Lack of sleep can quickly cascade into a long list of ill effects that build upon each other. For example...

Low will power which leads to giving into temptations that you otherwise would not.

Food cravings that lead to eating unhealthy foods and/or too much food.

Feeling tired, cranky, and uninspired which leads to interpersonal conflicts, less productivity, and less happiness.

Simply missing one or two hours of sleep on any given night can and will lead to many undesired outcomes. I rationally think that for every needed hour of sleep that I miss, it may take several hours off my overall lifespan. Missing crucial sleep also makes it much more difficult to achieve the happiness and sucess that I aspire to in life.

There is a much easier path in life, and that path involves resting the mind and body every night. So be rational and disciplined in your sleep habits. Know that getting a full night's rest, every single night, is essential to your short term and long term wellbeing. Good sleep is at the foundation of it all.

I often get asked by people, "What should I wear?" Unless the event host has explicitly stated a dress code, my steadfast rule is to always wear what makes you comfortable. Each occasion may call for a different set of clothes, but follow your instincts as to what will make you feel most comfortable in the particular setting.

However, my second and most important rule is to wear what makes you feel confident. If you feel both comfortable and confident in what you are wearing, you will be more outgoing and make the most out of an occasion. Everyone aspires to a certain self image, and your outfit needs to fit that image. Otherwise, you will not "show up" to an event like you should.

If you are wavering back and forth on what to wear, dress one level up from what you are thinking. This guideline has served me well over the years in most every occasion. Personally, I would rather be slightly over dressed than under dressed. If I arrive and feel over dressed, it is easy to remove a tie, take off a coat, unstuck a shirt, etc. if I need to.

Clothes do not make a person by any means. Though, right or wrong, people are judgmental creatures and they often "judge a book by its cover". This goes for judging others and ourselves. So the best approach is to dress comfortably and confidently, while letting your genuine personality shine through.

After college, I began reading non-fiction books on a regular basis. I wanted to learn anything and everything about happiness and success in life. I worked hard and earned a steady income, so I had the money to purchase book after book. Since I owned the books, I figured I could highlight and mark them up as I desired. Books then became like "work books" to me, and I began using them to their fullest potential.
After decades of devoted reading, following is the advice I offer to others for getting the most out of a book:
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• Keep a pen in hand while reading
• Underline, circle, or otherwise mark important concepts
• If an entire paragraph is important, mark a vertical line next to it
• Write notes in the margins
• Keep a note card or paper in the book to identify key pages, concepts, etc. The notecard will serve as a quick guide when you refer back to the book in the future.
• Once you complete the book, immediately thumb back through it and review your marked passages and notes
• After some time has passed, if the book is important to you, go back and review it again. This habit is crucial for really absorbing and incorporating the knowledge into your life. And as an added bonus, I always find a new nugget of information that I missed before, each and every I refer back to a book.
• Share what you learned from the book with friends and colleagues. Verbally summarizing key concepts will help you memorize and incorporate them into your life.
• Keep your books in a special place where you will see them on a regular basis. I am often reminded of a key concept just by seeing the spine of a book on my shelf.
• When it comes to magazine articles or other writings that catch your attention, tear out pages, make a photocopy, or jot down a quick summary on a notecard. Keep such items in a folder with your books for easy reference

A well populated book shelf is like a medicine cabinet for the mind. As problems arise in life or inspiration is needed, a quick look to the book shelf can be just what the doctor ordered. I encourage you to start populating your personal book shelf today, no matter what your age or condition. Your life will be much richer and happier as a result.