I am not asking about grand acts, simple everyday deeds you want to be remembered for.

When we are not present daily to support important relationships, like I was over 2500 miles away, it leaves room for people with ruthless motives to step in.

I have paid a hefty price for that distance away from my parents and working absurd hours: my wonderful father and most of my possessions.

That traumatic experience has stirred me to pause during my day to be compassionate to myself, reach out often with people, thank folks more often, reduce my time with negative people, and focus on a holistic approach to life.

My experience may also be the reason I do my best not to roll my eyes (okay, low EQ if I do have that reaction 😊) when people who have lived talk busyness. The reality is when people say they are too busy to pause for even a minute to connect with us, it simply means they do not feel we are important in their lives.

What are you doing to live a life without regrets? Author Bronnie Ware shared five regrets of the dying in her international bestseller. Would you believe all the regrets are centered around what people did not do personally?

In the words of Seneca, “Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.”