CREATE A LIFE FULL OF ENERGY

We live in a relentless, 24/7 world. We try to manage every minute of the day, but instead we wind up feeling burnt out and exhausted. Remember that time you followed a schedule crammed with tasks and activities, but the effort didn’t seem to get you much closer to your goal? That’s because when you don’t manage your energy, you fall short of getting the most out of your time.

Too often we assume that spending an hour on an important task is going to produce measurable results. But it’s not the hour that matters; it’s harnessing your energy. If we don’t bring energy to what we’re doing, the time spent really doesn’t matter.

Isn't there a better way?

Time management is important but the real key is managing your energy. You can’t create more hours in the day, but you can control who and what you give your energy to. Too many people fail to realize who and what they give their energy to and why. As a result, they end up drained and unfulfilled, with no energy for what matters most.

What if you could stop micromanaging your time, and instead focus on directing your energy toward what’s most important?

In my new book, The Energy Clock, I share a tool called the Energy Audit that helps you recognize where you are spending your energy so that you can create change. When you begin to see your time as serving the ebb and flow of your energy, you can make better choices of how to spend both.

Performing an Energy Audit

When your home or office’s heating and cooling system isn’t working efficiently, it’s time for an energy audit. There is a balance for both functions to create efficiency. The same principle applies to our own lives.

You might think of heat as the energy you need to get things done, and cooling as the energy replacement time (down time) needed in between those bursts of energy. Both are important, especially in avoiding burnout.

An energy audit simply means looking holistically at all of your energy outputs and determining where you are gaining energy and where you are losing it. Start with these three questions:

1. ENERGIZERS: What increases your energy and is meaningful to you?

2. NEUTRAL: What are the things that don't necessarily increase or decrease your energy, but they exist?

3. DRAINERS: What decreases your energy?

This awareness is the first step in creating change. It’s about knowing where you are and how to shift your energy towards those things that give you energy.

From there, you can take action on how to maximize your energizers, eliminate or better manage your drainers, and be more efficient with everything in between.

3 WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR ONLINE EARNINGS

Make money online. You’re a reader on this blog, because making money online is something that you want to do. And you want to do it better. That’s precisely what led me to meeting John Chow in the first place way back in 2006. A lot has changed since then, including the world of blogging, the astronomical growth of social media, the increasing accessibility of high quality user-generated video, and yes, making money online too. These all tie together.

But when you boil everything back down to the basics, when you dig right back down to the fundamentals, you’ll find that some things never change. If you want to make money online, if you want to make MORE money online, there are really only three ways you can do that.

Get More Traffic

All else held constant, which YouTube video is going to make more money for its creator? The one that gets 100 views or the one that gets 100 million views? This sounds like such a simple and obvious answer, because it’s almost always the first one that comes to mind when people think about how they can make more money on the Internet.

Of course, you need traffic. You need views and visitors. If everything scales as you’d expect it to scale, then the assumption is that if you can double the traffic to your website, you should also double your revenue. That’s only partly true, as you could be faced with the law of diminishing returns… or you could enjoy astronomical growth, as more traffic can lead to disproportionately bigger opportunities too.

Of the three ways you can make more money online, getting more traffic is the most difficult and is likely the one to provide the worst return on investment (ROI). The amount of time, effort and resources (including money!) you pour into increasing your traffic may not yield an equivalent increase in traffic. So, what’s the smarter thing to do?

Increase Conversion Rates

I’m going to use the example of affiliate marketing to illustrate this point, as it’s the easiest to understand in this context, but the same fundamental philosophy can be applied to almost any other form of monetization. Increasing traffic to your website can theoretically increase your revenue, but so can increasing the number of visitors who convert on the affiliate offer you’re promoting. A higher conversion rate results in more money.

Let’s say you run a humble website that gets 1,000 visitors a month. The one offer you’re promoting pays you $10 for every successful referral, and you’re currently converting about 2 percent of visitors. This means that, in an average month, you get 20 conversions (2% of 1,000), resulting in $200 in monthly revenue (20 x $10).

If you double your conversion rate and everything else stays the same, you’ll get 40 conversions for $400 in monthly revenue. If you double your traffic instead, you’d also get 40 conversions for $400. The net result is the same, but optimizing your page for higher conversions is arguably “easier” than increasing your traffic, particularly if you work with increasingly targeted traffic.

