A wise mentor challenged me to identify strategic life lessons. Here is my first draft. Please help me refine and improve it.

*Don’t lose what’s priceless to obtain what money can buy.

*Everything worthwhile is hard to earn: freedom, honor, love, great marriage, respect, victory, etc.

*Pick your hard. Being lean, strong, and fit is hard, as is being weak and obese. Being married is hard, and so is being widowed or        divorced. Being a parent is hard, and so is being childless. Pick your hard.

*Life sometimes deals you a bad hand. Many people intend to be married till death parts the lovers, but sometimes one partner       leaves. My wife and I aspired to be parents, but medical reality blocked those dreams.

*Things that seem only fun and easy often lead to disaster. Ask addicts.

*Intentionally seeking noble, worthy goals and taking prudent risks produces dramatically better results than drifting or only     dreaming.

*Most of the best players benefit from coaching.

*When one of the five people closest to you warns you, consider their admonition seriously.

*I talked about accepting a challenge for a long time but never moved forward. Wisdom suggests identifying the obstacle and either   moving forward or abandoning the option.

*Terrific relationships may not last. People don’t always change in the same direction or at the same speed. Accept the truth. Bless   and release former friends.

*Most Americans believe in a supreme being. If you are not among them, then skip the rest of this item. Still reading? Then maybe   you can imagine someone perceiving a call from God. Such a call wouldn’t be quick or easy, yet it would merit one’s deepest   commitment and could have eternal importance.

That’s my list so far. What would you add, delete, or refine?

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What are two or three of your major life lessons? It is OK to sleep on it. Please do respond.

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Terry Moore, CCIM, is the author of Building Legacy Wealth: How to Build Wealth and Live a Life Worth Imitating. Read his “Welcome to My Blog.“