Wealth starts with a goal saving a dollar at a time. Call it the piggy bank strategy(策略). There are lessons in that time-honored coin-saving container.

Any huge task seems easier when reduced to baby steps. If you wished to climb a 12,000-foot mountain, and could do it a day at a time, you would only have to climb 33 feet daily to reach the top in a year. If you want to take a really nice trip in 10 years for a special occasion, to collect the $15,000 cost, you have to save $3.93 a day. If you drop that into a piggy bank and then once a year put $1,434 in a savings account at 1% interest rate after-tax, you will have your trip money.

When I was a child, my parents gave me a piggy bank to teach me that, if I wanted something, I should save money to buy it. We associate piggy banks with children, but in many countries, the little containers are also popular with adults. Europeans see a piggy bank as a sign of good fortune and wealth. Around the world, many believe a gift of a piggy bank on New Year’s Day brings good luck and financial success. Ah, yes, but you have to put something in it.

Why is a pig used as a symbol of saving? Why not an elephant bank, which is bigger and holds more coins? In the Middle Ages, before modern banking and credit instruments, people saved money at home, a few coins at a time dropped into a jar or dish. Potters(制陶工) made these inexpensive containers from an orange-colored clay(黏土) called “pygg,” and folks saved coins in pygg jars. The Middle English word for pig was “pigge”. While the Saxons pronounced pygg, referring to the clay, as “pug”, eventually the two words changed into the same pronunciation, sounding the “i” as in pig or piggy. As the word became less associated with the orange clay and more with the animal, a clever potter fashioned a pygg jar in the shape of a pig, delighting children and adults. The piggy bank was born.

Originally you had to break the bank to get to the money, bringing in a sense of seriousness into savings. While piggy banks teach children the wisdom of saving, adults often need to relearn childhood lessons. Think about the things in life that require large amounts of money--- college education, weddings, cars, medical care, starting a business, buying a home, and fun stuff like great trips. So when you have money, take off the top 10%, put it aside, save and invest wisely.

How Laughing at Yourself Makes You Attractive Instantly

Have you ever embarrassed yourself in public and got laughed at? Say, have you accidentally knocked over the water when you were talking with someone? 【小题1】 And it’s okay --- you should even have a laugh about them.

Most of us have insecurities, or feel bad about ourselves because of past misfortune. However, it’s normal to be imperfect. You should stop worrying about having to convince others of your worth or maintaining an ideal image of yourself. You should be honest with yourself about who you are and accept yourself despite your weaknesses. 【小题2】

【小题3】. And optimistic people tend to be more successful. This is because poking fun at ourselves contributes to our mental health and helps lift our mood in the face of difficulties or embarrassment. More importantly, it helps us realize our own weaknesses so we know which areas to do better in.

While laughing at someone else may hurt their feelings even if you didn’t intend to, laughing at yourself does not --- you might even bring a smile to their faces. 【小题4】 People actually appreciate it when you laugh at yourself. Laughing at yourself shows that you are being real about your imperfections.

Just remember: it is human to make mistakes, and you have to accept yourself just as you are. 【小题5】

As you grow rapidly through your teenage years, you will experience a lot of changes. The changes may seem difficult and they may seem to happen quickly. Don’t panic! You will deal successfully with them! You are a young adult now!

With more responsibility, you will find more freedom to make your own choices. This is a time to be well informed about your choices so that you can make healthy balanced decisions that will help shape your future. You may already know your career path or you may have no idea at all what you want to do. Both situations are fine! Work hard and the right opportunity will present itself to you.

Young adulthood means greater freedom and more choices. You will probably want to be independent. But try not to shut your family out of your life. You should learn to think of others even though you are old enough to look after yourself. Your family have been with you since you came into this world.

It is also perfectly natural in this time for you to spend more time with your friends than your family. Choose your friends wisely. A true friend will stand by you no matter what happens. This period is part of the life cycle. There are some people who will be with you throughout life's journey and there will be some people with whom you part and go separate ways. Leaving school can be hard. The reality is that you may not ever see all of your classmates again.

You are a young adult. It is your life. No one can live it for you. The choices that you make from now on will be your choices. So making the right choices will be important to you. Life is for living. Enjoy your life wisely!