Earn More Per Sale

Again, I’m using terminology here in a more general sense. A “sale” is what you might have in mind if you’re selling your own products and services. A conversion on an affiliate offer is the same thing. A click on a CPC/PPC ad banner works in the same way too. If you can make more money per money-making action, even if your traffic and conversion numbers stay the same, that’s really the best way to make the most money possible.

Convincing one person to spend $1,000 is, theoretically, easier than convincing a thousand people to spend $1 each. In the world of business, this figure is typically called ARPU or average revenue per user. On average, how much money can you make from each user? This is the fundamental reason why it may be more in your favor to target higher value offers rather than trying to scale up smaller value offers.

If you’re engaging in influencer marketing, it makes more sense to try and land one $5,000 sponsored post than it is to try getting (and creating) 500 sponsored posts for $10 each. It’s probably a lot better for your readers too.

Three-Pronged Attack

On some level, looking at making money online as the interaction between these three frameworks is an oversimplification. On another level, it absolutely holds up as true and it’s by looking at all three prongs that you can have the greatest impact. How are you going to make more money online?

USE THIS NEUROSCIENCE HACK TO SELL BETTER

We're all in sales essentially all the time. We're selling ourselves, we're selling ideas, we're selling to the boss, and the boss is selling to us. We're selling to the bank to get more capital. The banks are selling to us to get our business. We're essentially all in sales. Which means we all need to have a deeper understanding of how to sell

What can neuroscience teach us about sales?

[There is a] new understanding from this worldwide forum of neuroscientists studying decision-making and other aspects of neuroscience that relate to sales and totally disrupts what we thought was the right thing to do.

[These studies are showing that] it's all about the logic. We know that there are three main parts [of the brain]: The reptilian brain of 500 million years ago that started with early fish; the mammalian brain [that developed] when the dinosaurs were wiped out and some of those small animals went into the sea; and then about 2 million years ago the hominid brain [that developed] with the early primates that have morphed into humans.

To simplify it, the reptilian brain is all about focus on ourselves. The mammalian brain is all about emotion, excitement and engagement. And the hominid brain is all about logic. If you lump those two much older brains (the mammalian and the reptilian brain) together, you can call them the ancient brain. The hominoid brain is the rational brain – the new brain.

We know from all these neuroscience studies that about 97% of our decisions come from the ancient brain, and very few are driven by the rational brain.

When is logic involved in decision-making?

[Let’s look at two examples. First, think about] three companies after a big opportunity. All three companies have good experience, good quality, good service, and reasonable prices. In the buyer's mind, all three companies are essentially tied for first. So which one would the buyer choose? Well, they're going to choose the one where they've liked the salesperson the best – the salesperson who's made the best emotional connection and who's built the best rapport. That's where the emotional connection overrides the rational.

Here's where the rational comes into play. Let's say there are three different companies going after a different procurement. In the buyer's mind, two of the companies are tied for first in every respect: experience, quality, service, and prices. And then there's a third company that's just average. So even though the buyer may like the salesperson from the average company the best, they're not choosing them because they don't have the logic to justify that emotional buy.

Those emotional decisions apply to all of us essentially all the time. Which car do we buy? What mate do we choose? What do we eat for breakfast? These are almost all emotional decisions. The first disruption in understanding – that most decisions come from the ancient brain.

How can we tap into the ancient brain when selling?

They are a number of activators, ways to stimulate the other person's ancient brain. It doesn't matter what you're selling – trying to get them to join your company, trying to up and cross-sell to them as a current customer, trying to sell to them as a new prospect, etc. It's all essentially the same.

We are all focused on ourselves. You could call it “me, me, me” focus. That is by necessity for species to survive – we've got to be mainly worried about our own safety, our own success, and our own happiness. When you understand that, you can apply that easily to sales.

- John Asher (The Neuroscience of Selling)

