Life has a habit of going its own way, not our way. When you turn on the news and see the constant and unrelenting flow of misery and sadness, it’s hard to look around and be grateful for the world as it is. Yet, at the end of the day we still have homes, families, friends, and so much else.

Life is what we would call a finite resource--we only have so much of it. We can increase it or decrease it, given the amount of care we take of ourselves, but ultimately there will come a time when we reach our due date. Those of us who have faith and believe realize that there is something that comes after, but that doesn’t mean we should waste the time and opportunities that we have here.

The Golden Rule. Despite the amount of conditioning we receive as children to do unto others as we would want done to us, we have a natural drive to do unto others as is done to us. That instinctual lust for vengeance. We want an eye for an eye even when, in the long run, the process would be more costly than just letting go. The

If today is the last day on Earth, what would you do? Apply this train of thought to your day-to-day activities and see what happens. As I’ve drilled into your head by now, you are the only you that will ever exist. There may be people with your same name, there may be people who could be your twin, but your capabilities, interests, and choices will always set you apart from anyone and everyone else. That makes you unique.

Fortune is defined by a culmination of wealth and resources or simply luck influenced by external sources. Well, it doesn’t take fortune to make a fortune. It takes hard work, so when I tell you to make your own fortune, I’m telling you to make your own luck--that’s what will bring you success.

Without making decisions and choices that actively support our pursuits and help further our achievements, we face the treadmill effect--where we can make efforts, but ultimately we get nowhere as we set ourselves back.

You, like most people, probably plan out your day, your week, looking as far as five to ten years ahead. As much as you may invest in those plans, what are the chances they’ll come to fruition? Remember, you are one phone call away from being on your knees. Tragedy can strike in an instant, rendering everything you have in life meaningless.

Awareness is key into understanding how exactly the givers and takers work. When examining your relationship with someone else, you’ll want to examine how they treat you and treat others around them. Are their motives and interactions self-serving or do they prioritize the well-being and prosperity of others, even if it inconveniences them?

Your phone rarely rings because people want to tell you things are alright. Pick up the phone and tell someone things have gone right, visit with someone when you’re only there to drop off papers of packages, make the efforts to connect with the people you frequently run into. When you put forth the effort to touch the lives of others, it leaves a positive impression. You’ve heard the old adage that it’s lonely at the top, and that proves especially true for business leaders today.