Find it and you will have no regrets

Have you ever wondered—what is the one thing that has had the greatest and most significant impact on your life? Some may say it was when they found the right partner or had their first child. Others cite their favorite sports team winning the championship, or when their political candidate was elected. Still others wish to leave a legacy for future generations.

The answer seems to change as we mature. When we are children, all we want is to have fun and play endlessly. As we get a little older, it becomes very important for us to be accepted by our peers. Later, as teens, we want to fall in love with just the right person and live happily ever after. As adults, we want to make sure our children have a better life than we did. That's the cycle, but is it really what matters most in life?

Most of us live in a routine. We often spend our time and energy doing things that, if we were to ask ourselves, Is this really important to me? the answer would be, Not very.

We live in a world of plenty—plenty of food, plenty of entertainment, plenty of fashion choices, plenty of personal conveniences, etc. It is sometimes easy to forget, among so much plenty, what is really most valuable to us.

When was the last time that you took inventory of all your “plenty” and prioritized according to importance? Identifying what really matters and having the courage to let go of what does not matter requires great courage and maturity.

According to my research, what really matters the most to people is how they have touched the lives of others by caring deeply for them, how others have touched their lives, and what they are leaving behind in the hearts and minds of those around them. In our busyness, we may not be totally aware and present in our own lives. We forget that what matters most to us is our ability to care for other living beings and receive affection back from them.

Today, we are all virtually connected and, because of that, we have the power to make a real difference in the life of others. Unfortunately, we also live in a culture that values celebrity over compassion; that values notoriety over caring. Serving only ourselves and satisfying only our needs never fills the void that an emotional connection can satisfy.

At the end of life, when one looks back to see what mattered most to him and gave meaning to his life, he does not dwell on what he bought and what he owned. Even the quantity and quality of life lack importance. What matters most is how we connect to others with our emotions—the love we give and the love we receive.

I believe our affinity to truly love and be loved is the glue that keeps this world together.