
Saya pun risau & takut kalau business saya tak menjadi & rugi.. Tapi kalau saya tak cuba selama-lamanya takkan jadi. Lagi la saya rugi. 
So just try. Do the best that I could. Belajar, belajar, belajar. Sampai bila-bila pun takkan habis untuk belajar.

Saya bertuah sebab dalam business ni saya ada mentor yang ajar saya. Saya belajar banyak dari dia. Saya belajar sendiri kalau saya tak dapat pegi kelas. Saya belajar dari observation saya, saya belajar dari kegagalan orang lain, saya belajar dari kesusahan orang lain. 

Untuk belajar, kita mesti buka mata & buka hati. 
Belajarlah untuk pandai & berasa yakin dengan diri sendiri.



If you want to lift up your life,
looking for a business to start,
come & join me. 
I will guide you to excel in this business. 
contact me here 019-5922951


Monday, 24 December 2012

My Apartment

My very first home

Malam Khamis lepas, saya bersengkang mata kerana mahu menyaksikan session finale The Apartment Syle Edition TV series. My favourite show yang saya takkan miss setiap minggu dari episode pertama. 

Siapa yang tak pernah tengok this show, here is the summary;
Eight couples/group must design, decorate & create 9 rooms of apartment and turn them to become the most fabulous & fashionable living space. They are given amount of money & time frame to spent for the rooms and guided by well know designer Jamie Durie. Each design & final touch will be evaluated by expert jugding panel, including godfather of design TV as the lead judge, Laurance Llewelyn Bowen. 


Saya memang minat sangat interior design. Cita-cita saya dari kecil. hehe.. 

Jeles betol saya tengok contestants yang masuk competition ni. 
They got great opportunity to learn from the famous & well known interior designer master, dapat duit lagi untuk shopping furniture yang sangat lawa & glamor & the best is the grand price ..winning a brand new luxury apartment THE VOE - KL. 



Oklah enough with the reality TV show. 
Back to my reality life, i have my own apartment at Kajang.
My very first home.

I bought the apartment unit since my 1st year working. Never thougtht i would buy a house that time. Ye lah awal-awal kerja dulu dengan gaji RM2500, baru nak merasa pegang duit sendiri, banyak impian time study dulu belum tercapai, banyak tempat nak pegi melancong, teringin handbags, shoe, baju-baju cantik, pakai skin care yang mahal sket.... the list is soo long. 
Biasa la perempuan. 

One day, saya balik jumpe parents. Masa tu my parents baru dapat transfer ke KL, HQ Agro Bank & menyewa kat Serdang (5 minit dari Mines shopping complex).
Tiba-tiba, mama bagi saya beberapa broucher
 rumah & apartment sekitar Selangor. 
"Kaklong tak mau beli rumah? Ramai budak-budak baru kat tempat kerja mama tengah beli rumah sekarang ni".

Terkedu saya. Dalam hati Ya Allah beratnya. Saya tak pernah dengar lagi kawan-kawan satu office dengan saya dah start beli rumah. Masing-masing sibuk beli kereta & enjoy dulu. 
Saya minta tempoh untuk berfikir.

Memang saya mengaku, rumah sewa yang mama duduk tu tak berapa selesa. Saya yang kadang-kadang balik pun rasa tak best, apatah lagi mama & abah yang duduk tiap-tiap hari. Rumah sewa teres 2 tingkat tu, half furnished, tinggalan orang. Harga sewa murah, tu je yg abah mampu masa tu. 
Kesian kat mama & abah. 

Akhirnya saya setuju. Saya fikir, biarlah mama abah hidup selesa sikit di sana. Adik-adik saya pun sekolah sekitar KL-Selangor. 

So bab pilih rumah & lokasi saya serah bulat-bulat kat mama & abah. Diorang juga yang settled kan urusan peguam & pembelian rumah. Saya cuma signed agreement & bayar bulan-bulan. 
Alhamdulillah, urusan beli rumah dipermudahkan. Saya dapat full loan lagi masa tu. 


Dalam masa setahun lebih rumah saya siap sepenuhnya.
yeayy..!! Im so excited. 
For the 1st time i will be able to decorate my OWN HOUSE!

Laman Suria Apartment, Kajang.
Complete with swimming pool, play ground for kids, surau, security & maintenance service. 



