By Timothy L. Coomer, PhD

For three years I have been writing and blogging about life change, decision making, and a process I call DISCIPLINE.

Getting a message out in today’s noisy world is difficult. But, I keep at it because I believe each and every one of us are the HERO of our own life’s story.  We have the capacity to make a decision that changes the course of our life. I believe that!

Occasionally, I read a research study that motivates me to keep pushing out my message. And I am reenergized.

This week, that research study, as summarized in this article:

https://www.studyfinds.org/hindsight-is-20-20-four-out-of-ten-adults-regret-their-life-choices/

highlights that 4 out of 10 people regret how they have lived their lives.

Wow.

My own attitude toward life was dramatically adjusted at age 53 when I almost died due to a bizarre medical mishap. This is when I started thinking about how to live life with no regrets.
Here is what I came up with:

1) Have a life mission. Mine is:

“Help People Improve Their Lives. Always Interact with Deep Love and Gratitude.”

I wear this on a bracelet abbreviated, HPITL AIWDL&G

This reminds me daily how I will interact with the world.

2) Decide the overall meaning of life and turn this into a filter for all life decisions. Mine is:

“Experiences and Relationships Are the Meaning of Life”

This is written on the wall of my office.

All major life decisions run through this filter. For example: an opportunity to travel with my family on a vacation is always a priority because it builds those important family relationships and creates unique life experiences.

3) Use a process for life change and ever-increasing well-being.

The effort to describe this process resulted in my book, Discipline Strategy (January 2020 release – preorder available now on Amazon:

The book explains the details of the DISCIPLINE process I teach.

• [DECIDE] Make sound decisions.

• [INVESTIGATE] Investigate relevant topics.

• [SORT] Sort through information with a critical eye.

• [CONCEIVE] Conceive a detailed plan.

• [IMPLEMENT] Implement the plan.

• [PERSEVERE] Move forward with passion and perseverance.

• [LOOP] Use a feedback loop to evaluate your progress and make adjustments where needed.

• [INTENSIFY] Intensify your efforts where appropriate.

• [NOTICE] Take notice of what you have accomplished.

• [ENJOY] Enjoy the fruits of your labors using the positive psychology concept of PERMA

Here are a couple of free resources for you to begin to better understand your personality, the DISCIPLINE process, and the positive psychology concept of PERMA.

1) Free personality assessment that includes a predictive model to forecast how you will perform in each step of the DISCIPLINE process:

MyPersonality® Assessment: https://disciplinestrategy.com/my-personality/

2) Free download, including worksheets, to help you design your own personalized plan to improve happiness and well-being using the positive psychology concept of PERMA.  Go to my home page, click on the button in the upper right-hand corner that says, “DOWNLOAD GUIDE TO WELL-BEING.” This guide also includes a detailed summary of the DISCIPLINE process.

If you have questions, feel free to email me.