Walt Hampton, J.D.

Creating the Work & Life You LOVE

Nonrefundable

by Walt | Jan 16, 2025 | Success | 2 Comments

Time is precious.

We talk about spending it, just like we spend money. But unlike money, time cannot be earned back. Once spent, it’s gone forever.

That makes it our most valuable resource.

Yet, too often, we spend it carelessly. On tasks that don’t matter. On obligations that drain us. On distractions that numb us.

Why?

Because we think we’ll have more. More time to finish that project. More time to repair that relationship. More time to chase that dream.

But someday doesn’t always come.

Time slips through our fingers. The days turn into weeks. The weeks into years. Suddenly, we look back and wonder where it all went.

What if we saw time differently? As a gift. As finite. As irreplaceable.

Would we spend it differently?

Maybe we’d say no to the trivial and yes to what matters most. To the people we love. The passions that light us up. The moments that make life rich.

Time is not refundable.

Spend it with intention. Spend it wisely. Spend it on what you’ll cherish forever.

Because when it’s gone, it’s gone.

Make it count.

Need help making it count? Email me.

The Best Is Yet To Come

by Walt | Jan 9, 2025 | Success | 0 Comments

You’ve done everything right. Checked all the boxes. Built a life others admire. But still, something feels off.

It’s subtle at first. A quiet voice whispering: “Is this all there is?”

You try to ignore it. Keep going. Push harder. But the voice grows louder. It doesn’t let go. Because deep down, you know: You’re at a crossroads. And the clock is ticking.

The crossroads feels daunting. You’ve worked hard to get where you are. But stepping into something new? It feels risky.

What if it doesn’t work out? What if you fail? What if you regret leaving the comfort of what you know?

These questions keep you stuck. You tell yourself there’s still time. That you’ll make the leap someday. But time doesn’t wait. And here’s the truth: The longer you wait, the louder the regret becomes. Because deep down, you don’t want to settle. You don’t want to reach the end of your life wondering, “What if?”

But what if there’s another way? What if this crossroads isn’t the end of something—but the beginning? A chance to rewrite your story. To take everything you’ve built—your experience, your wisdom, your passion—and use it to create something new. Something that feels alive. Something that lights you up. Something that feels like it really matters.

This isn’t about abandoning your past. It’s about building on it. Shaping the next chapter with intention. The best part? It’s not too late. Not even close.

Of course, it won’t be easy. New beginnings never are. But here’s the secret: You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just need to take the first step. One small move toward what excites you. Toward what feels deeply meaningful.

It might be messy at first. Uncomfortable. Even scary. But that’s where growth happens. In the discomfort. In the stretch. And as you move forward, the path will become clearer. Because the life you’re longing for? It’s waiting for you to claim it.

The truth is, you are always becoming. If you choose: To step into the unknown; to stop waiting for the perfect moment; to stop letting fear hold you back.

And you know: The clock is ticking.

As Oliver Wendell Holmes reminds us: “Many people die with their music still in them. Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it time runs out.”

Don’t let that be your story. Your music is still inside you. A melody only you can create. A song that’s waiting to be sung. So take the first step. Start today. Because your next chapter? It’s waiting for you.

Want help? Email me: walt@summit-success.com

How You Really Want It

by Walt | Jan 2, 2025 | Success | 0 Comments

The New Year is here. A fresh start. A blank page.

For many, this is the time for setting goals and planning.

And yes, of course, planning is important. Because, with a clear plan, you increase your odds of achieving your goals significantly.

But I have some important questions for you: Are the goals you’re chasing after the ones you really want? Are they the ones that make your heart sing?

In our success-driven hustle culture, we’re all surrounded by the call for more. Bigger. Better. Faster. 10xing everything.

And before you know it, you’ve lost your way.

“People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall,” Trappist monk and author Thomas Merton once said.

It’s a haunting image. A life full of effort and achievement. Only to realize it wasn’t your wall. It was someone else’s goal; someone else’s dream.

The world loves success stories.

But real success starts with this question: How do I want my life to be?

Not just your work life. Or your financial life. But your life.

This question shifts everything. It invites reflection. Alignment. Purpose.

So my invitation to you as we move into the New Year is this: Pause. Take a breath. Ask yourself:

What truly matters to me?
Who do I want to be?
How do I want my days to feel?

This isn’t about rejecting ambition. It’s about clarity.

Goals are only worth pursuing if they lead to a life that feels whole.

Maybe this year isn’t about doing more.

Maybe it’s about doing what matters.

Take the time to choose your wall. Lean your ladder against something that feels solid. Something that aligns with your heart and soul.

Because a meaningful life isn’t about how high you climb.

It’s about where you’re climbing to.

This year, start with the right question. Build from there.

And may you find joy, peace, and purpose in every step.

May it be so.

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If you’d like help with your ladder, email me: walt@summit-success.com

Claiming It For You

by Walt | Dec 26, 2024 | Success | 0 Comments

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

Proverbs 13:12

How are you today?

I hope you’ve woken up rested, refreshed and satisfied after your Christmas celebrations.

But if, instead, you’re feeling dazed and depleted and maybe a little bit empty, you are not alone.

