It was Stephen Covey who said, “ Begin with the end in mind.” That got me to thinking. What regrets do people express as they near the end of life, and what actions can we take now so we don’t have similar regrets? In her book, “The Top Five Regrets of the Dying,” palliative care nurse Bonnie Ware shared the most common regrets she heard from her patients. With 2013 approaching, the regrets Ware identifies offer food for thought to those of us in the second half of life as we take yet another fresh stab at setting down our New Year’s resolutions. Below are the top regrets and resolutions to remedy them. Regret No. 1: The most common regret of all dealt with not having the courage to live an authentic life and having many long-held dreams go unfulfilled. Resolution: Assess yourself. Living an authentic life isn’t about chasing every dream we may have. It involves building self-awareness—of our values, strengths and personal motivations. Arrange your work or personal time (or...

Each year during Thanksgiving weekend I put together my holiday shopping list. And each year my list gets a little shorter as some friends and family say, “Let’s forget the gift giving; please donate to a good cause on my behalf.” Not a bad idea, giving to those that really need it and where your gift can truly make a difference. If you’ve opened your mail in the last few weeks, it’s easy to see there are mountains of charities needing our help. For some, deciding which charity to contribute to is not a decision at all. Many people choose a certain one because it’s close to their heart. For example, if your father battled Parkinson’s or your sister survived breast cancer, you are more likely to contribute to charities that helped your family during such difficult trials. Sometimes nature helps make our decision. Recently my mother in-law lost her house in Hurricane Sandy. Fortunately she was in an assisted living facility at the time, but her house—built by her husband 50 years...