Paper A Accounting Principles I Final Test Time Allowed: Fill & Download for Free

Dear AspirantBest wishes for the upcoming EO/AO examination to be conducted by examination. Many aspirants have been asking me about how to go about the preparation strategy. In this answer, I would just be focussing on some broad details without referring any book or any website.1)Difference between last EO/AO Examination and this time-Weightage of written marks and interview in the final result in last EO/AO examination was 50:50.-Weightage of written marks and interview in the final result in this EO/AO examination would be 75:25.Thus the weightage of written exam has increased a lot. Accordingly, those clearing written examination with good score can make it to final list even with normal interview marks.2)Cut-off marksRecruitment Test (100 marks)UR -49.50OBC -44.50SC - 42.50ST - 43.50PH(OH)- 30.00PH(HI)- 33.00Thus , as you can see the cut off marks were on the lower side indicating that exam was of decent level and not easy.3) Analysis of last time EO/AO ExaminationIt is a good practice to go through how the paper was last time regarding its composition and difficulty level. Though it cannot be said that the same would be replicated this time,but it give a fair idea about the exam. It was a 120 questions paper(link of the paper is attached). So let's go through the last time paper in terms of prescribed syllabus:(i)General English- To evaluate candidate’s understanding of English language & workman – like use of words.20 questions were there. The questions asked were”a) Synonym of the word in sentence- Direct synonyms were not asked. Thus focus was on application part rather than just memory. Even if you do not know the exact meaning, you can gauge it from the lineb) Antonym of the word in sentence- Direct antonyms were not asked. Thus focus was on application part rather than just memory. Even if you do not know the exact opposite meaning, you can gauge it from the line.c) Error in the line- The focus was on application part.d) Substitute for the Phrase- The focus was on application part.e) Fill in the blanks- The focus was on application part.Thus , the focus was more on application part rather than testing the exact knowledge of rules of grammar or comprehension . The same was mentioned in syllabus too. This was a scoring area for candidates with decent English knowledge.(ii) Indian Freedom Struggle.15 questions were asked from this part.The questions asked can be categorised difficult. There were no easy pickings here. It even beat the level of questions asked in Civil services examination. Even if a candidate had gone through books like Bipin Chandra or Rajiv Ahir( read for Civil Services), some questions were difficult to answer. Thus it was an area to sail without attracting negative marks( remember negative marking is high at 1/3rd rather than 1/4th as in SSC). Thus one needs to be careful.(iii) Current Events and Developmental Issues.7 questions were asked from this part. The questions were relatively easy. Study from any decent source would have provided the answers. Though the weightage was quite low. One can expect more questions from this part.(iv) Indian Polity5 questions were asked from this part. The questions were of average level, which is the case with any UPSC paper. Though the weightage was quite low. One can expect more questions from this part.(v) Indian Economy.8 questions were asked from this part. 4 of them were core theoretical questions. Someone who has read basic theory of economy would have find these questions as lottery, others might have struggled. Overall average level as with any UPSC paper(vi) General Accounting Principles.15 questions were asked from this part. The questions asked were odd in the respect that some of them would have been difficult even for commerce graduates to answer. Understandably, Science/ Arts background students would have find it even more difficult. Overall, can be categorised as difficult. Thus it was an area for Science/ Arts background students to sail without attracting negative marks. The weightage given was high compared to other such exams taken by UPSC.(vii) Industrial Relations & Labour Laws and Social Security in India.20 questions were asked from this part. The weightage given was high compared to other such exams taken by UPSC. Almost half of the questions were from Core theoretical base. Then some from Indian context and 2–3 current affair based on Social Security. Overall average level.(viii) General Science10 questions were asked from this part. The questions asked were from Core theoretical base rather than current based.Overall average level.(ix) Knowledge of Computer applications.5 questions were asked from this part. The questions were very easy. A scoring area for candidates.