Don't like it? Change it!

I had an inspiring conversation with a friend this week. In the last year, she has beaten cancer.

Facing her mortality changed her perspective for the better. The disease taught her lessons that she's glad to have learnt now, before she hits her 40s, rather than in mid-life or beyond.

She can't agonise over trivial things any more. At work, while other people are stuck in 'drama', she's calmly looking for a way around the problem. It's only work.

If someone is unhappy in a job or relationship, she tells them to get out. Change it. Do something. You're not stuck.

She's also changed the way she parents her children. She's more relaxed. She's deeply thankful for what she has.

She appreciates everything - large and small - much more than she used to.

Start today

Sometimes the people with the best attitude and the best balance in their lives are those who've had a big wake-up call. They give us proof that we can choose to change our circumstances and our attitudes, to improve the quality of our lives.

The key message I think my friend would want to convey to us is this: WAKE UP. Time is the most precious thing we have.