THE LESSONS OF TOYOTA

Much has been written about the "trials of Toyota" some years 

back and this disaster will be studied in management schools for
years to come. But you and I don't have time to wait!
You and I run small businesses and, for many of us, these
are tough times. The economy is slow and even customers who
have money are shy about parting with it. Loans are few and
hard to get. Cutting expenses conflicts with spending more
on advertising or even investing in cost-cutting technology.
Times are tough for millions of small and medium-size
businesses and the last thing we need is a "Toyota moment!"
Obviously, smart people will analyze what went wrong but two
lessons seems clear to me:
1. Performance counts. Whether it's safety or quality,
keeping our promises, showing up on time, or going
the "extra mile," business is about integrity! I get very
tired of folks who say business is about ripping people off
or taking advantage of the customer. Nothing is further from
the truth and Toyota proves it. Good business requires
absolute and total honesty. Performance counts! Keep your
promises, every time.
2. Fix mistakes immediately. No matter how hard we try,
eventually something goes wrong. Someone drops the ball,
forgets a vital ingredient, misses a meeting, or makes the
wrong decision. It happens. The key is knowing it's going to
happen eventually and having fool-proof SYSTEMS to deal with
it when it does.
Tom Peters wrote long ago that the most successful companies
are not the most organized or most rule-bound. Quite the
opposite! Successful companies are honest, open, truth-
telling enterprises and they are responsive! They catch
mistakes early (and often!). They fix them! They take care
of the customer.
And so should you. I'm convinced the best and most
profitable businesses are entirely focused on the customer.
They tell the truth, keep their promises, and when mistakes
happen, they clean up the mess! 

In 2018 Toyota Corolla brand was the only car brand that ever

sold 40 million units.

DREAM BIG

Dream BIG. This is probably the hardest thing for most people to do. To actually set goals that are bigger than life itself. Most people are “reasonable” and choose goals that are
easily attainable. I say, “be unrealistic”. Yes, that’s right. I want you to be unrealistic. The most successful people on the planet have all been “unrealistic” in their dreams. They came up with the most ludicrous ideas that most people laughed at, but they didn’t let that stop them. Most of them had no idea how they would implement or make their “idea” a reality. You see, to most successful people, the “how” is not important. They first figure out the “what”.  What is the big “dream”? That’s where they begin -- with the WHAT. The “how” comes later. So what is YOUR big dream? Take the time to really think about that. You can turn any area of your life around in a big way—and attract great miracles to make it happen. You just need to take the time and think about what your “biggest” life would look like? Believe me, this isn’t just silly “dreaming” or “wishful thinking”. It is the beginning of the manifestation process. You are beginning to claim and step into the life that you love and deserve. It all starts with a BIG dream. What is yours?

EIGHT WAYS TO STAND OUT IN CROWD

Sometimes I think we may feel that we have to do the big things in life to stand out from the crowd, to make a difference, but in my experience I have found that it is the little things that we do on a consistent basis that are usually the most powerful. I would like to share with you 8 ways that I have found help you stand out from the crowd.  Some are based on my own personal and professional experience, and some I have observed in other people who I admire and respect.

Make your own list, compare, but the main point of the exercise is to integrate the points in to your daily life and the key to its success is by implementing them.

1.    Make it a habit to follow-up with people promptly. It sounds simple, right? In my experience, and surveys regularly back this up, 67% (amazingly!) of people do not follow up in business.  Did you know that most sales are not closed until the sixth, seventh or even until the eighth attempt; very few deals are achieved on the first few attempts, and yet only three percent of sales people follow-up more than twice.

Whatever business you are in, if it involves making a sale, signing that contract, or building relationships, the best way to stand out from the crowd is to follow-up promptly, follow-through, and be persistent and determined. Don't give up if you are initially rejected, keep following up!  Somebody once said, "a no is only a request for more information!"

2.    Equally as important as following-up is taking the time to respond to people who leave you messages. This is only common courtesy.  How often do we not find the time to follow-up with someone who has emailed us or left a voice-mail unless we know specifically why they have contacted us, and even then we do not always take the time to respond.

Not only is this bad manners, it is also bad business. How many important relationships have you missed out on by not responding to a message? The people who stand out from the crowd take the time to respond.

3.    When you are speaking to people, give them 100% of your attention, and I mean 100%. There is nothing more annoying or obvious to people than you having your own agenda and only waiting for the other person to take a breath so that you can jump in to get your point across or to turn the conversation around to yourself.

Develop your listening skills, most people are not truly good listeners. I have found that you gain much more from being a great listener than being a great talker. Be interested in other people and what their point of view is. Ask lots of open-ended questions. Dale Carnegie once said: "To be interesting to other people, you have to be interested in them first". Wise and true words from a great and wise person.

4.    Get in to the habit, and that is all it is, of sending a hand written note or card to someone who has given you an order, a referral, or has been nice, courteous or helpful to you. It takes a few minutes, but means a lot to the recipient, especially in this day of impersonal and easy e-mail messages. I don't know about you, but I really appreciate it when someone goes to the time and trouble of hand writing a letter or card to me, actually puts a real stamp on it and writes out my name and address on the envelope instead of a computer label. It personalizes it for me, makes me feel like I am more than just a prospect in a list of many for that person. Maybe I am making a big deal out of this, but from the response I get from people when I do this, I know it is appreciated.