(x) General Mental Ability & Quantitative Aptitude.15 questions were asked from this part. Questions of Time , Speed, distance, profit/loss etc were asked. Not much reasoning was asked. The questions were of average difficulty level. Those who have prepared for Quant for UPSC/SSC/Bank PO would have found them scoring. Those trying to solve them with common sense and not through formula would have taken a lot of time.Overall AdviceDon't rush through basic theories as UPSC has knack of focussing on them.Speed is not much of a factor ( except Quant Part) unlike in exams like SSC. So attempt your exam in a calm manner.Remember there are 120 questions( not 100). In civil services examination conducted by UPSC there are 100 questions, thus some candidates preparing for civil services examination might carry that impression.Try to go through your paper at least 3 times. In first go, only attempt those questions about whom you are at least 90% confident. In second go, attempt those questions about whom you are at least 60% confident. In last go, the rest. You would be amazed that during the third reading you would recall the answers of some of those questions which were unanswerable in first reading. It is the power of subconscious mind.Don't panic if you find paper difficult in first reading. Remember, its a relative exam and not absolute. Difficult exam is difficult for everyone and easy exam is easy for everyone. The one holding his/her nerves in exam hall has a much better chance.Mark you answers after every reading. Do not wait till end to mark your answers. Many candidates do it in a rush in last times only to fill circles wrongly.Give particular attention to what question is asking. like to identify correct or incorrect answer. Many candidates rush through the question and mark wrong answer despite knowing the correct answer.For science/Arts background students, go through accounting related basic concepts from a decent book without going much in detail. Remember , UPSC is not allowing you calculator , thus only broad questions would be asked.For Arts background students, work on your Quant. part. ( Normally, Quant is not their forte).Take care of negative marking as it is 1/3rd.Don't go into examination hall without practising decent number of mock test. It means giving them in almost same conditions you would face in examination hall.All the best

I turned 30 two days ago. When I was 18, I thought by 30, I’d have it made.My 20s were a long, slow grind of realizing “made” does not exist. “Made” is past tense — but you’re never done! The only finish line is death, and, thankfully, most of us don’t see it until we’re almost there.Instead of the binary made/not made distinction, I now see life as round-based. You win some, you lose some, and different rounds have different themes. There’s a carefree-childhood season, a teenager-trying-to-understand-society season, an exuberant-20-something season, and so on.At 30 years old, I’ve only played a few seasons, but each round feels more interesting than the last. If that trend persists, I can’t imagine what one’s 60s or 90s must be like. By that time, you’ve seen so much — and yet, there’ll always be new things to see.Most seasons last longer than a year, and there’s plenty to talk about with respect to the important, defining decade from 20 to 30 alone, but today, I’d like to do something different: I want to share one thing I’ve learned from each year I’ve been alive.1. You’ll fall down a lot, but life is about getting back upYou must crawl before you can walk. The first time you try, you’ll fall down. But you’ll get back up. You won’t think. You’ll just do it. It’s natural. Getting up is the only way. There is no alternative. Getting up is what humans do.This is the first literal lesson most of us learn — and that pattern never changes. In everything you do, you’ll have to crawl before you can walk. You’ll fall down countless times, but it’s not the falls that matter — it’s that, every time, you get back up.2. Talking solves everythingI watched Planet of the Apes the other day. That movie will give you a new sense of appreciation for our ability to speak. At first, all we’ve got is one-word commands. Hungry! Thirsty! Tired! As we grow up, we get so much more.My favorite quote from Albus Dumbledore is this: “Words are, in my not so humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic — capable of both inflicting injury and remedying it.” It’s true. Words can mend anything. Use your words.3. The world is big — but there’s always light at the end of the tunnelWhen I was three, the hallway of our small apartment seemed huge. The carpet seemed to stretch forever, and the walls were as high as the sky.We had one of those plastic crawling tubes for kids. It had black and white stripes, like a zebra. I would crawl inside, and, sometimes, I got scared. I felt lost. Even that tiny tube was too big. Where do I go? Forward? Backward? How do I get out of this thing?Eventually, I learned that there’s always light at the end of the tunnel. All you have to do is keep crawling.4. Everything you need is in your headI used to sit on the floor of my dad’s tiny office for hours. I built things. Lego, Playmobil, Duplo train tracks — you name it, I made stuff up with it.Sometimes, my dad helped me. We made the train go back and forth between rooms, transporting candy. But I was perfectly happy being the master of my own little universe — because I could already tell: There are no limits.Everything you’ll ever need is in your head. Sometimes, other people will help you get it out — but even if they don’t, it’s all there. Trust in yourself.5. Life is better when you share itWhen I was five, my parents had my sister. At first, I didn’t want a sibling. Who’s gonna get all the attention? “I don’t like her.” Those were my first words.My grandma took me to the mall to calm me down. We bought two teddybears — one for me, one for her. When I reluctantly gave it to my sister, she held my finger. In that moment, I was cured. To this day, she is family, and that will never change.It’s easy to get lost in your world. Your life spins around you. Life in general, however, is much broader. Share it. Don’t hog. A lot of things multiply when we divide them. Joy, achievement, laughter.Our best memories are reflections of the people who were there to see them.6. When you know, you knowI learned how to read before I went to school. I still remember sitting in a sea of red, plastic letters.