10 Truths I Wish I'd Known Sooner

Author Amy Bloom shares her life lessons, as published in the Real Simple magazine, December 2009 issue.

1.  Events reveal people's characters; they don't determine them.  Not everyone with divorced parents has terrible relationships.  If two people are hit by a bus and crippled for life, one will become a bitter shut-in; the other, the kind of warm, outgoing person (cheerful despite everything) whom everyone loves to be with. It's not about the bus, and a dreadful childhood is no excuse. You have the chance to be the person you wish to be, until you die.

2.  Lying, by omission or commission, is a bad idea.   I cannot shake my dependency on the white lie, because I was brought up to be nice. And I've never figured out the nice way to say, "I'd rather stick a fork in my eye than come to your house for dinner." But the meaningful lie, the kind that involves being untruthful or deceitful about important stuff to those you love, is like poison. Telling the truth hurts, but it doesn't kill. Lying kills love.

3.  Sex always gives you an answer, although not necessarily the one you want.  It's possible to have very good sex, a few times, with a person who shouldn't be in your life at all. Have fun, and hide your wallet and your BlackBerry. On the other hand, it's unlikely that a grown man, however nice, will become much, much better in bed than he was the first five times you slept with him. And if you sleep with a man who is unkind to you, there will be more of that; long after the sex is humdrum, the cruelty will be vivid.

4.  Most talents are transferable.  If you can raise toddlers and teenagers with relative calm, you can be a CEO. If you're a good driver, you can probably steer a cab, fly a plane, captain a boat. My years as a waitress-sewing food to demanding people in a high-stress environment without losing my temper-served me equally well as a mother, a wife, and a short-order cook for my family. And if you have the teaching gene, you can teach anything. (I mean it. All you have to do is be one lesson ahead of your students. Sole meuniere, Latin and Greek, algebra-you can teach it!)

5.  Fashion fades; style is eternal.  Not only do you not have to wear torn jeans, a barely-there tank top, and a fedora, but you probably shouldn't. The point of fashion is to indulge briefly in something fun.  The point of style is to have one-whether that's a sheath and spike heels or slouchy jeans and your husband's T-shirt-and it should last you a lifetime.  All you have to do is think you deserve to look and feel your best and spend some time figuring out how to do it. Don't know? Find a woman whose style you admire and ask for a little advice. 

6.  You can't fake love.  Staying in a love relationship when love is not what you feel isn't likely to end well.  If you know that what you crave is security/disposable income/child care and not the person next to you in bed, do the right thing.  It's true that one can learn to love someone over time and often through difficult circumstances.  But unless the two of you agree to wait until you're old and all the storms have passed, in the hope that love will kick in.  It's better to bail sooner rather than later.

7.  Mean doesn't go away.  Some people get better looking with age; some don't.  Some people soften; some people toughen up.  Mean streaks tend not to disappear.  A person who demeans and belittles you and speaks of you with contempt to others is probably going to be that way for years.  The first time it happens, take a note.  The second time, take your coat and go.

8.  No one's perfect.  I knew that I wasn't perfect; I just didn't realize that this also applied to the people I fell in love with. The object of your affection will always turn out to have huge and varied faults. The smart thing is not to look for someone flawless (which is why Elizabeth Taylor married eight times), but to look for someone whose mix of strengths and liabilities appeals to you (which is why she married Richard Burton twice).

9.  Ask for help.  It's possible you'll get turned down. It's even more likely that you'll feel vulnerable and exposed. Do it anyway, especially if you are the helpful sort yourself. Those of us who like to offer assistance and hate to take any are depriving other people of the opportunity to be generous and kind; we are also blinding ourselves to the reality of mutual dependence. You wouldn't wear pink hot pants and pretend they were flattering. Don't pretend you don't need help.

10.  Keep your eye on the prize and your head on the pillow.  It's easy to lose sight of what you want, especially if you haven't gotten it. I know it's less work to put the wish away, to pretend that the wish itself has disappeared. But it's important to know what your prize is, because that is part of who you are. Whether it's financial stability, two children, a collection of poetry, or a happy marriage, take Winston Churchill's advice and never give in. Never give in. Never give in.

Memory Booster

According to March 2011 issue of Taste for Life magazine, taking supplemental creatine may improve memory in vegetarians.  Researchers from England published a study where they randomly assigned 128 young women-including both vegetarians and omnivores-to take either a placebo or a supplement containing 20 grams of creatine for five days.  The women were tested before and after the five-day period, and the vegetarians who had taken the creatine showed a 40 percent improvement on cognitive tests.

Keep Drinking Tea

Another great article from Taste of Life, March 2011 issue about the health benefits of tea.

Did You Know?

Certain factors age facial skin more quickly:  poor diet, alcohol, smoking, and not using sunscreen.  Check out this useful matrix featured in the Taste of Life magazine, March 2011 issue.

10 Ways to Get Rich, as told by Warren Buffett

This article was featured in the 2008 Parade magazine. I saved it because I thought it was interesting and his advise was wise and practical.

1) Reinvest your profits. Don't be tempted to spend it.

2) Be willing to be different. Don't base your decision upon what everyone is saying or doing. Buffett, instead of following the crown, looked for undervalued investments and ended up vastly beating the market average every since year. To Buffett, the average is just that - what everybody else is doing. Buffett says to judge yourself by your Inner Scorecard, that is judging yourself by your own standards and not the world.

3) Never suck your thumb. Buffett prides himself on swiftly making up his mind and acting on it.

4) Spell out the deal before you start. Your bargaining leverage is always greatest before you begin a job - that's when you have something to offer that the other party wants.

5) Watch small expenses. Buffett invests in businesses run by managers who obsess over the tiniest costs. According to Buffett, exercising vigilance over every expense cam make your profits and your paycheck - go much further.

6) Limit what you borrow. Living on credit cards won't make you rich. Work on saving money that you can use to invest.

7) Be persistent. Good negotiation skills, tenacity and ingenuity can make you a winner in a lot of situations.

8) Know when to quit. Know when to walk away from a loss, and don't let anxiety fool you into trying again.

9) Assess the risks. Asking yourself "and then what" can help you see all of the possible consequences when you're struggling to make a decision - and can guide you to the smartest choice.

10) Know what success really means. Despite his wealth, Buffett does not measure success by dollars. "When you get to my age, you'll measure your success in life by how many of the people you want to love you actually do love you."

Beauty Tips from InStyle Mag

1) Heal Dry Hands - Rub the inside of lemon directly onto the backside of your hands. Lemons have high concentrations of citric acid and vitamin C, which stimulate connective tissue production. The sting lasts a few seconds, but it's worth it.

2) Control Face Shine - Tea is a natural astringent. To reduce oil, splash your face with cool black tea, but do not rinse.

3) Avoid Breakouts from Brushes - Wash your makeup tools regularly with a clarifying shampoo to rid them of product buildup that can cause blemishes.

4) Help Your Skin Turn Back Time - Dip washcloth in soy milk and rest it on your face for 10 minutes once a week. Soy is a skin brightener and contains phytoestrogen, a plant-derived estrogen that is thought to help prevent wrinkles.

Plants That Detox Your Home

Another great tip from Health magazine.

Peace lilies remove toxins like acetone, benzene, alcohols, and ammonia.

Bamboo palms, rubber plants, English ivy and lady palm get rid of formaldehyde.