As I sit down to write this newsletter each week, I often come up with a topic that I'm excited to write about only to remember that I've already covered that topic in a previous newsletter. And after more than a year of writing on a weekly basis, I've come to the realization that I'm simply out of new ideas. In fact, if the truth is to be told, I've been out of new ideas for quite some time now. This isn't because I lack sufficient creativity, but rather because making the most out of your life isn't complicated. In fact, it's rather quite simple. It can be encapsulated in four words - determination, attitude, success and happiness.

And interestingly, when you think about it, everything in life is simple. The steps to getting what you want out of life are simple, whether you want to lose weight, build a multimillion-dollar business or just hit the perfect golf shot. For example, losing weight simply requires that you burn more calories than you consume. Becoming wealthy simply requires that you earn more money than you spend. Hitting the perfect golf shot simply requires that you take the club back smoothly, keep your head down, follow through - and pray. Well, you get my point. Life isn't that complicated.

To get what you really want out of life only requires that you know a few simple principles and that you act on them. Of course, this is the challenge for most of us - acting on what we know and doing so consistently. All too often, we fail to act on what we know. We learn a new investment strategy, sales technique or relationship skill but never put it into practice. Or even if we start to apply what we know, we soon go back to our old ways.

In the end, the winners in life aren't those who know the most; they are the ones who use what little they know. After all, don't we all know someone who has more degrees than a thermometer but doesn't have the sense to come out of the cold? Likewise, don't we all know someone with limited education and skills but lives with almost unlimited abundance? This is because the difference between success and failure doesn't come down to knowledge; it comes down to the application of knowledge.

Therefore, my point in this newsletter isn't to dazzle you with incredibly complex and novel theories of success that you will never apply. That would be a waste of your time - and mine. As a life coach, my job is to help you get the most of your unique skills and talents and as such, I'm going to continue sticking to the basics. After all, this is what a good coach does - focuses on the fundamentals.

This is what made John Wooden a great basketball coach. He wasn't known for complex offensive schemes and razzle-dazzle maneuvers. He simply focused on the basics - passing, shooting and defense. The same was true for the late great Vince Lombardi. He would often have his players spend hours on the fundamentals because he understood that, in the end, the difference between victory and defeat often came down to a missed block or a missed tackle.

Well, the same thing is true for your life. The success of your business will come down to how well you handle the fundamentals of sales, marketing, production and customer service. The success of your marriage will come down to how well you handle the fundamentals of honesty, communication and consideration. And the overall success of your life will come down to the fundamentals of determination, attitude, success and happiness. It's as simple as that.