| Habit | Description | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Don’t Waste Time. | Your biggest asset during your life it's your time. You only get a given amount of it and that's it. So each passing moment of your time, it's the most precious thing you will ever have again. Because after every moment there will have less time left. And unfortunately you can't buy more of it. Considering the above you should treat time as extremely valuable and protect it at all cost from wasting it. Whatever goal you have in life, it's safe to assume, that you want to move forward. If you allow time-wasters to come between you and your goals, you are doomed for failure. So what exactly are time wasters:
| Productivity |
| Keep it simple. | Simplicity is one of the most powerful forces ever. Albert Einstein said: “If you can’t explain it, you don’t understand it well enough.” Meaning: “keep it simple, stupid”. Striving for simplicity should be the default approach of everything you do, on all areas of your life. Simplicity is the closest thing to perfection and it goes along very well with minimalism, which is another brilliant habit. Remember: "keep it simple"!! | Productivity |
| Be honest. | Honesty is one of the most under-rated qualities of our society. Although it's one of those human qualities which should be appreciated the most. Being honest it's a huge asset which sets you apart from almost anyone else. | Self Development |
| Be financially independent. | Everyone should always strive to be financially independent from anyone's and anything: the family, a job, friends, partner and above all the government. | Money |
| Be a minimalist. | “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated” • Confucius • Minimalism is one of the most powerful tools to simplify your life. Consumerism is a trap. We live in a world that glorifies mindless consumption and the accumulation of stuff we don't need. Keeping your possessions to the bare minimum is extremely liberating. Minimalism means less maintenance, less taxes, less worries, less cost and a much better mental health. You can apply a minimalist approach to all aspects of your life. From your email inbox to the junk accumulating in your garage. Minimalism means freedom & less is truly more! Lear the art of Minimalism from www.theminimalists.com | Self Development |
| Never give up. | If I could say one thing to the young people of today, it would be this: "Never give up". Keep trying, pushing and struggling, even if you don’t know what your goal is or why you would want to achieve it. Too often I see people giving up on their ambitions, at the first obstacle they encounter. Sometimes without even trying. Quitting is the easiest way out when things get uncomfortable. Quitters always have a million lame excuses for not doing things. But the harsh reality is, that it's almost impossible to get anything positive out of life without any hard work, pain and dedication. The difference between the people that get what they want and the people who don't, is that they just keep going. No matter what. Giving up it's just not acceptable, until you gave everything you got to reach your goals. | Self Development |
| Never stop learning. | Learning is a lifelong process. It starts at birth and it should only end when we die. However the traditional education system, makes people believe that real "education" stops after the last graduation exam. After this last exam, we should be prepared enough to deal with the challenges of life. But the truth is, that this is a very dangerous and misleading narrative. At best, after the last graduation exam we may get a job. Maybe. As matter of fact, reality is that we live in a very complex, globalized, multi-cultural world, increasingly dominated by technology, algorithms and artificial intelligence. Society and technology are changing faster than what we can possibly comprehend. The job market is more competitive than ever and competition is practically on a global scale. The only way to survive and stay relevant in this dystopian reality is to constantly learn new stuff. We have no choice. The good news is, that the entire human knowledge it's online and it has never been easier to learn anything you want. A lot of learning resources are even free. So there is no excuses for not learning. Just 10 or 20 minutes a day, would make an immense difference over the course of a lifetime. Self education should be an integral part of any kind of daily routine and it's the best possible way to invest our time. Self education resources are practically limitless and those are my favorite: The amount of free knowledge and valuable information on Wikipedia it's absolutely mind-boggling. There is enough material for a life time of reading. YouTube changed my life. I really wish it would have been around when I was a student. as it's an extremely valuable source of free education ranging from University lectures to Ted Talks. Just choose education over entertainment. Learning to code has never been easier. I've learned so much from this wonderful system. Which contributed to significant more earnings. I can't recommend it enough.