“Apple.”“Apple!”“APPLE!”“MOOOOOOOOM!” I ran around the house for about 15 minutes. Then, I read everything I could get my hands on.Some things in life are just made for you. When you find them, you’ll know. Don’t ever doubt that feeling — and don’t ever let them go.7. You cannot find without lookingIn second grade, I walked to school every day. It was exhilarating. Ten minutes. Just me and the world. There was so much to see!Sometimes, my neighbor’s son walked with me. He was a few years older. Right outside our street, there was a cigarette machine. Every time we passed it, he reached into the coin return slot to see if there was any money. One time, he found a bill! 20 Deutsche Mark, or however much it was.For a long time, I then did the same. Checked every coin slot I passed. Finders, keepers, you know? But in order to find, you first have to look. I’ll never forget that lesson.8. Goodbyes are hard but necessaryWe moved in 1999. I was devastated. My second-grade crush still had no idea I existed. Hello?! I’ve got plans here!Sometimes, life doesn’t care about your plans — and sometimes, that’s exactly what you need. An unplanned change of plans. It won’t make saying goodbye any easier, but in time, you’ll realize some goodbyes were necessary.In hindsight, I’m glad we moved a few times while I was in school. It taught me how to adapt and make new friends.9. Not everyone you don’t like is your enemyMy third grade teacher was an old lady — Frau Blum. She was strict, grumpy, and more of a drill sergeant than a teacher. At first, I thought she was mean and bitter.Years later, I appreciated every bit of discipline she taught us, especially as the modern classroom seemed to completely unravel as a good learning environment.Maybe, Frau Blum was just desperate to preserve something she had learned to value as a child: good manners and a sense of duty. I’m grateful she passed some of those values on to us.Not everyone you don’t like is your enemy. Some people enter your life to prepare you for things you can’t see coming.10. Believe in things before others can see themPokémon took our school yard by storm. All recess long, we were trading cards, playing Game Boy, and talking about the anime. Eventually, our school banned everything. Imagine the outrage!15 years later, Pokémon Go got more people out of the house than the Super Bowl gets in front of the TV. 20 years later, some Pokémon cards sell for $200,000. It is one of the most successful franchises in history — we always knew.With Lego, it’s intuitively clear that you must first imagine before you can build. With many other things in life, it’s not — but the same principle applies. Believe in what only you can see, so that, one day, others will see it too.11. You’re at your best when you’re with friendsIn 6th grade, my best friends and I joined the choir. I have no idea why. All we did was goof off. We made fun of the girls, the songs, and each other. We got called out a million times. I’m a terrible singer, but, eventually, going to choir became my favorite thing to do. Not because of the activity — because of the people.You’re never as good as when you’re with friends. Together, you’ll feel unstoppable.12. Sometimes, you win only to loseOn the year-end school trip before yet another move, the hormones among 12-year-olds really started flying. We played a game of kiss-or-pass. My crush gave me one. Or, maybe, she only became my crush once she did.Either way, she left her sweater in our room. It smelled nice. Four boys were swooning. We argued about who she’d pick. I don’t remember how, but she ended up being my girlfriend for a few sweet weeks of summer. We held hands in school. We went to the movies.After the move, she came to visit one time. Then, it quickly fell apart. Even a 30-minute drive can be too far for clueless 12-year-olds.Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But, sometimes, you lose what you have won right afterwards. Those times stink — but those too are necessary for your growth.13. Never hide your powerOne time in history class, my teacher asked for the name of the big, wall-covering carpets you’d see in places like the Palace of Versailles. No one knew the answer, except me — I had heard it on an episode of King of Queens.I raised my hand: “Gobelin.” Our teacher was beaming. “That’s right! Great!” My classmates thought it was great too: “Ooohhh, go-be-liiiiiiin, look at Mr. Smartypants!” They laughed their asses off at my (correct) French pronunciation.Being a good sport about it, I laughed with them, but, deep down, that incident taught me: Never hide your power. The world wants you to be cool, not smart. But if you’re smart, you’ll win. So don’t try to be cool instead of being smart.Whatever power you have, use it. Do not let the world bully you into hiding your strength.14. Everything