5.    People expect the expected of you. Why not do the unexpected. Do you acknowledge people who for whatever reason do not give you that order, where you didn't get the contract or make the sale?  

Remember, they did let you make the presentation? Do you acknowledge the person who didn't hire you for that job, but at least gave you the experience of the interview? Most people don't take the time or have the discipline to do this, and yet, a sale or a job lost or a contract given to one of your competitors today, does not mean it is lost for ever. Do not give up, think long term, think about the relationship you may be developing, the connection you are building for the future, and not about the lost sale, or your bruised ego!

6.    If you belong to an association or a group either in your personal or professional life, and this includes a church, synagogue, mosque, etc., get involved. Do not get involved because you want something in return, but because you want to contribute. People will respect and acknowledge you for it, look at you and treat you differently.  And this is just an added bonus to the personal satisfaction of getting involved and contributing to something you believe in.  In the process you learn to become a leader instead of just a participant.

7.    Invest one hour a day, at least, to your own individual personal and professional development. You can take the one hour all at once, or break it in to segments, whatever fits in to your lifestyle and schedule. During that time read a book, maybe an autobiography of someone you admire or a business book, listen to tapes and the words of wisdom from the experts in the fields and areas of your life that you want to improve, subscribe to a daily e-zone with wonderful quotes or ways to motivate you, inspire you, and to challenge you.

We can all say we can't find the time, but this is so important to your personal growth.  For many years the only thing I ever read was the sports pages of the newspaper when I was growing up in England. What a waste. I wish I would have devoted more of that time to my development. I am not saying you should not read the sports page or a good fiction book, or whatever interests you, we all need that down time for ourselves, but don't do that at the expense of opening up your mind to new ideas and areas for improvement. Do not look at your education as an expense of time but as an investment of your time. Knowledge is wisdom when applied correctly.  Never stop learning.

8.    Stretch your comfort zone; do one new thing every day. Take a chance on something you have always wanted to try. Don't be afraid of being rejected, of people saying no to you, or of failing.  The people who stand out from the crowd are the ones prepared to take that chance. I am not saying do something radical or fool hardy,  but you can become a sensible risk taker. We all have choices and decisions to make every day. We all know the things we want to do and the things we need to do. 

Take some risk, defy conventional wisdom and make your own wisdom come true. My old boss, when I was a sales professional, used to say after every sales meeting: "Do you want to stay safe and be good, or do you want to take a chance and be great."

The choice, my friends, is yours, every single day.

- Charles Marcus

POSITIONING SUCCESS AS A LEADER

Anyone can use a simple 3-step process to crystallize their unique perspective and position themselves as a leader in their field.

1. Define: Take some time to get clear about what it is you stand for. What expertise do you have in your field? If you had just one hour to share your most valuable information with someone starting out in your field today, what would you tell them? Get your thoughts together on this, and give yourself the gift of clarity in this area.

2. Execute: Write your thoughts in a well-organized, carefully crafted form. it can be anything from a series of blog posts, to a longer form such as a white paper, or even a full-length book. Whatever form it takes, get your thoughts into a format that will give you both leverage and credibility.

3. Publicize: Once you’ve gotten your ideas into print form, get the word out. Tell the world just what you believe and how people can go deeper on your topic. Share links to your good works, and don’t be afraid to promote your ideas through multiple exposures.

It’s not that complicated to prepare for your big opportunity, but it does require some focused effort. It takes a willingness to invest the time to get clear on the things you stand for as a leader in your own particular field. Whatever you have to say, you can be sure that someone is waiting right now for your own brand of expertise.

Why not get started today?

MULTIPLY THE EXTRAORDINARY LEADERSHIP IN YOUR ORGANISATION

Extraordinary Leaders are those who understand that in order for the organization to grow and make the maximum impact that it can, the leadership base in the organization must grow first and grow strong enough to hold the growth. If this does not happen, the organization will either not grow or will grow and then crumble because there is no solid foundation of leadership. The effort to multiply leadership must be ongoing and purposeful.

Here are some ways to get your leadership base growing strong and wide!

