According to legend, an ancient king called his wise men together and said, "I want all the knowledge of the world accumulated and put in order so my subjects can read it." After some time, the wise men came back with 12 bound volumes. The king said, "This is too big! The people will never read it."

So the wise men condensed their work to just one volume. The king told them that it was still too big. The wise men went back to work and condensed this volume into just one page. However, the king asked them to condense it even further.

Finally, the wise men came back with a single sheet of paper containing just one sentence. The king read it and said, "Now my people can read and understand the fundamental truth of life." The phrase read: "There ain't no free lunch."

It doesn't get any simpler than that. You can't get something for nothing. Of course, this isn't exactly news to you. After all, our entire economy is built on this premise and we live our daily lives accordingly. When we go into the grocery market, we don't expect to walk out with a carriage full of food without first paying for it. Likewise, we don't expect to fill up at the filling station without paying for the gas.

Yet, for some reason, we tend to believe that we should be able to obtain love and support from our loved ones without paying for it in kind. The simple truth of the matter is that if we want love in our lives (and we all do), then we have to pay for it. And the currency for love is just that; love. We have to give what we want to get. There ain't no free love.

And if we fail to give the love that we should give, we have to pay the price just like we would if we fail to meet any other commitment. After all, if you didn't pay your mortgage for six months, you would expect to lose your home, wouldn't you? Well, if you don't meet your commitment to love and appreciate your spouse or loved one, you can expect to lose your home as well.

And I'm not just talking about losing your house in a divorce. Believe it or not, it's possible to live in a 40- room mansion with your spouse and still be homeless. After all, a house is not a home. A home is where you go to relax and be in the presence of those you love and those who love you. Therefore, if you've let the love lapse in your home, you home has been effectively foreclosed upon whether you live there or not.

I feel compelled to mention this fact to you because dashers (including me) tend to neglect our loved ones from time to time. In our quest to make the most of our lives, we become obsessed with our dreams and goals. Our every waking thought is focused on how to make it happen - and now. And certainly, achieving anything of substance requires a tremendous amount of commitment. However, we must not forget that we have commitments to our loved ones as well.

After all, what good is your success if you don't have that someone special to share it with? All that you achieve will be worthless if you have to experience it alone. It will be terribly lonely living in a mansion by yourself. Nor will it be much fun to sail around the world in a yacht by yourself. Therefore, in your drive to attain health, wealth and spiritual enlightenment, make sure that your spouse is buckled in the passenger seat. Otherwise, you may find yourself living the good life alone.

I realize that this may sound like trite advice but, in my coaching practice, I often come across people who have forgotten this simple truth. In fact, I must confess that I forget it from time to time myself. I become so focused on me and what I'm trying to accomplish that I neglect to show the same concern to my wife. Fortunately, I have a wife who will gently (and not so gently) remind me of this fact.

If you find yourself similarly forgetful, then take a few moments out of your schedule today to get yourself current in the love department today. Now, I can't begin to tell you what to do to make your spouse or loved one happy but you know what you should do, so do it. If your spouse's favorite play or sporting team is in town, then get some tickets and make a date for this weekend. Or if your spouse is frazzled with work or household responsibilities, then give them a night or weekend off. In fact, if at all possible, get away for a weekend together. Or if the two of you have been too busy to schedule some "quality time" together, then by all means, schedule it!

Seriously, the point is to turn some of your incredible focus on your loved one. Let them know that they are as important to you as anything else in your dash because the truth of the matter is that they are. After all, we all may want to attain a high net worth in life but love is the only thing that makes life worth living.