In her blog, Inspiration and Chai, Bonnie Ware, an Australian nurse, writes beautifully about what she learned while caring for patients during their last few weeks.

Here are the five regrets she found to be most common:

I wish I’d had the courage [...]]]> What do people most regret at the end of their life?

In her blog, Inspiration and Chai, Bonnie Ware, an Australian nurse, writes beautifully about what she learned while caring for patients during their last few weeks.

Here are the five regrets she found to be most common:

I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

I wish I didn’t work so hard.

I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

I wish that I had let myself be happier.

What is your biggest regret at this moment? And what will you do to change that?

You have choices. Always.

What will you choose to do? … What will you open up to?  … How will you choose to live? … Starting now, as in right this minute, so that rather than I wish, you’ll be able to say, I’m so glad I …

The way you live your day is the way you live your life. Choose well.

Where is your soft spot?

The things that grab at your heart … resonate with what you most care about … trigger thoughts of, “Why can’t I find [...]]]> “You have a soft spot. Contrary to popular belief, it is not where you are weak, it is the gateway to indestructible power.” ~ Susan Piver

Where is your soft spot?

The things that grab at your heart … resonate with what you most care about … trigger thoughts of, “Why can’t I find a way to make a living at this?” … send you into a daydream land  … make you want to leap up and save that aspect of the world … make you weep … give you butterflies … speak to your soul … or however you know you’ve bumped up against your soft spot.

Soft is not weak. It’s a window into your passion.

And in passion lies powerful strength.

Years ago, one of my clients made up the word, IGMU. It means, I got made up. (Grammar wasn’t the point!)

As in I got made up that:

I have to … I can’t … Something bad will happen if … I’ll never … [Fill in appropriate name] thinks I’m …

Successfully achieving what’s important to you is both inward- and outer- focused work. Your actions and plans matter. And so does your mindset, energy, and inner dialogue.

Whether your goals are outcome-focused or about personal change / transformation, the following ideas will support you in getting there.

(Drawing by Peter Reynolds)

You can view the video at: http://www.fablevision.com/hewasme/HeWasMe_med.mov (It might take a minute or so to download.)

Your inner child holds your hopes and dreams, creative spirit, and authentic self. Make room for [...]]]> This wonderful video about appreciating your inner child was written and drawn by Peter Reynolds of Fablevision in Boston, MA.

(Drawing by Peter Reynolds)

You can view the video at: http://www.fablevision.com/hewasme/HeWasMe_med.mov (It might take a minute or so to download.)

Your inner child holds your hopes and dreams, creative spirit, and authentic self. Make room for him/her in your life.

Thanks to Mimi Graney for sharing this video with me.

Your inner child comments (either on the topic or from your inner child ;-)) are welcome!

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway.  Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock.  Some of the King’s’ wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many [...]]]> I love this story I received from one of my clients.

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway.  Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock.  Some of the King’s’ wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables.  Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road.  After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.  The peasant learned what many of us never understand!

Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

I wish you an obstacle-free New Year! But in case you do encounter obstacles – big or small – know that you have the strength, creativity and resilience to turn them into opportunities.

A few weeks ago, I dropped my car off at the dealer for its 40,000 mile service. Just your run-of-the-mill, ordinary maintenance. The phone call I received from the service department advising me that I needed new tires did not fall into that category.

I wasn’t happy.

I’d [...]]]> I love being wowed.

A few weeks ago, I dropped my car off at the dealer for its 40,000 mile service. Just your run-of-the-mill, ordinary maintenance. The phone call I received from the service department advising me that I needed new tires did not fall into that category.

I wasn’t happy.

I’d already replaced my tires at 15,000 miles (premature wear and tear) … and now I needed new tires again? Seriously?!!

And yet, at the end of the experience I was singing the praises of Johnson Lexus in Raleigh, NC. (Obviously I still am.)

They heard my concerns and acted on them. The solution they offered was more than fair and was executed with minimum inconvenience for me.

No arguing, no excuses, no defensiveness. Their energy simply went towards solving the problem.

It’s rarely the problem that creates friction or dissatisfaction; it’s how you handle it.

Next time you make a mistake, have an unintended impact or otherwise find yourself in the midst of a problem, turn it into an opportunity. Create a Wow experience for someone.

“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

What’s on your list of  “Someday I’ll …”, “If only I could …”, and other assorted wishes?

It would be so lovely if your fairy godmother swooped in, waved her magic wand, and made your dreams come true.

Every year I seem to have one hike that triggers thoughts on life. Last year’s occurred [...]]]> I’ve just returned from my annual Vail, Colorado trip where we had two weeks of perfect weather – warm days and cool nights – a welcome break from this year’s wretchedly hot, sticky summer here in North Carolina.

Every year I seem to have one hike that triggers thoughts on life. Last year’s occurred when I lost my head and followed my friends into the pit of death. Okay, I exaggerate. You can read about it at Would You Follow Your Friends Off A Bridge.

This year’s adventure was the Two Elks Pass trail, an eleven-mile hike that includes a 1,500 foot climb over 1.5 miles. Here’s what I was reminded of during the six hour hike:

• The best way to the top of the mountain is one step at a time.
• It’s okay to rest.
• Hard and fun are not mutually exclusive.
• Savor the effort.
• Enjoy the easy parts.
• When your feet are tired, get a massage.  :-)

As I transition back into “real-life” mode, I plan to keep these front and center. They don’t just apply to hiking!

This is one of my all-time favorite [...]]]> “Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”  ~ Aristotle

This is one of my all-time favorite quotes. Not only is it one of life’s deep truths but it’s life-changing when you live it.

The last two sentences of Aristotle’s quote show up in all sorts of places. But for my money, the power is found in the first half of his sentiment.

“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but rather we have those because we have acted rightly.”

Excellence is an art. There’s no one right way to do it; you have to figure out what works for you.

Excellence doesn’t just happen. First you have to choose each part of your life or each activity in which you want to operate with excellence. Next you must define what that means for you. After that you need to learn the skills involved and define your process and mindset for acting with excellence … that’s training.

And finally you must practice – again and again – until it becomes a habit to act with excellence.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”

What does excellence mean to you? What habits do you have around excellence?