One thing I wish I had asked mom before she passed away from ovarian cancer was what she felt mattered most in her life. I can guess, but it would only be that...a guess.

Upon your deathbed, which I hope is many years hence, what will matter most to you?

• How many followers you had on Twitter or Friends on Facebook?
• That your eyebrows were always plucked and your finger nails manicured?
• You helped someone "Just because."
• You did your best.
• You learned, changed and grew.

One of the many things I love about teaching people how to undress their stress is that once they know and practice the techniques, they begin to live a life that is more in tune with who they are, not who they've become because of stress.

There is a quote of Maya Angelou's that I think needs to come with a caveat, although I understand what she means when she says:

"The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them."

Stress can and does make people act poorly. When they don't have the skills, when their resilience has been erased, when they are feeling badly, they are not performing well.

The resolution lies within another quote from Maya Angelou:

"I've learned that whenever I decide to do something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision."

When you learn to transform your stress through the power of your heart, not only do you make the right decisions, but you also make the decision to act "right".

Finally, to keep things in perspective, here is a link to an article published in The Guardian: "The top five regrets of the dying."