1. Get Current Titled Leaders Growing in the Right Direction. If you want to increase the level and effectiveness of your leadership right now, then the first thing you should do is start with those who already have a title of leadership. You will find that many of the people you have as “leaders” really aren’t leaders at all so you have your work cut out for you! Sit down with your leadership team and let them know that you are going to be pushing them to grow in the area of leadership. It is imperative that the titled leaders get on board. If they don’t or won’t, then they have to go. No effective organization can continue with dead weight in leadership positions

2. Establish a Plan of Action for Leadership Development. Once you have decided to move forward with leadership development, you need a plan. I would suggest a one-year plan of reading and activities. I am currently taking a group of 17 people through a 12-month (one meeting per month) plan of leadership development. Each person has to read the required book for the month. Each person takes responsibility in a given area. Each person will give a verbal presentation to the rest of the group on an aspect of leadership. They are accountable to another person in the group for their development. This is the plan of action. If you need help setting this up, feel free to contact me and I can help.

3. Identify Untitled Leaders. You also want to identify the leaders you have who may not necessarily have a title of leadership. Know this though, they are leading! They are influencing the direction of your company or organization. They are leading and influencing others. Find out who they are and invite them into the official leadership process. How do you find these? Here are a few ways: Notice at your meetings who the other people look to for their opinion. That is the leader. Ask people who they think has leadership potential. A few names will come up over and over. They are your leaders. Ask people to tell you who has the most influence outside of the titled leaders. Again, a few names will come up over and over. They are your leaders. Now, get them on board with you!

4. Develop a Culture of Leadership. Call your leadership development group something like “Emerging Leaders.” Get t-shirts made up. Have special events for them. Get them involved. Honor their commitment and growth. Above all, let it be known throughout the organization that you value leadership development and you are willing to invest in people that way. Not only will you invest in them, but you will honor them and make it fun too!

5. Enable Leadership Attempts: Let them Try, Let Them Fail. This is where most groups fail. They will let people try, but they won’t let them fail. Once they fail, they take responsibility away from them again. Leadership development must be a long-term commitment and this means you will have to put up with some short-term failures. As you do, the leaders you are investing in will be growing and learning how to do it right in the long run. Those are the people who will grow your organization for years.

6. Establish Mentoring: Watch Me Do, Do with Me, Do Alone, Teach Another. Get the current leaders to teach the newer leaders. Have them take people along to do their everyday activities. Invest time in them, developing the relationship while they see how it is done. Then let them do some of the work themselves while you are there. As that gets better, then it is time to let them do it by themselves. Tell them you can’t make it that day but they can go make the meeting without you. Once they have mastered the task, have them turn around and mentor others. This way you are developing more and more layers of competent, Extraordinary Leaders!

7. Show the Benefits: Both Individual and Corporate. The fact is that people will do those things that will bring them benefits and rewards so go all out to show them what they will get from it as individuals and as a group. Show them that leadership development will help them make more money, have better relationships with co-workers and have better job satisfaction. Show them that leadership development will show itself in all areas of their lives, not just at work. Show them how the whole organization will grow, become more efficient, accomplish the goals they have established and really make a difference in the world around them. Show them the benefits and you will get their hearts for leadership!