is art if you bring your true self to itI hated art class. I sucked at drawing, painting, and crafts. Mostly, I hated it because we all had to do the same thing. “Paint a wave.” “Use different-colored tracing paper.”Actually, we were free to use our imagination. The teacher gave us constraints, not goals. I just didn’t see it.I did, however, spend hours doodling on my pencil case, sketching anime characters, and turning my planner into some kind of Harry Potter book of worship.It was easy to express my creativity in some ways but not others. Eventually, I learned that everything has room for your ideas. You just gotta bring them — and then figure out how you can contribute to the task at hand.15. It pays to be earlyIn 2006, I discovered football freestyle. The community was tiny but growing fast. I spent hours practicing each day and, for about 15 minutes, I was world-class.I also uploaded some animated music videos I made on Youtube. Some of them got 100,000+ views. Eventually, the channel was shut down for copyright issues.I got a lot of GamerScore on Xbox too. I ranked relatively high compared to the world’s number one. Maybe top 200 or so.The lesson here is that as long as you’re early, you can achieve a lot with effort alone. I wasn’t talented enough to be a hall-of-famer in any of these things — but if I’d stuck with them, they all could have been real careers.Don’t stop dabbling. You never know when you’ll strike gold.16. You can fall in love with places, not just peopleOur 10th grade school trip was to Munich. It took me all of ten minutes after getting off the bus to declare: “One day, I’ll move here!” The next year, I came back for an event. Three years after that, I did a 6-month internship.Each time I visited, I loved the city a bit more instead of less, and so, in 2016, I finally moved to where I belonged. It feels nice to belong somewhere.17. It is your job to insist on learning — the world won’t force you toMy state ran an experiment: They would allow kids to drive at 17 instead of 18, but each time they drove, an adult would have to sit next to them.I insisted on driving wherever we went. Five-minute drive to the station? I drive. Quick bakery run? I drive. It was more hassle for my parents, but, most of the time, they let me drive. They thought it was important to keep practicing — and they were damn right.A lot of my friends were lazy. They either didn’t drive a lot after passing their test or didn’t even bother to take it before turning 18. As a result, many of them were insecure drivers for the first year or two — but then they had to face their insecurities alone.When I turned 18, I went to our garage, got into our car, and drove myself to school like nobody’s business.It’s up to you to keep learning. Insist on it. School won’t last forever, and the world won’t force you to keep practicing — but if you don’t, you’ll fall behind just the same.18. Know when to quitIn 2009, I gave up on football freestyle. I wasn’t talented enough, my knees were shot, and the career prospects weren’t all that great. It also just wasn’t as important to me as other things.It is incredibly hard to give up on something you love — especially if it loves you right back. What in hindsight looks like an obvious endeavor to kill is, often, in the moment, a difficult, not-at-all clear decision — but it might still be a decision you must make.Know when to quit, and don’t hesitate to give up on what truly won’t work.19. If you want to know how far you can go, you must go farther than you’ve ever goneI didn’t feel very challenged in high school. I pretty much did the minimum and got straight As. In college, that changed — and fast.We had seven exams in our first semester, each of which determined 100% of that subject’s grade. They were all topics I’d never studied before, or at least not in such depth. Between advanced calculus, accounting, and deliverable programming homework each week, I was drowning.It didn’t feel good. I was overwhelmed. I clung to my friends, who felt the same. We studied from 7 AM to 11 PM each day. Eventually, we all passed our exams, and we learned: You can go somewhere you’ve never been and still return home alive.The only way to find — and raise — your limits is to go beyond them. Do it.20. Don’t override your principlesIn 2011, I moved into a new-build studio. Before, I’d lived in a run-down, cockroach-infested, the-shower-requires-coins-to-work situation — with roommates I didn’t know. The rent was 50% more, but my quality of life rose by at least 300%. Everything was better, and the part I enjoyed the most was living alone.I should have realized right then and there: I am meant to live alone, and I should never cheapen out on rent as long as I can afford it. Of course, I went back to living with roommates for another 7 years. That was a mistake.You can’t know what your principles are before you find them, but when you do, do yourself a favor and don’t try to outsmart yourself. Don’t override what you know deep down in your gut will always, universally be true for you. Stick to your principles.21. You don’t have to do things the way other people do themThere’s always, always room for you to invent a completely new solution. Our first three semesters had a set schedule. After that, we could pick electives. But it was only a suggestion. There were no hard rules saying we had to do our