Old school books are still are one of the best ways to gain valuable knowledge on any possible topic. If you are on a budget, there is an almost infinite supply of digital books. Remember: "Never Stop Learning"! | Self Development |
| Workout every day. | Keeping an optimal health should be the highest priority of every living being! Without good health life it's pretty miserable. Chances are that you sit a lot longer than what you should. However to stay healthy your body needs to move. Every day. That's why you need a workout every day. It's a simple as that. No excuses. You don't even need to go the gym to workout. You can simply have a vigorous walk, run or just use your body weight (calisthenics). I strongly suggest to workout every morning. A workout should be a fundamental part of every morning routine. Morning workouts have has several benefits for your body, metabolism and overall well being. Usually I alternate light workouts with heavier workouts. So one day I do cardio (mainly running) and one day weights or calisthenics. I just keep going, until for whatever reason I'm unable to workout (for example because of long travels, sick days or a sleepless night). I personally hate to skip workouts but I also don't want to stress about it. So I just carry on working out as soon as I'm able to do so. On a average I'm able to work out about 25 days a month. My goal is to workout at least 300 days a year. | Health |
| Avoid sugar. | Avoid sugar at all cost. Always. Sugar is one of most detrimental substances for our health. | Health |
| Generate multiple streams of income. | This should be a fundamental life rule and it should be taught to kids as early as possible. In other words, depending on just one source of income (like a job) it's unlikely to produce any significant wealth or long term financial stability. For example if your job or your business will go busted and they are your only source of income, it could easily lead to financial hardship. The Covid pandemic it's a great example of how easily life could be disrupted by a fragile income situation. Everyone should always strive to generate multiple sources of income. Additional income streams could for example be generated by:
One of the most viable ways to increase your income sources, it's to tie up several side streams to your main activity. If for example you own a restaurant, you could also give cooking classes, caterings, write cooking books, write for food magazines or simply recommend products and brands via your website and earn via affiliate commissions. If instead you are employed as an accountant for a company, you could collaborate with financial magazines, open a blog about accounting, give accounting seminars and so on. The opportunities are practically endless and there is something for everyone. Become an authority in anything which is related to your main interest or profession, provide real value and monetize every opportunity you have. This should be a never ending cycle. | Money |
| Know when to say “NO”! | “The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.” - Warren Buffett Successful people realize that by saying "no" to negativity, extra work and activities that waste time, they can focus on increasing their productivity. If they say "yes" to everyone or everything, they’ll be too distracted and will not accomplish tasks that have to be done. | Productivity |
| Don’t spend money you don’t have. | This sounds like a no brainer but following this simple habit will avoid you a lot of problems. This habit doesn't apply to extreme situations like buying food on credit. Or taking loans to buy assets. Instead it applies to overconsumption and buying stuff we don't need (on credit) to impress others. Like a new big TV, the latest smartphone or a new car. It's just moronic and nobody cares abut your material possessions. If you don't have the money now don't buy it. Period. | Money |
| Strive for progress over perfection. | There are countless situations when striving for perfection results in not doing anything at all:
| Productivity |
My ultimate collection of the very best Smart Habits, for a healthy, successful and happier life. Ask for genuine feedback. Learn from the mistakes of others. Learn from your mistakes.
INTRO
For a living I run www.WorldTattooEvents.com and by no means I am an improvement or self development guru. I’m just a regular guy, with my fair share of failures and success stories.
As you have already figured out, life is very unpredictable and absolutely uneasy to navigate. At best it’s perpetual battle against the odds. Unfortunately our education system does not prepare us for the world we live in. It may prepare us to pass meaningless tests and eventually get a job. But it does NOT prepare us for life. We all thought that it might. But it doesn’t. At all. The society and media around us, seems to add even more confusion to the challenges of life.
So we are left to painfully “figure life out”. Which inevitably leads to major up and downs and a lot of lost souls.
Following my self preservation instinct, I’ve always been looking for the best “secrets” to deal with life. And to generally improve my living conditions.
But over the years, I’ve slowly realized that there are actually no “secrets” that magically lead to a good life.
Instead what really has the most dramatic effect on the quality of our life is consistent and sound habits. Which I call Smart Habits.
Our (un)regular habits are what really define us and our living conditions. Our living conditions it’s the result of a myriad of good and bad habits.
I guess we can all agree that bad habits, inevitably lead to a worse quality of life, while good and smart habits lead to the opposite.
