Live with no regrets
April 22, 2008
“Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves – regret for the past and fear of the future.”
-Fulton Oursler
This past weekend I was fortunate enough to participate in a men’s conference at my church. I had the honor of sitting down for a spontaneous Q & A session regarding success and life. One of the questions was, “Let’s say it is forty years later, and your life is over. Some of your friends and family have gathered after the funeral. What do you want them to say about your life? What do you want to be remembered for?” Talk about a heavy duty question on the spot. Several thoughts hit me at once, and I want to share them with you today.
First, I want my wife to say, “He was a great husband,” and our children to say, “There was no other father like ours.” I want my friends, relatives, clients, vendors and competitors to say, “Julio gave it everything he had in every area of his life, and he made a positive impact in my life.” What about you? What if you’re gone? What do you want to be remembered for?
Second, I don’t want to have any regrets. I can candidly say that after forgiving my real father and a few others in my life, I live my life with NO regrets. I tell my wife, kids, brother, sister and mom that I love them every day. I give my work and relationships everything I can. Not 80% or 90% but 100% every day. What about you? Is there someone you need to forgive or is there someone that needs to hear you say, “I love you?” Have you grown in your capacity to forgive and let go? No more bitterness, envy or unforgiveness in your heart. It’s important that we live our lives NOW with no regrets. You and I can’t correct every mistake we’ve made, but we can learn from them and create a better and healthier future.
Third, we must make FOCUS one of our obsessions. We can’t allow distractions and information overload to get us off our course. We can’t let our eyes rove, our minds wander or our hearts drift away from what the most important thing in our lives is- RELATIONSHIPS. Relationships that matter the most in our lives. Relationships in our family, with friends, at work, at church and in life.
Today, I just want to remind you to think LONG TERM about everything in your life. I know things get tough from time to time but if you persevere you can and will make it through any situation. Make sure you make decisions now that will help you create the life you want down the line. Live your life with NO REGRETS!!
That’s how my dad lived his life, with no regrets. That so impressed the local newspapers that they did a story on his life when he died because they couldn’t believe that you could live that way. Live with no regrets and make the world wonder how and why!