exams in that order.The third semester was the most brutal, so I did some electives first. I also postponed the two hardest exams — Math III and Statistics II — which I ultimately ended up “outsourcing” to my exchange in the US, where I could piece the credits together with multiple, easier classes. I returned home with 2 As in exams I barely might have passed otherwise (in fact, I’d failed Math III once before).There are no rules. Make up your reality, and then fight to see it come true.22. Travel is not the answerI spent most of my savings on trips while studying abroad. I also had a rich friend who invited me on the trip of a lifetime. Within 14 months, I went to more than half of all US states, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Australia, Sri Lanka, and a bunch more places in Europe. It was insane.It gave me a sneak peek of the freedom I knew I wanted to have, but it also taught me two lessons:Travel is a full-time job — and if you have another, you’ll have two.Travel alone will not make you happy.Since I came back, I never had the same desire to travel the globe. It’s nice. There are some places I wanna see. But indefinite travel pales in comparison to a solid, challenging routine and five lifetime friends.23. Most dream jobs are born out of dreamsIn 2014, I scored an internship at BMW M. They make my dream cars, and so it was a dream job. I lived in Munich. I made new friends. It was summer. I got to drive cool cars and go to insane events. It was the perfect six-month stretch of life.By the end of it, however, I realized the best thing about these cars was to drive them. They practically sold themselves, and there wasn’t much to do or learn in my department — sales. That’s when I decided: I will create my own job.Try to get the best job you can imagine. If you do and still find it unfulfilling, you’ll know: Your dream job is a job you must dream up. Don’t be afraid to make your own shoes if none of the ones society offers fit.24. No one will do it for you — “it” is anythingWhat I had seen glimpses of in college and my internship became a hard, full-fledged reality in 2015: You must take 100% responsibility for anything you want out of life.If you want to have great sex, you must work with your partner until it’s great. If you want to get ripped, you must do the workouts. If you want to make money in a certain way, you have to figure out a path to get there.In my case, no one would make me an entrepreneur. I registered a business and became one. Then, I figured out how to do it — one day at a time, through many failures and gigs I ultimately didn’t like. Until, one day, I had a system that worked and allowed me to go after what I want the way I want it.You are your own best asset. You don’t control everything, but you’re 100% responsible either way. Accept it so you can make real progress instead of complaining.25. Your space should give you room to thinkIn the US, I lived in a tiny, 90 sqft room. It showed me: You don’t need much. I learned more about minimalism, and when I returned home, I threw away a ton of stuff.Every item you own becomes a mental and emotional attachment in your brain. Even if you forget about it, it’ll still weigh on your mind. Letting go is liberating.The best part about physical space, however, is that it provides — as my roommate taught me in the first semester of our master’s — literal “room to think.”Minimalism isn’t about living carefree, it’s about creating space for everything you care about the most.26. History doesn’t repeat, but it rhymesWhen I fell down the bitcoin rabbit hole in 2017, I saw many parallels to the early internet. I saw each generation had its own way of doing things, and, when it came to finance, blockchain could be ours. I spent a lot of time learning, understanding, and failing in that space, both financially and work-wise.Especially as the price went down, everyone and their brother thought I was wasting my energy. Four years later, both the price and social acceptance look different.Your life is a unique journey across a small patch of history’s tapestry. It’ll provide you with a singular viewpoint of your time. Others have other viewpoints, so they’ll doubt you when you recognize a pattern our ancestors have documented before. Ignore them.Study history, and when you feel things click, let them click fully into place.27. You’ll lose friends, but you’ll still have friendsI’ve lost several friends over writing in public. Some were offended by articles that weren’t about them. Some thought I was arrogant, and some I ditched because they badmouthed me behind my back.Even if a relationship fades, its contribution to our life never ends. After all, we’ll benefit from the role that person played forever. As you get older, you’ll lose touch with some people you hoped would stay lifelong friends. That’s sad, but others will enter the picture.You’re never really alone, even when you most feel like you are. Look around you, and connect with who actually wants to be in your life at any given time. So yes, you’ll lose friends — but you’ll also always have friends.28. Take chances while you can take themTwo of my favorite musicians died before I ever saw them live. It’s not that I couldn’t — I just thought I had more time. We tend to think so for many chances in life, until they’re gone and we must concede: We should have taken them while