It’s a simple as that.
So my Smart Habits are my personal framework to optimize my decisions, minimize losses, reach my goals and ultimately lead a more satisfying and happy life.
I hope those Smart Habits will help in primis my daughter Lily and all my readers as much as they did help me in the last few years.
Learn a New Skill Every Month
“Never Stop Learning” is one of my core habits. Learning a new skill every month its one of my goals that gives a clear structure to this habit.
There is non excuses for not learning some new skills. As its possible to make some real progress with as little as 10 minutes a day.
New skills could be:
- Learning a new language Video making Photo editing Setting a new website Became a better speaker Write better letters Create sales funnels. How to speed a website Graphic design Create a newsletter
The possibilities are endless.
Medidate
Play to Win
Pay Attention to the red Flags.
Most people have very erratic behaviors and habits. Even the most high profile people, will show up some serious flaws under particular circumstances. There is no universals definition of a red flag. But in general would be any external sign that would be bothersome to us. In my case I avoid people when I see the following traits.
Racism – Arrogance – Ignorance – Short Temper – Selfishness – Close Minded – Stupid. Well this is probably the combination of all of the above.
Don’t try to be productive ALL the time.
Working and hustling all the time seems to inevitable these days. There is always one more thing to do, one more message to reply, one more post to publish, one more order to fulfill…. There is no end.
It’s easy to get into a pattern of constant “productive” activity as sleep, eat, work, repeat. That’s about it for many many people. The problem is that NOT taking time off to unplug and recharge your batteries will wear you out, physically, mentally and emotionally. It’s just unsustainable, no matter how motivated you are to reach your goals.
Accept the fact that is Ok to NOT be productive all the time (despite what many self help authors may say).
Lead Your Kids Education.
A common mistake that some parents do, is to completely delegate the education process to the traditional schooling system.
The problem is that most of the education system is based on obsolete learning models.
For example the notion that every child learns in the same way and that one teaching model should deliver the same results for every student.
Not to mention the fallacy of giving grades assuming they are accurate.
The truth is that no standard education model is good enough to prepare children for the world we live in.
This is why the real education should take place at home and lead by the parents or somebody else in charge, who can closely guide and monitor the kids journey in their education process.
Online there are thousands or extremely good resources for very extremely good educational material.
There is something for every age and every study field.
Monitor your weight.
Throughout my life I went through significant weight gains and losses. Mostly gains.
But there is one incredibly simple trick to maintain an ideal weight and physical form.
Just weight yourself every day. Preferably at the same time. This very simple action will remind us every day if our lifestyle it’s physically ok or not. Knowing that for example we are slowly but constantly gaining some extra weight will subconsciously have an an effect on either calories consumption or our workout activities.
Obviously just weighting dies not tell us the whole picture. We may even loose weight but increase the body fat percentage (BMI).
Don’t talk bad about other people.
There is simply no honor in bad-mouthing others on their back. Except for very valid and strong reasons (been attacked, robbed, scammed, stabbed etc).
Don’t gamble if you can’t afford to lose.
Gambling is in my eyes one of the most detrimental addictions. J witnessed so many cases of people who lost literally everything their had because of reckless gambling. Destroying lives and families in the process.
As a rule of thumb I stay away from any type of gambling, including the lotto, sport bets etc.
Do More of What Makes You Happy
This habit seems to be really obvious. But it’s not. At least for most people.
Most people in fact are so much indoctrinated by the concept of being productive and responsive all the time that they live moments of happiness with a certain guilt feeling.
Be Creative
Creativity is one the most valuable and sought skills needed today.
While most people would associate creativity with the ability of creating arts or music, what’s really valuable is to “be creative” in every day situations.
There are hundreds of situations where being creative would be very beneficial. Especially in times of scarcity or financial constraints.
Be Patient
Take Your Loss and Move On
Loss it’s a costant of life. The whole universe is an endless motion. Things change. Non stop. Things came in your life and soon or later will inescapably go. If they won’t, we will. We won’t be around forever. This is a very hard reality to deal with, but the ability and habit of “letting go” it’s extremely powerful. Because if will shift a lot of negative energy (plus time and money) to more constructive situations.
