The best advice that I can offer is that being proactive and a careful planner is key. Think about the major things that could shake up your financial life, and Ill bet there are some great ways to protect yourself.

Start a business plan for yourself, not for anyone else.

I go to bed at 2 a.m. and get up at 7 a.m. - I've never been a sleeper. But I definitely get sick every month-and-a-half.

You should go to work every day a little bit nervous.

My ultimate goal is to create operating systems for myself that allow me to think as little as possible about the silly decisions you can make all day long - like what to eat or where we should meet - so I can focus on making real decisions.

I always encourage people to pay themselves first, so I really advocate setting up direct deposit for your paycheck and establishing an automatic transfer so that part of each paycheck goes straight into your savings account.

Know the difference between your necessary and discretionary expenses.