we could.I started going to more concerts with my sister, and I hope we’ll be able to continue this tradition for a long time to come.29. If you try hard enough, you can adapt to anythingNo one expected 2020 to go the way it went. No one. Within weeks, we had to re-learn how to work, how to rest, how to study, how to parent, how to organize our lives and how to interact with each other. That’s a lot of learning in a very short period of time.From one day to the next, life 2.0 was uploaded to the app store, and we were all forced to “patch up.” At first, we struggled a lot. Now, we struggle a little less. Things are far from perfect, but, for the first time in decades, we were reminded that our capacity for adaptation is astounding.You didn’t ask for it. You wish you didn’t have to, and I don’t blame you — but if you try hard enough, you can adapt to anything.30. Tomorrow can be a good dayIf I could leave behind just one sentence, it would be this one: Tomorrow can be a good day.I don’t know when or how I picked up this particular lesson. It’s probably optimism by osmosis, picked up from being around my wonderful family for about two out of my three decades on this planet.There must have been about 3,000 instances in which this sentence saved my mood, time, energy, or any other of a million parts of my life, which, overall, pretty much equates to saving my life altogether.Tomorrow can be a good day.This is the message I most believe in — and maybe the only one worth sharing. Whether it’s for another 30 years or 30 minutes, I’ll keep yelling it six ways from Sunday: When your boyfriend breaks up with you, your car won’t start, your Zoom won’t work, your grocery store is closed, your doctor says you need surgery, you’re late on rent and your dad won’t fork out 50 bucks, remember that…Tomorrow can be a good day.

The bad news is that if you don't change your approach, you'll probably die as an average.The good news is that you can change your approach.Many personal development books and materials helped me to go out of my comfort zone.I'll go to them in a minute, but first...How to Change Your Life?BJ Fogg a doctor on Stanford University and a head of Persuasive Tech Lab there has a few decades in behavioral research. He concluded that only three things can change human behavior in the long term:Option 1. Have an epiphanyOption 2. Change your environment (what surrounds you)Option 3. Take baby stepsI think there is also Option 4: interact with people who are outside of your control zone.No Books in the Above FormulasThe problem is that reading books hardly classify to any of the above points.Well, maybe #1, having an epiphany. But here is what BJ Fogg says about this:"Creating an epiphany is difficult. You should rule out Option #1 unless you have mystical powers."I think that this is a common problem with people studying personal development materials. They count on epiphany that will open their eyes to new horizons and allow them to radically change their life.It's because the stories of people who moved to a different country or started exercising and transformed their life don't make it to media.On the other hand, the stories of people who read a book, watched a movie, attended a seminar then experienced an epiphany and drastically changed their life are newsworthy.So, only a tiny fraction of 1% of readers truly experience epiphany and transformation, but media coverage makes it sound that it's the case for 50% or more people.Nope. It's not. It's a tiny fraction of 1%. So, according to probability theory, you need to consume about 10,000 pieces of content to have an epiphany.Or you can rule out Option #1.A Couple of Books that May HelpIf you want to experience an epiphany, you should read Sam Carpenter's books. He had an epiphany one night and turned his life around. In his books, he tries to provide the same life-changing insight for his readers. I read hundreds of personal development books and listened to thousands of hours of audio material and I say his approach is unique.Most of content creators try to solve a specific problems of their audience- help them better manage their time, overcome shyness, etc.Sam's intention from the very beginning is to provide his perspective, to make the reader see the world through his eyes and experience the same mindset shift.So, if you want to bet on Option #1 and have no mystical powers, you should try reading Work the System and The System Mindset. They are both available for free.THE ONE THINGIn my opinion you shouldn't seek for enlightenment in books. You should read every book, listen to every podcast episode, read every blog post and watch every TED talk with this question in mind: what one thing could I immediately apply in my life?You see, the book you don't act upon, is an entertainment, not a learning experience. If you only flipped through pages—even absorbed some knowledge—but you didn't take action, you could as well watch a soap opera in TV. The end result would have been the same.OK, we don't live in an ideal world, and it's not possible to apply one thing from each piece of content (or is it?). But you should strive for it. If you can apply a single advice from a book, it's easily worth $100. If you don't, it's worth less than a toilet paper.A Few Powerful ExamplesI read "Start Over, Finish Rich" by David Bach. That book inspired me to try to pay