I have not made every mistake there is to make in life, but damn it… I’ve made good headway on the list and showing no sign of letting up any time soon. You can take a breath of relief in knowing I am not going to bore you or make you laugh or make you cry by recounting the excruciating details of my mistakes and the fallout that followed. What I am going to do is share a piece of wisdom I’ve learned along the way in hopes my pain and suffering will bring just a small bit of joy to another human being.

If I could go back in time and pick only one piece of advice to engrain into the hearts and minds of my young daughters way back when they were making their way through the massive learning curve call childhood, I would tell them to protect, preserve and nurture your Circle of  Life. Then I would teach them how to do it.

One: Define your Circle of Life. Walk to an open space and reach both arms as far out to your side as they can reach. Then open your hands wide open so you fingers extend your reach just a little bit further. With one last surge, push your reach as far in both directions as far as you can possibly stretch. Now envision a circle going all the way around you, a circle that touches the tips of your fingers on both sides. That is your own personal Circle of Life. That small space in our universe is what you should concentrate on making a better place to live. It’s where you are going to spend your entire life. Everything your ever do or say or think, whether it is good or bad or in between, is all going to happen inside that precious circle. Everything!

Two: Perfect your Circle. With your arms still wide open, close your eyes and try to see what your perfect five or six foot world would look and feel like. Envision it clearly. See it. Hear it. Smell it. Feel it. Make your world real in your head. Now, one second, one minute, one hour, one day at a time, create your perfect Circle of Life. Unlike what so many people, theologies and philosophies teach us today, concentrate on perfecting your little world and forget about the big circle we call Earth.

Three: Get comfortable with your Circle of Life. Stand in an open space every day if you need to. Reach and stretch and envision your Circle as often as you need to see it. Do it so often that it becomes part of your real world. Do everything you can do to make your little universe as perfect as you can. Your universe, your world, your Circle of Life is what you should concentrate on until it becomes a prefect representation of who you are. And remember, it’s easier to move a pound of rocks than it is to move a mountain of stone. Start perfecting the small things first. Start with the pebbles.

Four: Stretch your circle. You shouldn’t do this until you are comfortable with who you want to be and who you actually are. Until you become comfortable with the person living inside your Circle of Life (step 3), it’s probably best to not go out and try to change the big world that is taking place outside your small Circle. I am certain the world would be a much better place if we concerned ourselves with “us” as opposed to “them.” Think about stretching your Circle after you have become comfortable with who lives in your Circle.

That’s it. That is the simple advice I would give if I could go back in time to when my now grownup girls were just little girls. I would have told them to create the most perfect small world to live in, a wonderful Circle of Life, and savor every moment in time. And then do it again tomorrow. I would tell them to perfect, preserve and nurture their Circle. Then I would tell them to share it with as many people as possible. Because the simple truth is people like to be part of something good. And another truth is most of us would do well to create a perfect little world to live in and then share it with others.

Since I cannot go back in time and start over again, I guess the best I can do is share this advice in hopes it is not too late for my little girls or the next generation of little ones who have already come along. Maybe it’s not too late for someone who is reading this piece or for someone they might share my advice with.

• Define your circle.

• Perfect your circle.

• Get comfortable with your circle.

• Stretch your circle.

Be an artist first. Create a perfect Circle.