All acids (but especially the strong ones used for concrete etching) should be handled with care. If splashed onto the body, caustic acid can cause painful chemical burns. Worse still, acid can cause permanent blindness and disfigurement if splashed into the face and eyes. Because of this, it's important to always wear protective gear when working with acid, even if you're very experienced. Below are the sorts of protective clothing you should wear to protect yourself: Chemical safety glasses or goggles with face shield Gloves Long sleeves Close-toed shoes Strong acids like muriatic acid can give off harmful vapors. If breathed, these fumes can cause chemical burns in the mouth and throat. Though rare, it's technically possible to seriously hurt or even kill yourself by breathing acid vapors. For these reasons, you'll want to ensure that your work area is well-ventilated at all times. For instance, you'll probably want to open any adjacent windows and use a fan to keep air continually circulating into and out of your work area. If the acid's fumes are strong, use a breathing mask with acid vapor cartridges to prevent injury. This is a hugely important basic rule of acid safety. Whenever you pour and mix acid and water, you always pour the acid into the water. You never pour the water into the acid. If you pour either liquid too quickly, you can cause the liquid in the container to splash back into you. If this liquid is mostly water, you'll probably be fine. However, if it's mostly acid, you can be in serious trouble. Always observe this simple rule when working with acid. It may be helpful to keep a second bucket or plastic container with you while you work. If you accidentally pour acid into the first container first, you can pour water into the second container and then transfer the acid to it to easily correct for your error.
++++++++++
One-sentence summary -- Wear protective clothing. Don't breathe the fumes of the acid. Always pour acid into water, not the reverse.

How comfortable are you in taking financial risks? The more aggressive an investor is (the larger the rewards they hope to achieve), the larger the stock portion of their portfolio -- and the greater their risk tolerance -- will have to be. A conservative portfolio might have only 20% in equities, 70% in bonds and 10% in cash and cash equivalents (including certificates of deposit, banker's acceptances, treasury bills and other money-market instruments). A person more tolerant of risk might invest 70% in equities, 20% in bonds, and 10% in cash or cash equivalents. Let's say you have $6,000 to invest in a year. If you invest all of that money at once, you might inadvertently buy into the market at a moment when equities are priced relatively high. A better option is to invest $500 a month. You would invest the same amount of money in a year's time, but as prices rise and fall, it's likely you would acquire a larger number of shares by year's end. This type of investing is called "dollar-cost averaging," and it allows you to take advantage of the inevitable price dips that regularly occur in the market. For example, if you have 40 years before you plan on retiring, you can ride out peaks and valleys in the stock market. There's less reason to worry if the market falls when you are in your 30s, because you have plenty of time to recoup your losses. A younger person can afford to be more aggressive in their investing than an older person. Building a diverse portfolio is not a one-time event. Instead, you may need to rebalance your portfolio periodically. Review your investments once a year, and see if they still align with your investment goals. You might need to rebalance if some assets outperform others. For example, your equities might be on a hot streak for six years. Although they were 50% of your portfolio when you started investing, they now make up 70% through price appreciation. Assuming you still want stocks to form 50% of your portfolio, you'll need to sell some stocks and replace them with bonds or other assets in order to maintain your preferred ratio. Rebalancing might trigger tax consequences or transaction fees. Carefully analyze the process with your financial advisor before going ahead. If you invest through a "balanced" mutual fund, they will typically do this rebalancing for you automatically. (A "balanced" fund invests in both stocks and bonds.)
++++++++++
One-sentence summary -- Analyze your risk tolerance. Invest on a periodic basis. Choose appropriate assets based on when you plan to withdraw investment income. Rebalance your portfolio when necessary.

Look at the situation through different eyes. Don't perceive it as an obstacle, but think of it as an opportunity to improve. For instance, if you're unhappy with your job, remind yourself that you have the power to change what you don't like. Look at your current job as a training ground and a way to build your resume so that when you do look for another job, you'll be more marketable. Sometimes our emotional triggers are the result of not setting boundaries and letting others know what they are. Boundaries tell people what you will and won't allow. They also set limits on what you will and won't do. Our bodies are like machines. If we drove our cars without gas or changing the oil, we'd eventually break down. When we neglect our bodies, not only can we break down, but doing so can affect us emotionally and not in a good way. Therefore, we must take care of ourselves. We need to: Treat physical illness. If you're sick, you may feel sad, angry, or frustrated. Seek medical attention and rest to recover from your illness. Eat well. Eat when you're hungry, and stop when you're full. Try to integrate fruits and vegetables into your daily diet. Avoid restrictive diets, yo-yo dieting, and diets that cut out certain food groups (as these tend not to be sustainable). A balanced diet contributes to balanced moods. Eating well can help you feel better. Get enough sleep. Keep a regular sleep schedule, and make sure you get enough sleep each night. Exercise. Twenty minutes of vigorous exercise each day can help balance moods. When you experience positive feelings, make sure you take time to slow down and notice the pleasant experiences. Soak in the goodness, joy, and comfort. Do (at least) one thing each day that makes you feel good. You'll build your resilience while increasing your ability to experience more good moods. Laugh. Take a walk in the park. Ride your bike. Read a book. Spend time with someone who makes you smile. You'll experience more positive events over the long term. Work toward a dream project, a career change, or self-improvement by taking small steps each day. Do something that helps you feel competent and in control. This helps regulate your emotions and gives positive feedback for your sense of purpose.
++++++++++
One-sentence summary --
Change your belief systems. Learn to set boundaries. Reduce vulnerability to stress. Enjoy good experiences. Build a life worth living by making small changes each day.