A Father’s Day Letter to His Children on Living Happy, Successful Lives

Dear Kids:

It’s Father’s Day.

Usually I’m the one getting the cards and letters from you guys but I thought I’d turn the tables & send each of you a letter instead, as my days of parenting are coming to an end.

All of you are fast becoming adults.

I want you to know I loved every minute being your dad.

Each of you has given your mom and I so much joy, happiness and laughter.

I would gladly do it all over again but time marches on.

How we spend that time determines if we have happy, successful lives or unhappy, poor lives and that is why I am writing this letter to each of you.

I want each of you to have happy, successful lives.

But happiness and success just don’t happen.

You need to create happiness and success by doing specific things.

Here’s a list of some of those things that will help put you on the track towards happiness and success:

• Find that thing in life that you are passionate about and make it your life’s purpose. 

• Never quit on a dream. Persistence creates good luck.

• Build your goals around each one of your dreams. Pursue those goals every day.

• Spend 30 minutes every day reading for self-improvement. Almost nobody does this. The ones who do are called rich people.

• Seek out career mentors. Finding a career mentor is the fast track to success and happiness.

• We are all on equal footing when it comes to time. Don’t waste it. Limit T.V. to no more than an hour of every day.
  Why watch other people’s lives on T.V. when your lives are far more important.
  Don’t spend more than 30 minutes a day on Facebook or Twitter or other Social Media/Internet sites, unless it’s career-related.

• Call every one you know at least once every three months just to say hello.

• Call everyone you know and care about on their birthday. This keeps your relationships alive.

• Call everyone you know when they experience a life event.

• This puts your relationships on steroids, growing them faster and stronger than any other call.

• Relationships are everything in life.
  Develop and grow only those relationships with people who are positive, happy, upbeat and focused on pursuing success.
  Avoid those who are negative, depressed and lack direction in life.
  These are toxic relationships that will drag you down in life.
  Remember like attracts like.
  If you want to be happy and successful hang around happy, successful people.

• Exercise every day.
  Make sure to include 20 – 30 minutes of aerobic exercise in with your routine.
  Aerobic exercise feeds your brain with oxygen, gets your metabolism going and keeps the weight off.

• Volunteer at least 5 hours a month for some cause you believe in.
  You’ll not only be helping people but you will also develop strong, long-lasting relationships with good people.

• Watch what you eat.
  Don’t eat more than 300 junk food calories a day.

• Save 20% of your net pay and live off the remaining 80%.
  This forces you to live below your means.

• Avoid accumulating any credit card debt.
  If you are, then this means you are living above your means and you have to cut back.

• Drink in moderation. Stick to beer and wine and avoid the hard stuff.

• It will only get you in trouble. Of course, don’t do any drugs. Alcohol is bad enough.

• Remember the 5:1 Rule. Listen for 5 minutes for every 1 minute you talk.

• Filter every thought you have before it comes out of your mouth.
  Saying whatever is on your mind is a Poverty Habit.

• Control your thoughts. Thoughts become things.
  If you have positive, upbeat thoughts your life will mirror your thoughts.
  Do not let negative thoughts or sad thoughts into your mind.
  Cancel them out and replace them with positive, upbeat thoughts.
  Use daily affirmations to control your thinking.

• Control your emotions. Never lose your temper. Anger is a Poverty Habit. 
  Be thankful for what you have.
  Every day look back on the the prior day and think of 5 things that you are grateful for.

• Don’t confuse a wish with a goal.
  A goal is only a goal if it is 100% achievable and requires physical activity.
  Otherwise it’s just a wish.
  Always have at least 1 goal you are working towards.

• Don’t gamble. Gambling is a Poverty Habit.

• Listen to self-improvement audio books or podcasts when you are driving or exercising.

• Don’t gossip. Most gossip is negative and negative thinking and talking is a Poverty Habit.

• Do more than you are paid to do.

• Don’t procrastinate. Procrastination is a Poverty Habit. 

• Always seek feedback.

• Feedback, good or bad, makes growth and learning possible.

• Create multiple sources of income.
  That’s what successful people do.

• Attend funerals of family, friends and colleagues at work.

• Practice gratitude every day.
  Gratitude keeps you positive and upbeat.
  Success and happiness can only be found by those with a positive mental outlook.

• Love. Love solves most problems.
  Show everyone love.

Kids, remember that success, like failure in life, is just a process.

Both take effort. 

Both are determined by your habits, behaviors, choices and your thinking.

Good habits automate success and happiness.

Bad habits, failure and unhappiness.

It’s doing the little things in life that makes the big difference.

I Love you all so much.

Dad

About Tom Corley Tom is a CPA, CFP and heads one of the top financial firms in New Jersey. For 5 years, Tom observed and documented the daily activities of wealthy people and people living in poverty and his research he identified over 200 daily activities that separated the “haves” from the “have nots” which culminated in his #1 bestselling book, Rich Habits – The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals. Visit the website: www.richhabits.net