Do you want to live a life of abundance? Not only money but one of depth, fulfillment and cherished memories. Nearing the end of your journey, what will you look back and reflect upon as a life that met or surpassed your expectations. Success is defined as, “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose” Elsewhere it is presented as, “reaching a certain level of financial stability or professional achievement. What about health? What about family? One retired attorney who I met one beautiful morning in Orlando, put it another way. As the end of a game where we walked the nine holes, I, as I normally do, ventured to hear his opinion on this eternal mecca of our life. “How do you define success”, I asked in a tone as if I were asking how to end global hunger. He thought for, what seemed like a whole minute, and finally said, “Success is the ability to be able to do whatever you want to do with your time. When you reach that moment you have arrived”. I think there is a lot of value in that answer but it is not enough. What if when you finally reached that moment, you have wrecked your family relationships and don’t have a great relationship with your parents, siblings or children? No, I think the definition of success begs more evaluation, respect and consideration.

I also posed this question to my late father.

The main regrets, people seem to experience at the time of death, is regretting the following:

1. Wished they had spent more time with loved ones. (maybe there will always be some degree of regret here)

2. Wished they had worked less in order to be better at the no. 1 regret.

3. Wished they had lived more, do more things as in the things we had thought of doing but never got around to it.

Maybe success is simply living a life with few regrets, not no regrets but as few as possible. How do we live a life with as few regrets as possible?

First we would have to define what is important to us. Next we make a plan to achieve this. Then just do it.

The problem is obviously DOING IT!

Why is it we cannot get it done? There are several reasons, maybe some sound familiar to you, I know I am guilty of a few:

• Needing the plan to be perfect first to start. Just starting is sometimes the most difficult part.

• Worried about failing, sometime even succeeding.

• The little repetive habits become boring and unnecessary.

• Distractions, lack of focus.

Notice that I never mentioned being lazy. This is because we don’t work hard at something because we are lazy. We are not motivated OR we haven’t created the habit or habits that sustain the mechanics of achievement. Sometimes we think too much. Why are some people so good at getting things done and completing projects tasks, etc.? This is simpler than you think.