Directions To a Happy Life

INTRODUCTION

IS ANYONE IN THIS WORLD HAPPY?

I was reading a book recently and the author told a story about how they were at a dinner party one night. After dinner someone suggested a game. Every couple had to write down the names of 12 people they knew that were truly happy. They passed out pens and paper and no one could come up with more than one or two names of people they felt were really happy or content. When I read this story I knew I had to finally write this book. Everyone I knew when I was growing up seemed happy and content. So let me tell you the story.

Once upon a time there was a kid named Larry Delrose. He lived on the right side of town, had great parents, a fantastic brother and great friends. He played in the neighborhood, went to interesting schools, but was by no means rich. He knew lots of old time Italian people who seemed to always be happy, content and grateful for their lives. So he was always happy and content. You may ask, is this a story of a dream? No, it’s really true.

For the next 200 pages I am going to take you on a old fashion love in a love in about life and how good it can be if you just follow the Directions. The Directions To A Happy Life.

Hopefully I will cure your boredom, your stress and your fatigue that unfortunately most people have living their lives these days. Get ready for a fabulous journey.

DEBT

Everyone in the beginning of their adult life unfortunately needs to venture into debt, unless you were born rich—and that’s no guarantee of anything either. We need life’s basic needs—a house, a car, furniture, television, computer and clothes. These things shape who we are as a person and thus they are extremely important to our lives. Our home acts as the principal environment from where we will raise our families, create memories, and take on the world. If you make good decisions initially on these important items, you will be able to enjoy life more and you will definitely be happier and more content. If you don’t make these decisions properly you will have stress, unhappiness and aggravation your entire life. Here are the answers to life’s biggest buying and credit decisions.

1) Buy a smaller less expensive house. A house you can afford but in a top neighborhood of the city you live in. People usually pick houses that are too big and too expensive and only live in a few rooms don’t make that mistake. Just make sure it is in the best neighborhood, because if you’re happy with the neighborhood this will prevent you from having the urge to move frequently. But the biggest secret in this chapter is you must get a 15 year mortgage not a 25 or 30 year. The difference in the payment is approximately $200 per month more for every $100,000 borrowed. This will be one of the best money decisions you will ever make. The 15 year mortgage is the biggest secret in the world of credit. It is a must!

2) Make good decisions every time you make a purchase. Automobiles, furniture, televisions, computers and clothes must all be thoroughly thought out and investigated. Talk to other consumers, get referrals, wait for sales, use coupons. Then after you purchase these items take care of them better than other people do. Be proud of your possessions and grateful for them. If you get a few more years out of these things than other people do it will amount to huge savings over the years for you. And will give you the ability to pay that little higher monthly payment on your 15 year mortgage. New is not always better.

3) Don’t let credit cards become a temptation and get you into trouble. If you feel vulnerable only use a debit card. This will be hard to do at times, especially if you have children. Children can make you justify bad purchases because they love to buy and they will pressure you into buying things you don’t need. All kids do this. So you will need to write out a budget. Your monthly income minus your monthly expenses. Every time you get close to making a purchase you can’t afford pull it out and look at it. Hopefully reality will sink in and stop you. There will be times you will have to give in to the kids’ buying impulses, so pick your spots on cheaper items that will satisfy them. So the secret to debt is to make smart decisions in the beginning on all your major purchases. Smaller house best neighborhood, 15 year mortgage, do a thorough due diligence on all purchases, take care of those possessions better than others, and finally live within your means.

If you follow these tips for 15 years you will become debt free and you will have less stress. You will be happier and actually content. Unfortunately most people will never achieve this feeling because either they don’t have this knowledge or they don’t have the discipline that it takes to make that dream a reality.

Use debt as a vehicle to necessities not for things you don’t really need.

Besides having the satisfaction of paying your house off 10–15 years earlier than others you will feel a huge shift in your feeling of independence and security. You will feel you breathe a little better.

Additionally you will save

$48,000 for every $100,000 borrowed versus a 25 year mortgage

$90,000 for every $100,000 borrowed versus a 30 year mortgage

NEVER BUY ON IMPULSE

Are you spending too much money lately and having a hard time not spending more than you are making. That’s because we all buy things we don’t need. And we buy these things on impulse. We think it will make us happy and we deserve it. Well here is an idea you should practice. If you’re out at the mall or any store shopping and you see something you think you want or deserve, stop. Don’t buy it. Take a 15 minute walk and think about the item. Ask yourself if you really need it. Is it worth the money or the financial strain I may be putting on myself. Most of the time if you’re honest with yourself you’ll talk yourself out of buying it. You’ll decide you really don’t need it. If after the 15 minute walk you still want it and can really afford it – buy it. Remember, before making a purchase take a 15 minute walk and never ever buy on impulse.