Duit gaji kumpul sikit-sikit untuk beli perabot. Beberapa bulan sebelum pindah masuk saya dah siapkan design setiap bilik. Budget ciput je, takleh nak lavish sgt.. so kene betol-betol plan segala benda. 
Oh ya.. saya cuma ada 2 hari untuk pilih semua perabot, cat, curtain..etc sebab saya takde cuti.

Perkara yang harus dirancang sebaiknya:
1. Layout of the room & size - kene tau kat mana pintu & tingkap. Senang nak design the space.
2. Theme - color, hard & soft furnishing
3. Electrical point - untuk nak pasang lampu, kipas, other point for electrical appliances
4. Semua ni mesti ada bugdet yang betol. So kena la survey dulu harga barang-barang. Walaupun ada unlimited budget, mesti ada plan yang betol. Kalau tak design caca merba & takut ada pembaziran. Spent wisely OK.

Welcome to my apartment 

Apartment sebenarnya kecik je. Ruang tamu attached sekali dengan ruang makan. 3 bilik, 2 toilet. 
Dapur cute je. Ada ruang utility untuk luandry & stor.

Living room
Saya pilih theme neutral, gabungan warna hitam & coklat. warna emas untuk highight. 
Pilihan warna yang "safe" - Senang nak mix & match

 Wall deco ni i bought from India,Hyderabad. it is actually a table cloth. Penuh dengan sulam tangan & manik-manik. Harga RM500 je beli kat sana. Sayangnye nak pakai buat alas je. So i framed it & it is perfect for the wall.  

 Candeliar - saya teringin sangat lampu yang mewah. 
So saya pilih lampu kristal yang ni untuk ruang yang sempit. 

Study room 
Bilik ni saya buat untuk adik-adik bujang saya. 
Tempah khas built-in study table for 2 attached skali dengan wardrobe. Katil single yang boleh tarik tilam kat bawah. Jimat ruang. 
Theme black & white.  


 My bedroom.
Theme: light blue. Coooolll je color ni. 
Wall deco tu beli kat India jugak. It is actually table runner, made from velvet. Cantik sangat. 

The kitchen.
Practical & simple kitchen. Kabinet dapur ni mama yang sponsor. Mama upah seorang indon buat cabinet ni. Solid wood,.. murah sgt la upahnya kalau nak bandingkan dengan quality material & workmanship. 
Berbaloi-baloi =) 
To complete the whole kitchen, saya beli set pinggan mangkuk + tea set ceramic putih. Macam kat hotel tu~


I love & enjoy this job so much


Moral of the story
Setiap cerita mesti ade pengajaran utk panduan masa hadapan. bukankah setiap yang berlaku ada hikmahnya?

Saya sangat berpuas hati dengan apartment saya ni, walaupun tak sebesar & semewah mana. Sesuailah dengan gaji saya masa tu. =)

 Lagi puas hati bila tengok mama & abah lebih selesa tinggal kat rumah tu. Surau pun dekat, abah spent his time kat sana.
 Better place for them. =) =)

 Best dapat kumpul dengan adik-adik bila sesekali balik semenanjung. Eratkan silaturahim & kukuhkan kasih sayang.


 Syukur sebab dapat bagi the best for them. 
In sha Allah, takkan surut rezeki kita kalau dengan duit tu kita bahagiakan ibu bapa & saudara kita. Allah akan kurniakan lagi banyak rezeki pada kita. Inilah masa untuk membalas jasa orang tua kita. 


And i am very glad that i made a right decision, beli rumah awal-awal dulu. Dulu harga rumah ok lagi, sekarang dah mahal sangat.
Alhamdulillah.

Kawan-kawan saya yang baru masuk kerja sekarang, ramai tak mampu nak beli rumah, sebab harga mahal sangat & takde full loan lagi dah. 
Ye ke? Saya tak pasti tentang ni. Katanya ada certain level of salary je yang boleh buat full loan. 
Kesiannya, mane nak cari duit buat deposit & bayar lawyer?
Lagi tunggu lagi naik harga rumah. 

I am very glad to have this house.  
Syukur sebab dengar cakap mama abah dulu. Kalau nak ikutkan hati muda yang sedang enak menikmati duit gaji, memang saya takkan beli apartment ni. 
Kalau nak tunggu masa pergi pilih sendiri, tunggu yang berkenan di hati, tunggu lokasi yang hebat, pasti saya belom ada rumah sampai kini.
Nasib baik, saya terus rebut peluang yang ada, kerana mungkin peluang ni takkan datang sampai bila-bila.

