A man's priorities should be in this order:
(1) Develop patience and discipline. If you do not have these traits personal development is impossible. Don't compare yourself to others, only the progress you are making... which will be slow. set goals and track your progress. The best way to instill discipline is to pick something, anything, and stick with it. It's best to pick something that adds value to your life, can be learning a new language, playing a musically instrument, finishing a course of study... anything. It is a lot easier NOT to do something than to do it... you have to fight this.
(2) Personal health. If you aren't physically and mentally healthy everything else you do down the priorities list is very difficult. This involves eliminating bad habits, getting exercise, losing weight, and getting mental health counseling if you need that. THIS IS NOT EASY... this also takes time.
(3) Get your finances in order. Establish a budget and stick to it. I am not suggesting that everyone do what I do, since it is a bit obsessive, but I track and plan my spending out two years. I track and check all my investments daily, when expenses go up, adjust your long range plan to take this into consideration. You financial planning should include a 'slush fund' for things that MIGHT surprise you... because really these things are REALLY not a surprise... replacing tires, eye glasses... your damaged cell phone... operation and maintenance. After a couple of years doing this, you may not know EXACTLY what you are going to have with unplanned spending, after a period of time you'll have a pretty good idea what you may have to deal with. If is better to have a fund in a money market fund that you can tap into when you need it, rather than having to borrow money to handle this. Budget fun money... very important... every month... if you didn't spend the fun money in a month... then put it in your money market fund. You know what you expect to earn... and what you expect to spend... so make a plan. Regrettably if you are a wife or live in girlfriend, this is VERY hard... but you have to be the man and get control of this sh1t. If she won't go alone with your plan... dump her.... you need a partner not a passenger. You can either be the captain of a ship giving orders and steering the vessel, or the first class steward constantly trying to meet the wants of your 1st class passenger.
(4) Manage your career: If you are in a job that isn't paying enough or you have a job that soul sucking, then go get the skills needed to change things up. Sometimes you have to just suck it up and do whatever you need to do to get by, but this should NEVER be your long range plan.
(5) Take care of your family: If you have kids... they MUST be a priority over chicks, over fun, over anything that isn't keeping you healthy physically, mentally, and fiscally. TRUST ME... if you ignore this, then bad news does not get better with time. A child that is ignored and not cared for when they are little will become total sh1t shows when they are adults. You MUST find time for your children... it is a lot easier having a positive influence on your children if you spend time with them when they are young. When my girls were little... Jesus... I remember I would come home EXHAUSTED... the LAST thing in the world I wanted to do is play with Littlest Pet Shop toys, build 'fairy houses' int he back yard... read them bedtime stories... going on weekend play dates (Instead of watching games on TV). You are going to go to stupid @ss Disney movies and playgrounds when you would rather be watching and doing something else. Now my girls are in college, doing great, with scholarships, studying something that they can have a career with. They love spending time with me doing what I like to do... and this gives you the opportunity to shape them into people you want them to be. This is a key to long term happiness.
(6) Understand there is no magic pill: Avoid get rich quick schemes, playing the lotto is not a plan. If you are going to gamble with investments then make sure it is money you can afford to lose. Anything that gets quick results can be lost just as quick. It's okay to take some chances, but this should NEVER put you long term planning at risk.
