In an effort to develop a playbook of effective patterns, my fiancee and I came up with a list of people that we admire and respect at our current point in life. We wanted to see what they had in common as baseline characteristics and how this manifested in their behaviours. These are mostly people we've worked or volunteered with to have been witness to them “in action”. We did a general assessment of each of their qualities to determine which they had in common and we could strive to develop in ourselves.

The top qualities that all of these people shared were:

• Physical fitness & health is a true priority of theirs

• Close with family and friends

• Live with a sense of humour

• Pursuit of excellence in a clear direction

• Clearly defined what they are and what they are not

• Well respected by others, and use this social influence to help others

All of these seemed to be non-negotiable areas of their lives. They did not make excuses for when times were tough. They made it work, no matter what.