We need to learn to deal with the loss of a friends, partners, relatives, jobs, cars, houses, possessions etc.
Be consistent.
Don’t be judgmental
Judging people by their appereance, it`s as dumb as trying to rob a police station. It wil almost never work in your favor.
Throughout my life I met the most diverse people. One of the smartest guys I have ever met is a Jewish heavily tattooed South African guy that looks like a drug dealer. Frank has an immense amount of historical knowledge and political ideologies. Could easily run an education channel.
The richest guy I have ever met, was a little Chinese dude who could not speak any English, wearing some horrific branded clothes while wearing 2$ street vendor slippers. Yet his net worth was in the tens of millions of dollars.
The richest guy I met in Holland which became one of my best friends, was always driving an old bycicle and wearing decades old clothes.Yet he owned half of the city real estate, fancy cars and several sailing boats.
The people I met faking to be rich and powerful are so many that it’s not even worth to come up with an example. Just look around you.
Don’t buy stuff just to show off.
A lot of people seek social validation by showing off possession, preferably expensive and/or branded. Which is not really a big deal if they have far more cash than what they can spend.
If Jeff Bezos woud buy a new Lambo every day it would not even impact his wealth for the next 3.millions years. However for the vast majority of the other mortals on this planet that’s not the case.
The problem of buying stuff just to impress others it’s just a very poor way to sell yourself. How many historical figures are remembered for their possessions. None.
People are being remembered for their positive or valuable actions. For their contributions to humanity. Regardless of wealth.
Show off by acting with proper manners and principles. Good actions speak far more than an Insta selfie on a Lambo.
Don’t Make Excuses.
Stop Complaining
Culturally I’m very prone to complaining. Both the Dutch and Italian complain a lot. About everything. I used to complain a lot a well. But It doesn’t help. At all….
Take Responsibility
Ask Questions
Be a problem solver.
Invest only in what you understand.
Declutter regularly
Never take anything for granted
Automate
Say Thank You
Take Breaks
Stay Organized
Be mindful of others
Speak up.
Stay relevant
Protect Your Reputation.
Foster an Entrepreneurial Spirit.
Surround yourself with people smarter than you.
Travel Light.
Travelling has always been a huge part of my life.
I started travelling as an infant thanks to my parents which at the time were working at airlines.
I continued travelling throughout my whole life for business and pleasure.
Learn from people you admire.
Train Your Brain.
Be a Leader, Not a Boss.
Don’t worry about stuff you can’t control.
Choose quality over quantity.
Don’t Raise Your Voice, Improve Your Argument.
Charge Your Phone on Flight Mode.
In most cases it will charge as double as fast!!
Don’t Get Drunk.
Ideally people should not drink at all.
But there will always be social occassion when avoiding any alchool is going to be difficult.
However in case you may really have to drink, keep it as moderate as possible.
Getting drunk it’s damaging at best and lethal at worst.
I’ve done the most moronic things ever while being drunk.
The same applies to many of many of friends and acquaintances.
Hangovers are the worst possible feeling ever. They get worse with age.
It’s never worth it.
Stay away from alcohol and NEVER get drunk.
Don’t Be Wasteful
Purge Your Social Media Connections Regularly
Backup All Your Data.
Dropbox is a life saver.
Plan Your (Working) Day
Go On Radio Silence Regularly.
Do Your Own Research.
Think Win-Win.
Embrace Change.
Be Flexible.
Get Enough Sleep.
Put Away Your Phone When Meeting With Others.
Silent All Phone Notifications.
Check Your Messages Only at Set Times.
Don’t Multitask.
Be In Charge Of Your Life.
Think for Yourself.
Use Your Energy Wisely.
Be Realistic
Embrace Reality And Deal With It.
Make Informed Decisions.
Critical Thinking.
Invest In Yourself.
Negotiate.
Live On Your Own Terms.
Be Yourself.
Don’t Lie
Take Responsibility
Shower Every Morning
Look Good
Keep An Open Mind
Show Up (On Time)
Be ProActive
Learn From Your Failures
Keep Your Words
Focus on Your Priorities
Buy Assets Instead Of Liabilities
Don’t overeat.