LIVE BELOW YOUR MEANS

In my research I found that many old timers always lived a notch or two below their means. It made them feel safe and secure. There is no better feeling in the world to be able live without any stress or fear when it comes to money. These old timers knew that by doing this they would feel more powerful and happier. I also feel it is one of the best pieces of wisdom I have gained. They never felt they were sacrificing anything for their families. To them the sense of security was better than the extra things they thought they needed but most of the time really didn’t.

BUYING OR LEASING A CAR

Buying or leasing a car is one of the most stressful things we all have to do in life. Here are some of the tips I picked up from people over the years on how to buy or lease a car. First thing is you need to make a relationship with a local dealer. How do you find a dealer? Usually through referrals. Meet the dealer personally and tell him you will be loyal to him for years, you have other friends relatives etc. This may be hard in the beginning but once you make the relationship its worth it. After you identify the dealer, next pick whether you’re buying or leasing, and the type of car you want. Then take your time prepare to spend about 3 – 14 days to do it right. The internet has made things a little easier. Go there a surf prices on the car of your choice and do your due diligence and after an hour or so you should know what your car’s price should be and approximately what the payments should be. I think in these economic times it is better to buy than lease. Pick the car that suits your lifestyle. If you have kids, pack lots of things and make sure the car has those features. Now here are the big tricks. Buy a one-year old car that was never licensed nor sold, with hardly any miles. Or a car with under 10,000 miles. You can save usually 20% right there. Even if you don’t qualify for the dealer’s 0% interest that’s ok. Ask your new friend the dealer to refer you to a local bank for a loan. The money you are saving more than makes up for the 0% interest. Next get a loan if possible for only 3 – 5 years never six. Tell the dealer you’ll buy the car if he extends the warranty to match the term of the loan. And ask him for free service on everything but tires and brakes to also match the length of the loan. He usually will agree to at least 1 – 2 years. Also try to get if 4 tires are needed any time while you own the car you pay for 2 and the dealer pays for two. They put cheap tires on these cars these days some only last 30 – 40,000 miles . If you are successful negotiating these things you will have no cost of anything pertaining to your car for that amount of time. Also always get free floor mats and little touch up paint free. If you get to know your dealer and take your time you will usually get the majority if not all these things. But remember before you pay and sign get everything written down and signed on a thing called a Due Bill. You will need to show that every time you go in for service.

ENGAGED IN LIFE

I love the term engaged in life. What does it mean. It means you got something going in this cockamamie world that turns you on. It could be financial or personal or both, whatever you are high on life and you feel invigorated. Hopefully if you’re not "engaged in life’ the wisdom and ideas in this book will start that fire.

Engaged in life—I love those words.

DRIVING YOUR CAR

When you do get your car there are a few things you should try to do that people don’t. Relax don’t always be rushing. Take a little extra time and enjoy the trip. Always take new routes to see different things. When I started in the real estate business in 1971 an old real estate guy told me a good real estate person never takes the same route. This tip shouldn’t be just for realtors it should be for everyone. Also if you really want to relax and enjoy get Sirius/XM radio. You can hear 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s update music, Larry King, Bill O’Reilly, stock market, major league baseball, golf all at your fingertips. If you have this service you really will slowdown and relax more. It makes long trips definitely go quicker. In our daily driving people are not very courteous to other drivers and especially rude to joggers, walkers and bicycle riders. We all need to do a better job on that. On turns drivers rush and almost run down the pedestrians trying to cross the street. Most of us are annoyed by their presence. We need to chill, enjoy our radio and be more polite. Another tip on red lights stay a few seconds after light changes to green and look one more time, lots of people run red lights, this tip can save your life. Also it’s ok to use regular gas. Most cars don’t need premium and it’s usually a waste of money.

PEOPLE WANT TOO MUCH

People want too much out of life. First they want a nice house, then a nice car, then a bigger house, a more expensive car, maybe 3 or 4 cars, country club, boat, vacation house, another country club. They go nuts spending like it’s a disease. They are never just happy or content because they are either waiting to buy another house, car, boat or too busy taking care of all the problems, maintenance and headaches these possessions bring. One nice house in the best neighborhood, nice car, country club, vacations are all great but then rent the rest. Stay loose, no headaches. Enjoy life and the freedom of not having too many possessions. Extra money in the bank is the best thing a person can have to make them feel independent and secure. It also will make you happier and prevent the stress most people never stop having until they die.

PATHS CROSSED

Did you ever hear people say their paths crossed for a reason? I like that idea. You meet someone socially or in business and sometimes you just get the idea that you and that person’s paths crossed for a reason. Try to find people in life that give you that feeling. Reading this book means our paths crossed for reason so I hope I don’t let you down.

If you could be a personal friend with someone famous who would it be?

ENVIRONMENT

You’re going to think I’m crazy on this one. The environment is like the biggest topic in the world now. We all want to help and we can do little things like my grandma always said turn off the lights in your house when you’re not using them. Watch your gas consumption. But here is something you should try and really practice. There is a friend of mine who got accepted to a prestigious university. He never thought he would ever be there and it was like a dream to him. He walked to classes and on his way regularly picked up pieces of paper and litter that were on the ground