Live a Life of No Regrets

At any given moment in our lives, we are making choices. We can choose to live fully in the moment, to live our dreams, to be whom we dream of being or to ignore the still small voice inside of us that is begging to be heard -- to live life with everything we've got. Have you chosen to reach for the stars, living a life full of passion and possibilities? Or have you chosen to get really comfortable with watching your dreams pass you by and thinking about what might have been if not for those postponed and unfulfilled dreams?

Only you can make the choice to live the life of your dreams. No one else can do it for you. You won't get what you want if you leave your life to others or to a number of random occurrences rather than a number of decisions. If you want to live a fulfilling life with no regrets, you must live each day to its fullest.  Here's how:

Strengthen your mind - Knowledge facilitates richer experiences and opportunities. Push the limits and find out where your true abilities lie. The mind knows where you are and can take you to where you want to be.

Fear less, dare more - Do at least one thing every day that scares you. Don't be afraid to ask for more or reach for more. You could do it all if only you dared to go for it. Don't let fear paralyze you. All you need to do is overcome fear and dare to follow your dreams. New experiences make life richer.

Live with love and passion - Love and express love as much as you can, as often as you can. Love unconditionally, without any expectations. Be loving and passionate about yourself, others and your goals. Love and passion are motivating and inspirational.

Serve others - Be a role model or a mentor. Help others live a better life. Leave a legacy. We thrive when we feel we are valued and have left the world a better place.

Have a purpose - Purpose gives meaning to your life. It also changes your attitude about life.

Forgive - When someone has harmed you, try to understand why by putting yourself in his/her shoes. Stop holding yourself hostage -- accept that humans make mistakes, let go and move forward. Remember that forgiving does not mean forgetting and that the gift of forgiveness is for you, not the person who caused you pain. You are not protecting yourself by not forgiving, but are taking back the control over those who have hurt you. Forgiveness gives freedom from anger, bitterness and cynicism.

Be present - To be present is to have no preoccupations with past or future. Remain in the now even when focusing on the past or speculating on the future might be more tempting. Smell the roses. Savor every moment as special and appreciate the beauty in life.

Let go of the small stuff; eliminate tolerations - What you are putting up with keeps you from being yourself. Do not focus on the negative aspects of life. To prevent the little things in life from immobilizing you, lighten up, smile more, frown less and laugh generously.

Live with integrity and acceptance - To live in integrity is to have no actions that you regret, to be real to yourself and to others, and to recognize that you are special, unique, and precious. Accept and appreciate who you are and what you have, but know that you always have the opportunity to become more. Accept and appreciate others because of who they are, not in spite of who they are.

Set goals and commit to action - Decide right now that it is important to live a life of no regrets and then set goals to support your purpose and your dreams. Goals help to concentrate your focus, motivate you to expand and grow, and move you in a chosen direction.

Think about the list above, where are you proactive and where do you need a push to get going?

John’s Balcony

We laughed.

We spoke.

I sometimes cried,

he often joked.

Libations overflowed

sometimes until dawn.

He shared his emotions,

very openly

never withdrawn.

The balcony at his place

had a tree that hid a wry face.

Our comforting assuage

eased the burdens of life,

as we stood daily on its stage.

Remembering my very dear friend, John David Cochran, who passed away in August 2008. His friendship was a special gift and his spirit will live forever...

Untying Your Gordian Knots

Creativity may simply be the realization there’s no particular virtue to doing things they way they’ve always been done. ~Rudolph Flesch

In the winter of 333 B.C., Alexander the Great and his army arrived in the Asian city of Gordium to take up winter quarters. While there, Alexander heard about the legend surrounding the town’s famous knot, the “Gordian Knot.”

The story intrigued Alexander, and he asked to be taken to the knot so that he could attempt to untie it. He studied it for a bit, but after some fruitless attempts to find the rope ends, he was stymied. “How can I unfasten this knot?” he asked himself. Then he got an idea: “I will make up my own knot-untying rules.” He pulled out his sword and sliced the knot in half. Asia was fated to him.

Alexander demonstrated that when faced with a seemingly intractable problem, a very effective, creative-thinking strategy plays the revolutionary, by challenging and changing the rules.

If constructive patterns were all that were necessary for creative new ideas, we’d all be creative geniuses. Creative thinking is not only constructive, but is also destructive. Creative thinking involves breaking out of one pattern in order to create a new one.


All too often, we become ensnared by the familiar phenomenon:

• We make rules based on the reasons that they make a lot of sense.
• We follow these rules.
• Time passes, things change and the original reasons for the rules may no longer exist, but because the rules are still in place, we continue to follow them.

This week, release the ensnarement and discover just how many knots can you untie.

Choices and the People in Our Lives

After refection on choices made, there comes a point in life when one realizes the following:

• Who matters
• Who never did
• Who won't anymore
• And, who always will

Don't worry about people from your past, there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future.

As always, wishing you a wonderful week…