At least 31 people were killed by the bombings in Brussels today.

I’m deeply saddened by the recent violence in Turkey, Chad, Brussels, Paris, Niger, here at home, and in other countries.  It’s crushing every time I’m reminded that there are individuals out there so vicious that they can willingly murder dozens of people they don’t even know.

It’s easy to get sucked into a spiral of sorrow, frustration, and anger.

What saves me every time, however, is the realization that there are tens of millions, hundreds of millions, even billions of others in every country around the world that aren’t that way.  We are a people who care about our neighbors, love our kids, don’t hesitate to help a stranger in need, and are happy to let others live their lives even if their ideas don’t agree with ours.

We are not like them.  They are small in number, and desperate.  We are everywhere, and we are strong.

Yes, they will strike out at us from time to time, and we will suffer painful losses.

But even though it’s tempting to give in to anger and frustration, our best weapon against their small number is to remain ourselves.

This is our world.  Let’s keep it that way by continuing to be generous, and good to, and tolerant of each other.

There are many ways to define wealth.  There are the more traditional definitions having to do with cash flow or net worth.  Some say that your health is the truest measure of wealth, while others claim that the quality of your relationships is a better metric.

There is value in all of these.  But let’s consider something else:

How much of your time do you control?

What good is it to be a deca-millionaire if every minute of your day is held hostage by meetings, phone calls, and people you loathe?

What good are boats, cars, houses, snowmobiles, jet skis, and other toys if managing them is a headache and takes up all your time?

What good is a high-paying, high-powered job if you spend all day joylessly grinding and zero time with your kids?

Your life is measured in minutes, and each one is precious.  It’s not too late to get a handle on them.