Add Value at every interaction.
Accept Others For Who They Are
Surround Yourself With People Smarter Than You
Don’t Blame Others For Your Failures
Track Your Expenses
Master More than one language.
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
Come Up With 10 Ideas a Day
Be Humble
Use a Password Manager
Stay Positive
Follow a Daily Routine
Reduce Meaningless Decisions.
Set Goals
- For your day
- For the week
- For the month
- For the year
- For the decade
- For your life
Believe In Yourself
Ehy nobody is perfect!!
Think Out Of The Box
Brand Yourself
Say Thank You
Gratitude is the simplest, most powerful way to acknowledge another person’s value and humanity.
Master Communication
Communication is one of the most powerful forces at our disposal.
Work Smarter
Eliminate Distractions
Minimize News Consumption
News is to the mind what sugar is to the body. About 200 years ago we invented a toxic form of knowledge called “news.”
“If you wish to improve,” Stoic philosopher Epictetus said, “be content to appear clueless or stupid in extraneous matters.”
Expand Your Professional Network
Spending time with like-minded people allows you to align yourself with others and learn from them.
Keep In Touch With Your REAL Friends
According to several studies, the top two regrets of the dying are having worked too hard, and not staying in touch with family and friends.
Question Everything
Avoid Frivolous Spending
You may never get rich by being frugal, but you’re a lot less likely to go broke.
Choose Education Over Entertainment
Eat a Plant Based Diet
Keep a Journal
Take Time To Think
Keep a Rolling To-Do List
Support Your (Local) Community
Take The Stairs
Take the stairs. I mean it literally.
Chances are that if you live in a building, you would usually take the lift to go up and down. However taking the stairs it’s an excellent occasion to do some very beneficial and healthy movement.
For example I live on the 3rd floor of a building and my office it’s on the 7th floor. I avoid the lift as the plague and I instead walk up and down via the stairs. Doing this every day definitely helps me to stay in shape and to burn a lot of excess calories.
By the way I always try to take the stairs anywhere else I can: shopping malls, airports, stations, public offices etc.
And if I have too many floors to climb, I go up until I can (at least 10 to 20 floors) and then I may take the lift to do the rest. However since I always like a challenge, I strive to go all the way up. For example once a while I like to go get a few drinks at the Rooftop Skybar of the Muong Thanh Hotel in DaNang. And that’s 41 floors up which I do by stairs.
So as you can see there are no excuses for taking the stairs, unless you are not carrying a fridge on your back.
Get Up Early
Getting up early has a lot of valuable advantages. Mostly in terms of productivity.
In fact all the most successful people, are mostly early risers.
So what’s the ideal time to get up? Well it usually depends on your daily routine and working schedule.
I personally get up around 06.00 in the morning. I start my morning routine with a light breakfast, read some news, workout, shower and get ready.
By 08.00 am I’m usually ready to work. And I’ve already done the hardest thing of the day: working out.
The time between 08.00 to 13.00 it’s gold for me. It’s the time when I’m usually the sharpest and most productive. If I start working later than 08.00 my days are usually messed up and I get cranky.
Note 1: waking up early, only works when you go to sleep early and get enough rest.
Note 2: while on Sundays I may stay in bed a bit longer, I still try to be up by 07.00. If i break my routine it’s harder to get back to it.
Help without expecting anything back
Give without expecting anything back. You will never be disappointed and people will always be in debt with you. It’s also a very effective way to earn a lot of respect.
Dare to be unique
We are actually all born different. So we are all already unique. But most people want to “fit in” and be like anyone else.
So why should you stay unique? Because you want to be memorable. Being like everyone else equals to be invisible. Invisible people don’t make it very far. Accept who you are and capitalize on your unique traits.
Be Obsessed By Your Goals
Be obsessed (in a healthy way) by your goals. You will always push a bit harder to reach them.
Goals, give meaning to your existence. To reach your goals you need to have a crystal clear vision of what you want.
Define your priorities and set your goals for the day, week, month, year, decade and for your whole lifetime.
