You know happiness when it walks into a room. One person, bubbling over with happiness, can light up an entire room of people. Some call it charisma, but in reality charisma is nothing more than someone oozing with happiness. And it’s contagious. It’s like a healthy virus that passes from one person to the next. It can transform the disposition of anyone who comes into contact with it.

You want to associate with other happy people because happiness improves your health. It improves your immune system, lowers your blood pressure and sends a stream of neurochemicals throughout the body that not only improve brain performance and alertness, but also produce a euphoric feeling. Spread some happiness today! It benefits everyone.

Saying thank you is more than just displaying your good etiquette habits. It’s a reflection of your character. When you fail to thank someone for something, you send a powerful message to them that you do not matter to them; that they aren’t interested in maintaining or strengthening their relationship with you. It damages the relationship. Thank you says “I value of our relationship”. Thank you’s at best, require a personal call or a thank you card. Emails, FaceBooking, or texting works, but they are not as personal. They just maintain the relationship.  You lose the opportunity to strengthen the relationship if you don’t follow up with a call or a card. When should you say thank you?

• When someone sends you a gift
• When someone remembers your birthday
• When someone acknowledges an important life event such as a death in the family, birth, wedding, engagement etc.
• When someone refers a customer or client to you
• When someone does you or a direct family member a favor
• After paying a friend or family member back who has lent you money
• When someone acknowledges an accomplishment or achievement
• When someone does anything good for you or a direct family member
• When someone opens the door to an important contact for any reason
• When someone promotes anything that is important to you or a direct family member

Thank you calls and cards deepen the roots to the relationship tree. Saying thank you through calls or cards is a Rich Habit. It’s something the most successful people do with regularity.

What is a miracle? Most would agree that it represents the occurrence of a something perceived as impossible: hitting the lottery when you are on the verge of bankruptcy, a loved one recovering from stage 4 cancer, lone survivor in some horrific plane crash, a dream coming true. Miracles are impossible events that happen in our lives.

In my five-year study of the daily habits of the rich, I witnessed the manifestation of many miracles. I saw the realization of dreams that came true. I saw so many miracles occur that I knew there was something causing these miracles to occur. The common thread behind all of those miracles was one thing – passion. Every wealthy entrepreneur in my study who realized incredible wealth had passion. Passion changes your beliefs about yourself. It infuses you with energy, persistence, focus and patience. Each one of the wealthy entrepreneurs in my study had an intense desire to realize their dreams. They had a never ending focus on achieving their dream. They did not let obstacles get in their way. They believed in themselves. Their passion made miracles happen.

The human body contains approximately 100 trillion cells. Within each cell is the nucleus. Inside every nucleus of every cell are our genes. Experts estimate that the average human has over 20,000 genes. Some of these genes came from our mothers and some from our fathers.

Our daily behavior, our daily habits, can turn genes on or off. Bad habits can turn on bad genes. Bad habits create long-term stress in the form of financial problems, job loss, health issues, etc. Long-term stress increases the production of cortisol, a stress hormone. Cortisol switches certain bad genes on that can lead to heart disease, cancer and immunological disorders.

Conversely, good habits can prevent this from happening because the byproduct of good habits is reduced stress: financial independence, freedom, happiness, good health etc.

You’ve been fed a false narrative that nice people finish last; that you cannot be successful if you are a nice person. My research of the wealthy says the exact opposite. In fact, being nice to others, helping others succeed in life and mentoring others for success is a common thread among the wealthy. Successful people forge powerful relationships with others. Relationships are the currency of the wealthy. You cannot build strong, powerful relationships with others by climbing over them as you move forward toward accomplishing your big goal, life dream or main purpose in life. You must enlist others to assist you in your cause by lifting them up and helping them succeed.

Now is the time to become the future, ideal you. Now is the time to develop those qualities in yourself that will make you a winner. Growth starts today:

• Read today
• Exercise today
• Be optimistic today
• Be grateful today
• Pursue one big goal today
• Seek one mentor today
• Become a mentor today
• Spend less than you make today
• Pursue a passion today
• Help improve one person’s life today
• Conquer one fear today
• Eat healthy today
• Meditate today
• Be happy today
• Be nice to everyone today
• Listen more today
• Love unconditionally today
• Believe in yourself today
• Be persistent today
• Be humble today
• Don’t worry today
• Don’t gossip today
• Be enthusiastic today
• Spread only good news today
• Make one person feel important today
• Compliment one person today
• Provide outstanding service today
• Say hello to a stranger today
• Overcome one obstacle today
• Adopt one good habit today
• Eliminate one bad habit today

Take just one step towards becoming the new, ideal you today. Today begins your new life.

Imagine your ideal life ten years from now. Write a 500 word future letter to yourself today. In this letter cover two things:

Part One – Describe your amazing, ideal life as it will be ten years into the future.

Part Two – Describe your ten year journey towards your new, ideal life.

Spare no details. This letter is the blueprint of your new, wonderful life.

According to the Tax Foundation’s analysis of the most recently released IRS data, 99% of American households make less than $388,000 a year and 95% make less than $167,000 per year. To be considered in the middle-class, in terms of income, you would need to make $35,000 a year.