Article: Being content is celebrating and reflecting on positive, happy memories.  The memories and experiences which bring the most joy are often of a basic, everyday sort.  For instance, you might find joy in eating a pie with your brother, playing baseball with your dad, or walking through the woods with your sons.  Staying conscious of these simple things can help you become more content. Mindfulness is the awareness of your internal thoughts and feelings, as well as of your external environment and bodily sensations.  Cultivating mindfulness will help you stay in the moment instead of dreaming and scheming about how you can acquire more things and attracting more attention.  Pay close attention to the physical sensations you encounter and the condition of your body.  Notice your posture, rate of breathing, and facial expression, especially when your emotions are running high.  Scan your body from top to bottom.  Start with your toes, then move to your legs, torso, arms, hands, and head.  How does each limb or body part feel?  Is it tensed?  Loose?  Aching or sore? Become more aware of your senses.  Feel the wind in your hair, the water from rain or the shower hitting your face, and the soft flutter of sheets on your skin.  Try the raisin exercise, in which you utilize all your senses, one at a time, to describe a raisin in excessive detail. Various forms of meditation are also useful for cultivating mindfulness.  You could try walking meditation or loving-kindness meditation in order to identify better with all people of the world and refocus your thoughts and attitudes. Remember that your emotions are not in control of you; you are in control of them.  Your emotional reactions do not define you, only your actions do. Being selfish and narcissistic make us always want more.  Many people get trapped in the cycle of “keeping up with the Joneses” and chasing after the newest styles, toys, cars, and technology.  But doing so is directly at odds with the objective to be content with what you have.  Generosity can help you overcome these selfish feelings.  Offer what you have to others, both in terms of time and material goods.  Contact your local food bank, animal shelter, or soup kitchen and ask if they're looking for volunteers.  If they are, sign up for a few hours each week.  You'll not only provide a practical and important service to your community, but you'll build your own sense of contentment as well. If you do not have time to donate, purchase some canned goods and donate them to homeless shelters or food pantries.  Dry goods like pasta are a good choice.  Canned fruits and vegetables also make good donations.  Perishable items like bread and fresh produce are typically discouraged. Check your closet and basement for things which you no longer utilize or have use for.  Toys, old books you'll never read again, and clothes are  some of the most common things  which we accumulate over the course of our lives.  If they do not excite you, pack them in a box or bag and donate them to second-hand stores. You need not express gratitude to an individual.  It is enough to recognize how lucky you are each day.  It's easy to give thanks for all the small things in your life.  Express gratitude for your health.  When you breathe in, for instance, stay conscious of your good health (if applicable).  When you wake and open your eyes in the morning, recognize how lucky you are to have eyes to see (if applicable). When you watch TV with your family or friends, you can recognize how lucky you are to have such great people to spend time with.  You could also be thankful that you have time to watch and resources to own a TV. If your dad is really helpful when you're trying to work through some homework, say, “Thank you.  I really appreciate all your assistance.” Remember to be thankful for the basics.  Food, shelter, family, friends, and a job are all that's truly needed. Keep a gratitude diary. Write down all the things you are grateful for daily in your gratitude diary. It does not matter if there is repetition for some things you are thankful for on multiple days. Read the news.  Understanding how others live and what conflicts are going on in the world will help you better understand your own place in the world relative to others. When you're feeling frustrated or bored with your material goods, think about each particular object's history.  Ask yourself, Who gave it to you?  When?  Why?  Answer these questions in the form of a story in order to decide whether it is worth keeping.  For instance, when you see your TV, you might think, “This TV was a birthday gift from my wife.  She bought it because she knew I was tired of the old, poor-quality TV I had before.  We have spent many happy hours watching films and shows on this TV.”  If the item has a special resonance for you, as the TV in the foregoing example does, you should retain it. If nobody gave you the object in question, but you bought it yourself, ask yourself if it brings you joy.  Do you still associate it with certain happy memories?  Can you imagine life without it?  If not, you should discard it. Hold onto only those things which bring real joy.  When you pick up, think about, or look at a certain personal object, if it does not make you feel like it belongs in your life, or if it doesn't bring a smile to your face, you should discard it.  Don't let your objects and possessions rule or define you.  Don't hold onto things just because you might someday have a use for them. When confronted with a difficult situation, believe that things will work out in your favor.  See the best in people and don't be quick to assume people are possessed of ulterior motives.  For instance, if you meet someone who you like and who seems to really like you, instead of thinking “We'll just break up in a few months anyway, dating would be pointless,” be optimistic by taking a chance and going out with her. Being optimistic doesn't mean being naïve.  Bad things happen, yes.  But it is important to expect good things and keep a positive mental attitude when faced with challenges. When bad things do happen, ask yourself: is this situation really that bad?  Is there anything good that might come of it?  Is there a way for me to learn from this that I can apply to future experiences?
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Find joy in simple things. Stay mindful. Be generous. Express gratitude. Only keep the things you love. Practice optimism.

System Programmers deal with the science of programming not the specific implementations of it. Do not tie yourself to a specific platform.     This can be done by:  Getting an idea on how operating systems are installed. Learning how to install different operating systems on one PC (optional, but recommended). Installing more than one operating system. Do not install any helping packages on the systems; instead, use the bare functionalities provided by the operating systems.   You will later learn the assembly of other platforms/systems.  Pay particular attention to Standard Template Library (STL) and maybe Active Template Library (ATL).     This will be easier if you choose a Unix-based operating system. Understand the system you will be working with later very well. First create small system utilities. It is usually useful to:  Trying to recreate small tools that are already there on your system. Trying to port utilities available in other operating systems to yours. This is the only place where the first programming language matters. Learn ANSI C first, not C++, not C#, not Java and not D. Then learn C++. Restricting the first language to C and C alone is because systems programming requires that the programmer be familiar with the following concepts:  Real and full compilation of source code. Low-level object output files. Linking binaries. Low-level machine-language/assembly programming. The C language is said to be a disguised/easier to learn assembly by some. It also supports inserting assembly language code in code whenever you please and it is only procedural (like assembly).
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Understand what system programming entails. Follow the first three steps for Desktop Applications Programmers. Take an introductory course in Linear Algebra. Take a course in Calculus. Take a course in Logic and/or Discrete Mathematics. Introduce yourself to different bare operating systems. Take a course (or alternatively, read books) on computer hardware architecture. Develop an understanding of the different computer hardware platforms. Get an introductory familiarization with the assembly language of the hardware platform/operating system of choice. Learn the ANSI C and C++ languages, along with the concepts of procedural programming. Understand and practice C/C++ standard libraries on the platform of choice. Search online resources, books and courses to get an understanding of the C-flavor of your specific platform. Practice creating advanced code with C and C++. Learn more advanced Assembly. Take a course in operating systems design. Find and read documentations of your specific platform of choice. Practice your acquired knowledge. Learn languages in the most helpful order.