Regret is one of the saddest words I know. It’s not only an emotion focused on the past, but it’s based on something that can’t be rectified.

Life is short. With each passing moment and each passing day, we write our life's story. The truth is that we can always change the ending to that story but nothing can be done about the chapters already written.

In looking at my life story thus far, one likely wouldn’t consider it classic literature. I think I have a few good paragraphs in there, but they’re probably followed by a few paragraphs with little redeeming value, and even a few lines that I hope no one will ever read.

But if I were to diagram some of the sentences of my story, I can‘t help but think the problem was that I merely winged it – sitting down at the keyboard and trying to bang something out – without an end in mind.

Perhaps the key to making the stories of our lives read as we would like them is to begin with the desired conclusion and work backward. I've heard many people talk about the importance of understanding your ultimate destination, but how often do we set out in the management of our cattle enterprises or our lives with nothing more than tomorrow or the next 10 minutes in mind?

We all must decide what truly matters to us. Is it your relationship with your spouse, your kids, your friends, making a difference in the world, finances? Success in any of those pursuits may entail visualizing the ending you desire and then working backward to create them.