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Five Secrets of Living Life to The Fullest

I believe that men and women through the ages who have led successful lives have captured these five secrets of living life to the fullest.

Have a self you respect. This means having a deep sense of responsibility for your thoughts and actions. It means keeping your word, and being faithful to self, family and work. It means believing in what you do and working hard. It means setting your own internal standards, and not comparing yourself to others. It's not a question of being better than someone else; respect and integrity demand that you be better than you thought you could be.

Winston Churchill exemplified integrity an respect in the face of opposition. During his last year in office, he attended an official ceremony. Several rows behind him two gentlemen began whispering. "That's Winston Churchill." "They say he is getting senile." "They say he should step aside and leave the running of the nation to more dynamic and capable men." When the ceremony was over, Churchill turned to the men and said, "Gentlemen, they also say he is deaf!"

Churchill knew that one secret to a self you can respect is to choose a course of action based on what is right, not expedient, and not waver from it when criticized.

Commit yourself to others. Believe in others, and take time to nurture their dreams. A wise man said, "If you want one year's prosperity, grow grain. But if you want ten years' prosperity, grow men and women."

You can build into the lives of your family, friends and colleagues by providing nutrients of gratitude and encouragement, and by investing your time and energy in their aspirations. If a tree is given minimal nourishment, it will live, but it will not grow. But if nourishment is given over and beyond what is needed for life, the tree will live and grow upward, producing fruit.

Turn disappointments into strengths. Individuals who live with abandon have discovered that personal trials make them more sensitive and loving, while building endurance and character. They have learned that achievements worth remembering are stained with the blood of diligence and etched with the scars of disappointment.

The pages of history are filled with the heroic stories of undaunted men and women who triumphed over disabilities and adversities to demonstrate victorious spirits. Raise him in abject poverty, and you have an Abraham Lincoln. Make her blind and deaf, and you have a Helen Keller.

Enjoy life's process, not just life's rewards. We live in a goal-oriented society that wants problems resolved now. We want three-minute oatmeal, one-hour dry cleaning, and instant success. But to live with abandon, we must live one day at a time, savoring the little victories, realizing that life is an endless journey in self-discovery and personal fullfillment. It means taking time to hug your kids, kiss your spouse and let the other fellow ahead of you on the freeway.

Become involved in something bigger than yourself. I do not believe you will live happily if you set out to live life for yourself alone. Choose a cause bigger than you are and work at it in a spirit of excellence. It will become a part of you as you see your goals through to the end. Measure success not by what you've done, but what you could do.