A POLICY FOR TOMORROW'S HAPPINESS

When you’re nearing the summit of this turbulent climb through life, will you reach the top with wild enthusiasm or will you be hobbling with the aching knees of regret? You’ve climbed through storms, passed over green patches and had help from friends, and now it’s almost over. Your whole life has been leading you to this moment and one thing is certain: this final ascent we all have to do alone.
What thoughts will flash through your mind? You will be faced with tough questions such as: Did I do enough, love enough, was I happy?
You might leave these questions simmering on the back burner, thinking tomorrow will be a good day to contemplate the answers, but remember—tomorrow might not come!
So here’s what you can do today. Let’s call this an insurance policy for tomorrow’s happiness.
1.  Put your health and wellness above everything else
There is an old saying: “If you don’t have your health you have nothing,” and this is very true. Your body is housing your soul. Exercise, eat clean and get the proper rest. Take care of your body so that you have the opportunity to lead a long and full life.
2.  Take the time to do the things you love
This may sound cliché, but work less and play more. You will never regret taking a vacation, engaging in a new hobby or spending a day with those who make you happy. But you might regret never taking that art class, reading that book or crossing big items off the bucket list. Be a participant in life.
3.  Stop taking life so seriously
Why are you taking life so seriously anyway? Really? Find humor in something everyday, and laugh, laugh a lot!
4.  Always say what you need to say
If you love someone, tell them. If someone hurt you, tell them. If you have trouble expressing your feelings, then write a letter. Make sure those around you know each and every day how you feel.
5.  Open up your mind to possibilities
If you look in your garage and see a coiled, dark shadow that resembles a snake, your reaction might be to jump with fear, but later when you look closer and realize it’s just a green hose, you might feel silly for believing the tricks of your mind. Stop being controlled by your deluded projections.
Change your perspective and open yourself up to a new world of exciting and fulfilling possibilities. Look at your life with fresh eyes and you’ll find improved relationships, more excitement, and less resentments, anger and bitterness.
6.  Follow your own path—live a life true to you
Stop comparing yourself to others and stop striving for perfection. Life is not a masquerade ball—take off the mask, be yourself! If people don’t like it, then maybe it’s time to find a new party. Doing or being any other way will leave you feeling lonely, depressed and hopeless. Stop living a life based on the expectations of others.
7.  Stop living in the past
Right now you need to throw away regrets of the past. It’s gone, there is no point dwelling on what could of been, doing so will only rob the present moment of joy. 
The past doesn’t exist except as a memory, it’s a mental story and it can’t be changed. Why not tell the story of your past in a way that enhances your present moment and future.
8.  Accept the things you cannot change
 “If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it’s not fixable, then there is no help in worrying.” — The Dalai Lama
When you fight against reality, you get bloody in a battle of what ifs and denial. Whether your reality is that you should have married someone else, said something you needed to say, or are dealing with an illness, the reality is you can’t change any these things. Dwelling or worrying is only robbing your present moment of all joy.
What you can do is re-evaluate your life now and take the necessary steps to make the appropriate changes. Follow your instincts, they will tell you when you have veered off the path of where you should be, whether it be your relationship or career. Tune into your inner compass it will guide you in the right direction.
Take “what if”, “should have” and “why me” out of your story. Move on.
9.  Practice mindful living
Mindful living will in fact slow down time; it will enhance the present moment and fill otherwise mundane days with awe and joy.
Ten years from now you might think, Where did my life go? When we live mindfully we immerse ourselves in moments. These are the moments that make up our lives. If you don’t practice mindfulness you run the risk of having these precious moments of your life lost to a string of foggy over-thinking. Rest in the spaces in between the major events, these spaces are your life.
“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” — Jon Kabat-Zinn
10.  Stop chasing money, fame, and possessions
We crave wealth, prestige, fame and popularity, we crave material things and beautiful people. We mistakenly think that happiness is going to arrive when we meet these goals. Instead of enjoying our life, we are in a constant pursuit of something other than where we are right now.
At the end of your life, your expensive BMW will not be what’s flashing through your mind. You will more likely smile at the memory of your loyal dog. Stop chasing material possessions, there is no real happiness there, only an endless pursuit.
11.  Always practice gratitude
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a  friend.” — Melody Beattie
Gratitude improves health, happiness, spirituality, connection, relationships, self-worth and simply gives life intense meaning.
Even if your life isn’t perfect—and here’s a secret, it never will be perfect—you still have a lot to be grateful for. So every day remember to take the time to smile, laugh and truly say thanks for all the small and big joys in your life.
12.  Love
This is an excerpt by the famous Martha Beck that has made an enormous impact on my life. It sums up regret beautifully:
“So the ultimate lesson of regret, the one that will help guide you into a rich and satisfying future, is this: Every time life brings you to a crossroads, from the tiniest to the most immense, go toward love, not away from fear. Think of every choice in terms of “What would thrill and delight me?” rather than “What will keep my fear—or the events, people, and things I fear—at bay?”
Pay attention to all of the sources of love in your life and you’ll develop a growing sense of abundance of how much beauty surrounds you each day.
So let’s summarize: A cheat sheet to living without regrets
Take care of your health
Make time to do the things you love, work less, laugh and play
Say what you need to say
Practice mindfulness
Change your perspective
Let go of the past
Accept the things you can not change
Stop thinking happiness is a future event
Stop chasing money and material wealth
Live authentically
Take off the mask
Follow your instincts
Practice gratitude
Don’t make your decisions based on fear
Love, love love!
There is no guarantee that you won’t make any bad decisions, but when you start living your life with these tools in mind, your days will naturally become meaningful. Your wise eyes will be full of adventure and tales: adventures that might not be perfect, but at the very least won’t be filled with regrets.