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What particular parts of life are meaningful for you? What makes it worth living? What could be your specific mission? You have to search for these yourself. The better your answers, the better your quality of life.

The United States Declaration of Independence reads: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Some people thrive on rapid change and near havoc, others thrive on calm and steady progress. Know which of these you are, for the moment at least.

Life should be enjoyable; too often we think its about achievement. The truth is that making life enjoyable is an achievement in itself.

Fulfilment not only means doing the things that you want to do and exploring your aspirations. It's also finding profound pleasure in things that you didn't know you wanted to do, and had never even dreamt of.

Principles are simply rules of thumb for how you are trying to live your life. They make every day decision-making easier because you just check whether one course of action or another is in line with your principles.

Make sure your behaviour, your decisions, and your goals on an everyday basis are in line with your considered priorities and beliefs about what's important, rather than a response to impulses and cravings.

Success for me is simply doing something that I've always wanted to do. That in itself is quite an achievement.

Don't confuse success with popularity or fame. Success is personal.

Some people flounder when the signposts that have directed them to success are removed, and they realise that they have not understood the principles by which they were living. They have merely adopted the principles of their training institution, mimicking rather than understanding. You need an internal compass.

Beware the promotion that might come too fast, and that demands more time and ends up bullying aside key aspects of your life. Higher status and salary aren't necessarily better if they can only be acquired in return for your time usually reserved for friends and loved ones and the things you love to do. If you are offered a promotion, be sure to negotiate a new work schedule that isn't just taking on more responsibility, but is also shedding some duties.

Success has got nothing to do with getting rich. Getting rich isn't a good way of keeping score. In the end, achieving the esteem of one's peers, of people who know you, is much more satisfying.

Chose your battles carefully, because they reflect your values. Is it just vanity or anger prompting your ambitions, or is some genuine heartfelt belief that you cannot ignore?

It helps to have a hierarchy of principles to live by. For example, by all means be brave and take calculated risks as often as possible, but never gamble what you can't afford to lose.

Strive for integrity - that means knowing your values in life, and behaving in a way that is consistent with those values.

The most treasured learning experiences are the out-of-the-ordinary ones, most often characterised by spending an extended but intense chunk of time in the close company of a small group of friends.

All the best evidence suggests that to reach a national or possibly international standard in any particular physical or intellectual discipline, you will need to invest no less than 10 hours per day, 6 days per week, for about 10 years. This is assuming that you are properly trained throughout that time, and it will help if you can be mentored by a well-respected person in your field, or at least that you are part of a well-respected institution. Before you embark on such an Odyssey, ask yourself this: will the benefits outweigh the lost opportunities? How else could I be investing all of that time and commitment, and for what rewards in terms of satisfaction and pleasure?

It's never a question of win at any cost. The cost is always important. What it costs you and what it costs those around you.

What we want from life is good, pleasurable and profoundly satisfying feelings. These may come from owning and consuming items, but they can also come very readily from doing and experiencing activities. There is a danger that we confuse the means with the ends, and start focusing too much attention on things and activities for their own sake, rather than appreciating the end-feelings that are our real goal.

A great sense of self-worth comes from sharing important experiences with good friends.

How many friends I have, how deep my friendship is with each of them, and even the variety of lives they lead, is probably a very good indication of my quality of life.

Success is the achievement of happiness.

Intimacy - knowing something or someone very well indeed - is the most rewarding feeling.

The most important thing is to surround yourself with people you love.