Note: Sekarang rumah ni saya buat homestay, my parents dah berpindah balik ke Kedah. 


Love
-anith-


Thursday, 18 October 2012

Financial Freedom Plan for 20's


I am 28 years old now. Left with 2 years to celebrate my 20's before turning 30th. Oohh i am growing up so fast.

I was looking for a "list of things to be achieved by 30th". . but i didnt found it.

Instead i found this interesting article about financial freedom before going 30.
Have a pleasure reading.. =)




Being financially secure enough to enjoy your life in retirement is the last thing on the minds of those under 30. 
After all, with the stress of all the expensive "firsts" that often come about during this period, like purchasing a car, buying a house and starting a family, it's hard to even think about saving for the future. 
However, working toward financial security need not be an exercise in self-deprivation, as many people assume. 
Attaining this goal even has some immediate benefits, as financial insecurity can become a serious source of stress - something 20-somethings have enough of already.

So can you achieve long-term financial security without sacrificing your short-term goals? 
Read on for 10 tips on how to do just that.

1. Have Fun
Enjoy yourself while you are young - you will have plenty of time to be miserable when you are older.
Living a successful, enjoyable and happy life is about achieving a proper balance between time with family and friends and between work and leisure time. Striking a proper balance between your life today and your future is also important. 

Financially, we can't live as if today was our last day. We have to decide between what we spend today versus what we spend in the future. Finding the correct balance is an important first step toward achieving financial security. (For further reading, see Budget Without Blowing Off Your Friends.)

2. Recognize Your Most Important Financial Asset: Yourself
Your skills, knowledge and experience are the biggest asset you have. 
 Your job and future career is the most important factor in achieving financial independence and security. For those just entering the work force, future career opportunities are as bright as they've ever been. 
The large number of retiring baby boomers is expected to create labor shortages. 
There will be room to fill the positions held by these aging baby boomers. Those who are in a position to take advantage of these opportunities will benefit the most.

Look at yourself as a financial asset. Investing in yourself will pay off in the future. Increase your value through hard work, continual upgrading of skills and knowledge, and making smart career choices. Efforts to improve your career can have a far bigger impact on your financial security than tightening your belt and trying to save more. (To learn more, see Should You Head Back To Business School?)

3. Become a Planner, Not a Saver
Research has shown that those who plan for the future end up with more wealth than those who do not. 
Successful people are goal oriented: they set goals and develop a plan to achieve them. For example, if you set a goal to pay off your student loans in two years, you'll have a better chance of achieving this goal than you would if you merely said you wanted to pay off your student loans, but failed to set a timetable.

Become a planner. 
Set goals and develop an action plan to reach them. Even the process of writing down some goals will help you to achieve them. 
Being goal oriented and following a plan means taking control of your life. It is an important step toward improving your financial independence and security.

4. Set Short-Term Goals - Long-Term Goals Will Take Care of ThemselvesLife 
holds many uncertainties - and a lot can change between now and 30 years into the future. As such, the prospect of planning far into the future is a daunting task and in many ways, it's often an exercise in futility for young investors.

Rather than setting long-term goals, set a series of small short-term goals. 
These goals could be a simple as trying to pay off credit card debt in a matter of months. Maybe your goal is to contribute to your saving with a set salary reduction contribution each month. 
Setting short-term goals that will help you to advance in your career is important in helping you get ahead. Remember, these short-term goals should be measurable and precise. You can't win a race if there's no finish line.

As you achieve your short-term goals, set other short-term goals. Maybe you want to buy a house, earn a promotion at work or buy a new car. 
The constant setting and achieving of short-term goals will ensure that you reach your longer-term goals. 
If your goal is to be worth a million dollars by age 40, you cannot achieve this without first achieving smaller goals like having $10,000, $50,000 or $500,000.


5. Planning For Retirement: Fuggetaboutit?
 Retirement planning is the last thing on your mind. So, if you have to for now, just fuggetaboutit. 
If you follow the other tips, you will not only be more financially secure and prepared in the short term, but you will also be financially prepared for the distant future as well.

However, if you take a few steps now to start saving, like setting up automatic monthly contributions to a retirement plan, compounding will work in your favor, which makes reaching your goal much easier.

