Michael Heykoop

More than 2000 years ago, the legions of Rome ventured from their isolated peninsula and dominated the Mediterranean, Middle East and much of Europe for hundreds of years. The political system and ideals spread by the empire have continued to shape the continent of Europe to this very day. Rome may have fallen in AD 476, but the last 1500 years have been filled with repeated attempts to recreate the essence of the Roman Empire, the unification of the nations of Europe.

What drives you to get out of bed in morning? It’s a simple enough question, but is it one you've paused to consider? Do you get out of bed just because it's a habit to do so, or do you wake with a purpose to carry out each and every day? The symptoms of a society without purpose and direction are evident all around us. Lack of meaning in life is a scourge which is tearing through the Western World leaving broken families, crushed communities and lost lives in its wake. The plain truth is that people thrive when they have purpose; that life itself is not absent meaning.

We are the result of the decisions we make. Of course there are many aspects of our lives which are beyond our control. We cannot choose the circumstances of our birth, the genetics we inherit or the random events which inevitably affect us. No matter where you started, no matter what external forces may have altered your path, you have made decision after decision after decision which has led to who you are today. There are principles we can follow which will enable us to make better decisions and improve every aspect of our lives.