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I don't imply that all of us must do it. Yet our society encourages us to get into a habit of saving; be it for a deposit on a house or just for rainy days.
The best way to save money is to lock it up in a long term deposit with realistically high interest rate. Be wary of extremely high, thus high risk, interest rate promises. In many cases, you may never see the promised return. Often you may even lose part or all of your capital. I've seen retirees who are forced to work after suffering losses in this way. Some entrepreneurs are lulled by false sense of success; by overpaying themselves unrealistic bonuses, often to the detriment of share holders. Every mogul's fall from grace comes down to mismanagement of funds; often not their own. Eventually they alone must bear the consequences, including bankruptcy or jail term even.

Remember what Mahatma Gandhi said: "The world is enough for everyone, except his greed.

Hunger. It's necessary to have hunger for success. Call it motivation. Without it, we come to a stand-still. Not everyone can just focus on embarking a journey of solely achieving our goals, due to study, rent and bills to pay. Law students may have to wait tables to get there. Would be actors may have to sleep eight to a room to save on rent, while auditioning for various meaningful roles. As life is full of unforeseen incidents, don't let these hamper your journey there. Stay focused; patience and determination will guide you back on the right track. Aspiring singers may have to work as office workers. All these extra work is actually good for you; it helps keep the fire burning inside your belly.
Confined to a life as a rower on a battle-ship together with other slaves with similar fate, Charlton Hesston's character Ben Hur was asked by his nemesis: "What keeps you going?"
"My hatred for my captor keeps me burning" was his reply.
The moral of the story is, what doesn't kill you will make you strong.

Faith and confidence. These are important factors to have to soldier on with. Some confident people may come across as arrogant. That's how others perceive it; for it's about personal standard. An observer friend commented: "You are your own worst critique". How true.
Evidently, if you surround yourself with confident people, it will rub on you. I never cease to amaze myself at how contagious being with high achievers can be.
Lionel Ritchie, formerly of the Commodore, quoted: "What, Elvis Presley couldn't read music? And still got to the top of his game? I can do that". The truth is, each one of us can too.
Next time you apply for your dream job, present yourself as a confident player. Be amazed at the result too.

You may wonder, it's all very nice for me to give you this advice, but what have I achieved in life to prove it?
I haven't a million dollars in the bank, though what I have achieved exceeds that. I may be a college drop-out, but I have my reason to abandon my study overseas. Is sacrifice for love a good enough reason? I think so.
While writing this article in my spacious, open plan home office, I hear a laughing kookaburra in the distance, amidst the raucous noise of eastern rainbow lorikeets breakfasting on eucalyptus blooms. Male frogs croak in my pond, summer butterflies flap their wings; awakening in the crisp morning. Life is bliss. Can anyone put a price on happiness? It's priceless. I'm blissfully happy, and you can be too.
So start working on your life's dreams now, reach for the stars, be your own master of destiny. Heaven can't wait.

Learn more about this author, Ning Van Dam.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

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