• Learn The Principles From Ray Dalio
Ray Dalio is the founder of Bridgewater Associates, which is one of the world’s largest hedge funds. He’s also the author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller Principles: Life and Work. He is known to have a very practical understanding of economics that is very different from conventional economic thinking that he spells out in his video series “How the Economic Machine Works“.
Ray believes that reality works like a machine and that “principles“ for dealing with reality are required to be successful.
Those timeless principles are the framework of his success. I’ve been studying all of them and the impact on my own life has been huge. For the better. I can’t recommend him enough.
Learn Ray Dalio’s principles and economics and elevate yourself at the very top of your game.
Learning a new language Video making Photo editing Setting a new website Became a better speaker Write better letters Create sales funnels. How to speed a website Graphic design Create a newsletter Ask for genuine feedback. Learn from the mistakes of others. Learn from your mistakes. Medidate Play to Win Learn a New Skill Every Month Pay Attention to the red Flags. Don’t try to be productive ALL the time. Lead Your Kids Education. Monitor your weight. Don’t talk bad about other people. Don’t gamble if you can’t afford to lose. Do More of What Makes You Happy Be Creative Be Patient Take Your Loss and Move On Strive for Progress Over Perfection. Be consistent. Don’t be judgemental Select Don’t Buy Stuff Just to Show Off. Don’t Buy Stuff Just to Show Off. Select Don’t spend money you don’t have. Don’t spend money you don’t have. Don’t Make Excuses. Stop Complaining Take Responsability Ask Questions Be a problem solver. Invest Only in What You Understeand. Declutter Regularly Never Take Anything For Granted Automate Say Thank You Take Breaks Stay Organized Be Mindful of Others Speak Up. Stay Relevant. Protect Your Reputation. Foster an Entrepreneurial Spirit. Hang out with people who are smarter than you. Travel Light. Learn From The People You Admire. Train Your Brain. Be a Leader, Not a Boss. Don’t worry about stuff you can’t control. Choose quality over quantity. Don’t Raise Your Voice. Improve Your Argument. Charge Your Phone on Flight Mode. Don’t Get Drunk. Don’t Be Wasteful. Purge Your Social Media Connections Regularly. Backup All Your Data. Start Working Every Day At The Same Time. Plan Your (Working) Day. Go On Radio Silence Regularly. Do Your Own Research. Think Win-Win. Embrace Change. Be Flexible. Get Enough Sleep. Put Away Your Phone When Meeting With Others. Silent All Phone Notifications. Check Your Messages Only at Set Times. Don’t Multitask. Be In Charge Of Your Life. Think for Yourself. Use Your Energy Wisely. Be Realistic Embrace Reality And Deal With It. Make Informed And Rational Decisions. Critical Thinking. Invest In Yourself. Negotiate. Live On Your Own Terms. Be Yourself. Don’t Lie Take Responsability Shower Every Morning Look Good Keep An Open Mind Show Up (On Time) Be ProActive Learn From Failures Keep Your Words Focus on Your Priorities Buy Assets Instead Of Liabilities Eat Less Add Value When Interacting With Others Accept Others For Who They Are Surround Yourself With Leaders Don’t Blame Others For Your Failures Track Your Expenses Master The English Language Get Out of Your Comfort Zone Come Up With 10 Ideas a Day Plan Your Day Be Humble Use a Password Manager Stay Positive Follow a Daily Routine Reduce Meaningless Decisions Set Goals Believe In Yourself Think Out Of The Box Know When To Say “NO” Brand Yourself Say Thank You Master Communication Work Smarter Eliminate Distractions Minimize News Consumption Expand Your Professional Network Keep In Touch With Your REAL Friends Question Everything Avoid Frivolous Spending Choose Education Over Entertainment Eat a Plant Based Diet Keep a Journal Take Time To Think Keep a Rolling To-Do List Support Your Local Community Don’t Waste Time Take The Stairs Generate Multiple Streams Of Income Avoid Sugar Get Up Early Workout Every Day Keep It Simple Help Without Expecting Anything Back Dare To Be Unique Be Honest Be Financially Independent Be Obsessed By Your Goals Be A Minimalist Never Give Up Never Stop Learning