If you implement this pay yourself first ideal, you won't have to worry about how much you're contributing; the most important thing is to develop the habit of saving. 
The rest will take care of itself. You can increase your contributions when your income rises or when you've achieved more of your short-term financial goals. (To learn why starting now can save you thousands later, see Understanding The Time Value Of MoneyCompound Your Way to Retirement and Delay In Saving Raises Payments Later On.)
6. Make Sure Your Lifestyle Costs Lag Your Income Growth
Many new graduates find that in the first couple years of working they have excess cash flow
Still used to their student spending habits, it is easy to make more money than they need. Rather than using excess income to buy new toys and live a more luxurious lifestyle, this excess could be put toward reducing debt or adding to savings. 
As you advance in your career and attain greater responsibility, your salary should increase. If the cost of your lifestyle lags your income growth, you will always have excess cash flow that can be put toward paying down debt, making investments, saving for a home, or achieving any other financial goals you may have.

Where many people get into trouble is that they feel entitled to a standard of living that exceeds what they can afford. 
However, if you keep your standard of living below what you earn, you won't have to cut back to accumulate money; instead, you will naturally have excess cash flow because you earn more than you need to live on. 
In addition, keep in mind that trying to keep up with the Joneses is always a recipe for financial failure. For all you know, you may make more than the Joneses, who may be funding their lavish lifestyle with debt anyway. 
(For more on this topic, see Stop Keeping Up With The Joneses - They're Broke.)

The good life should be a reward for your hard work, good fortune and successful planning, not something that you are entitled to. Once you have established a certain lifestyle, it is psychologically difficult to lower it. It is very easy to raise it.

7. Become Financially Literate
Making money is one thing; saving it and making it grow is another. 
Financial management and investing are lifelong endeavors. Making sound financial and investment decisions is important for achieving your financial goals. 
The more knowledgeable and experienced you are in financial matters, the fewer mistakes you will make.

Research has shown that people who are financially literate end up with more wealth than those who are not. 
There is a strong monetary incentive for becoming financially sophisticated. Taking the time and effort to become knowledgeable in the areas of personal finance and investing will pay off throughout your life.

8. Seize the Opportunities: Take Calculated Risks
Taking calculated risks when you are young can be a prudent decision in the long run. You might make mistakes along the way, but remember, mistakes are the lessons of wisdom. 
You often learn more from your mistakes than from your successes. Also, when you are young, you can recover faster from financial mistakes, and you have many years to recover. 

Examples of calculated risks might include moving to a new city with more job opportunities, going back to school for additional training or taking a new job at a different company for less pay but more upside potential. 
Starting a new company, working for a small startup company, or investing in high risk/high return stocks, is easier to do when you're young. Younger people can afford to take risk, and the same opportunities might not be available later in life. 
As people get older and assume more family responsibilities like paying off the mortgage or saving for the kids' education, many are forced to play it safe and are unable to capitalize on riskier opportunities that present themselves.

Taking calculated risks when you can afford to do so is necessary to get ahead financially. Playing it safe might be the bigger mistake in the long run.


9. Borrow Money For Investments - Never to Finance a Lifestyle
As mentioned before with the Joneses, you should never borrow to finance a lifestyle you cannot afford. Using credit for a life you feel entitled to is a losing proposition when it comes to building wealth. The constant borrowing will assure that there is no money available for investing, and the added interest expense of borrowing further increases the cost of the lifestyle.
Borrowing money should be used only for investing - where your gain will outrun your borrowing costs. This might mean investing in the literal sense (for stocks, bonds, etc.) or it might mean investing in yourself for your education, extra training, to start a business or to buy a house.
 In these cases, borrowing can provide the leverage you need to a reach your financial goals faster. Borrowing to meet short-term desires is counterproductive. (To learn about your borrowing options, see Different Needs, Different Loans.)

10. Take Advantage of Financial Freebies
Not many things in life are free. If you belong to a company pension plan, take the free money it offers and make sure that you contribute at least up to the maximum of what your company will match.

You can also look for (legal) ways to take advantage of tax laws that will result in a tax savings - in effect, the government is giving you free money to provide an incentive to contribute. 

Conclusion: Achieving financial independence is a goal most people strive for. It is not necessarily easy, but it is achievable if you understand your priorities, set achievable goals and take the proper steps toward reaching them.