myself first.I wasn't convinced that this principle has an ounce of sense, but I was open to try new things. I committed about $60. It was about 2.5% of our household income at that time.Strangely enough at the end of the month all of our bills were paid, we weren't hungry and I had additional $60 on a savings account.Nowadays I pay myself first about 17% of my salary and 55% of my side hustle income. I credit to that book about $15,000 of additional funds that weren't spent on casual consumption.I read "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey. I found some interesting concepts there and I acted about one of author's recommendations: I created my personal mission statement.It's hard to express what kind of difference it made in my life down the road. Since the moment I created it (November 2012) I have been going through my life with a compass in hand. I always know the direction I should go. For someone who aimlessly wandered for more than a decade this was spectacular.The value I received via my personal mission statement is innumerable. One tiny example out of dozens: the first book I published was about personal mission statement creation. The book sold over 2,500 copies so far. That's about $1,000 in hard cash alone!I read a blog post of a guy who changed his life thanks to computer passwords. He worked in a corporate environment and he had to change a password to his account every month. Instead of using random conglomerates of letters and symbols, he used short meaningful sentences that worked as affirmations.I don't remember even a single of his passwords, I only remember that he was able to quit smoking thanks to one of them.I work in a corpo too. I adopted this habit. I use some spiritual quotes most of the time. It's hard to measure their impact on my life, but one thing I know: thanks to that blog post I now type something deeply meaningful several times a day. I hadn't been doing that prior to reading the blog post.Semi-enlightenmentI read "The Slight Edge" by Jeff Olson and it struck me how he defined success. I had thought that success is some grand action or result (the dictionary definition of success says so as well). Jeff said that success are small disciplines repeated over time and failure is mostly the absence of those disciplines.I examined my life and I discovered with surprise that unlike any other book I read, this one was compatible with my life experience. I found some discipline behind each of my successes.I could do well over 100 consecutive pushups, because I trained pushups every morning for several years.I finished high school with flying colors, because I had been preparing to final exams the whole vacations one year prior.I got a scholarship for top 25% students on university simply because I attended all lectures (and my colleagues didn't).I grappled with The Slight Edge's message for over a month before I took any action.I wanted more from life. I couldn't see any other route to success available for me, so I in the end decided to try Olson's way. I had nothing to lose.Jeff was SO right. Small disciplines paved my road to success. I designed several small daily disciplines and stuck with them for a month. The results were more than encouraging, so I doubled down on this strategy and developed even more habits. In the end I structured my whole life around daily habits.In the last 4.5 years everything in my life improved.Every. Single. Thing.I earn more. I am stronger mentally and physically. I love more. I became an author and blogger. I overcame my shyness. I bought our first home. I pray more. I was sick only 2 times since July 2012. I have friends all over the world. I have mentors who are millionaires. I can read twice as fast as before. I have more money in savings.The Magic of HabitsDon't just read books. Read them with implementation in mind.If there is one hack to reading and implementation, it is seeking for habits that you can introduce into your daily life. BJ Fogg concluded that the only reliable way to change your behavior (and life) is to change your habits, starting from very tiny ones.Habits define who you are. Habits compound with time. An occasional heroic deed is without much meaning, because its effect will fade with time. Besides, random epic fails will also nullify them. Your habits are stronger with each passing day and their results grow with each day.The Last StoryI listened to audiobook version of "The Compound Effect" by Darren Hardy. Out of many nuggets of wisdom from that book I implemented only one. I started a gratitude journal about my wife.That was so easy to do! I noted down only 1-3 things about her in my journal. It rarely took me more less than a minute.But habits grow with time. Soon I started a gratitude journal about my days. A few months later I started a gratitude journal about my kids. In the meantime gratitude journaling about my days expanded from 5 entries into 15+ entries.More than two years later I heard Shawn Achor, the author of "The Happiness Advantage" on a podcast. He said that gratitude makes your brain positive and when the brain is positive every possible outcome scientists know how to test for raises dramatically.And it dawned on me:"Yes, everything in my life raised significantly in the past few years!"Take one new habit out of every piece of content you consume and you will not die an average.