🧪 The Formula One of my close friends, Tom, was a drug addict. One morning, he woke up to find his girlfriend lying dead next to him. Since that day 13 years ago, Tom has been clean and sober. He’s built a great life and in November, he’ll marry an amazing woman and start a family. Three weeks ago, my sister was found dead in her bed. Nobody was surprised. It was the inevitable result of a lifetime of addiction and poor choices. She and I grew up in the same (toxic) environment, but the outcomes were dramatically different. She’s gone, while I have the best life of anyone I know. What made the difference? It's a question I've spent countless hours contemplating. The conclusion I've reached is one that nobody wants to hear. It’s not genetics or bad breaks. It’s not the economy or which President is in office. Ultimately, your life is shaped by something more fundamental and largely within your control: Simply choosing to do the right thing. Day after day, year after year. 🧪 The formula for building a great life is deceptively simple (but far from easy): 1) Do things that make your life better. 2) More importantly, *don’t* do things that make your life worse. Your life is the inevitable result of the choices you make. It’s easy to justify unhealthy behavior on the margin. One drink, one white lie, one lapse in judgment. It’s a slippery slope. Exceptions become habits and compounding is exponential, not linear. A million seemingly insignificant choices make the difference between a great life and literal death. It’s not hyperbole… it happens every day. But here’s the good news: The formula works both ways. If you consistently make good choices, the odds of having a great life are high. Your starting point doesn’t matter. It’s never too late. Of course tragedy can strike any of us. But my point is: We have agency. And more control over our lives than we like to admit. Like my friend Tom, you can wake up one day and decide you want a different life. Hopefully, you do it before tragedy strikes. It’s your choice. P.S. If this message resonates with you, would you help me spread it by giving this post a comment, like, and repost?