Once, I traveled to a mountain top to seek out wisdom.It was a long, arduous journey full of peril. Finally, at the summit, I met the person who could help me understand. I sat and waited.The wise woman said, "Sometimes you must be utterly quiet to really be able to hear."It takes stillness to make any progress."You must find introspection to be able to live in the world."And when you take the time to get quiet, still and introspective, it's possible to find understanding."I waited. There must be more. Had to be more!"Is it possible," I started, "to live a life that matters in a world that is fast and noisy? Where there is no time to think? It doesn't seem possible."The wise woman smiled with kindness, nodded her head and said, "Oh, yes, it is possible. And I will reveal to you exactly how to do it. These are the principles which support a long, happy meaningful life. Pay attention - some are harder to achieve than you might think."And these are the words she said to me that day:

Live gratitude.

Be kind.

Love yourself.

Accept that how others live is their choice, and they are entitled to their own choices.

Honor your self-ness and the self-ness of others.

Notice.

Ask questions with no agenda.

Your most awesome power is your power to create.

Set goals and be prepared to let go of them if the situation changes.

Be the friend you'd want to have.

Do not pass suffering along.

Day turned to night and night to day as I pondered these revelations. Could it be that these principles were all I needed to live a life that matters?Finally, it all made sense to me. I took a deep breath and pledged to move forward living as she suggested and I rose to thank the woman for her help, her guidance and her wisdom.And the reflection in my mirror smiled and nodded her gratitude back to me.