The holidays are a huge source of stress; a seemingly never-ending torrent of buying and wrapping and eating and drinking and binging and networking and connecting and partying; with concomitant unceasing demands and obligations and expectations.

Likely you’ve spent the last several weeks hustling around fulfilling everyone else’s wants. Tending to the needs of others.

Maybe you think you’re done.

Except that you’re not.

It’s today. Another day. And while you can, perhaps, distract yourself for a little while longer, ringing in the New Year, the day is coming soon when you will face the expanse – or the abyss – of the year ahead.

So today’s question is not about all those other folks you’ve been attending to. It’s about you.

What do you want?

What do you really want?

Not what you think you should want; or what you think you’re expected to want. Not what your father wanted; or what you’re mother thought would be right. Not what your partner or boyfriend or girlfriend or neighbors want. Not what your clients want. Not what some well-intentioned teacher or guidance counselor wanted for you.

Rather, what is it you want ? For yourself? Right here? Right now?

The folks who read this blog are, by their very nature, givers. The challenge for givers is receiving. The challenge for givers is getting quiet enough to listen to the still small voice that speaks to us of our heart’s desires. The challenge for givers is giving to ourselves what it is we really, really want.

Because, we presume that what we want is bad. Or selfish. Or self-centered.

Or more frequently, we forget what we wanted. We become numb to our heart’s desire.

So on the threshold of a new year, I have a challenge for you: Set aside some time just for you; and spend some time asking yourself (and perhaps journaling about) these questions:

If I could make my life any way I wanted it, what would my ‘perfect’ day look like? My ‘perfect’ week? What time would I get up? What would I wear? Who would I spend my time with? What work would I do? What projects would I pursue? What travels would I take? What would my ‘perfect’ life look like?
If this were my very last year on earth, what would I do? Would I stay in the same relationship; would I keep the same job; would I hang out with the same people; would I go the same places; would I do things the way I’m doing them right now?
If money were no object, if I won the $30 million dollar Powerball, what would I do? After I bought all the toys I wanted, where would I go; who would I go with; where would I spend my time; what experiences would I want to create; what legacy would I want to leave?

Because here’s what’s true: Those whispers that are in our hearts, those dreams that we have, those projects we want to create, those places we want to go, the empires we want to build, the impact we want to make… they’re not random musings; they’re not accidents. They are the call of our Spirit, the Divine within us, showing us – telling us – the way.

So think. Write. Draw. Free flow. Tear down the boundaries. No limitations. Let your imagination run wild.

And then get busy. Because, that’s what you want. That’s what you really want.

That’s your heart’s desire.

_________________________________________________

And if you need or want help connecting with your heart’s desire, email me: walt@summitsuccess.com

It Is The Turning Point

by Walt | Dec 19, 2024 | Success | 1 Comment

“Change today?” the beggar asked.

There was a touch of anger. Some sarcasm. A bit of sadness too.

My son glanced up at me sideways. “So now you want to be a father?” I’d been endeavoring to share some hard-earned, had-fought, hard-edged wisdom. The conversation had been difficult. The topic unpopular. The message unwelcome.

A long silence.

“Now you want to be a father?” he asked again. (Indeed, I haven’t always been the best dad I could be.)

“Yes, now,” I said. “I get to change and grow too, you know.”

That’s the beautiful part: we do.

We’re not caught. We don’t have to stay the same, be the same, do the same things, go the same places, have the same job, get stuck in the same relationships, be the same weight, have the same level of fitness, make the same amount of money, have the same outlook on our life. We can mix it up, turn it upside down, play it sideways. All out. Or not at all.

We get to choose. We get to change.

It is easy to feel stuck, to get stuck. All of us have been there. We get overwhelmed by the circumstances of our lives: by the financial pressures we feel, by the demands of our jobs, by the expectations of our clients and customers, by our responsibilities to our children and significant others and loved ones. We travel down long rabbit holes into careers that we are good at but that are unfulfilling, that fail to nurture and satisfy us at the deepest levels. We find ourselves in relationships that once fed us but now, perhaps only through the ebb of time, slowly poison. We wake up overweight and out of shape with cholesterol that’s too high and estrogen that’s too low and blood pressure that’s elevated and a sex drive that’s not. It feels too complex to untangle the tangled web; too difficult to overcome the status quo. The maze is too complicated and the cheese is nowhere to be found.

Can we get out? How do we get out?

Ann describes her father’s later years: disillusioned, he moved away; caught in cycles of hopelessness and isolation, he self-medicated with alcohol; and died alone. He couldn’t believe that his world could be different.

The worlds we create can always be different.

We get to choose. We get to change.

Sometimes we need encouragement. Sometimes we need coaching or professional help. Sometimes we need patience. Sometimes we need a kick in the butt. But the door is always open. It is our birthright to continually transform our lives, ourselves.

We in the Northern climes celebrate the winter solstice this week. The shortest day and the longest night. Light will triumph over darkness once again.

The seasons change. And so do we.

Years ago, renowned saxophonist Paul Winter composed a haunting instrumental piece as a hallmark of his magnificent winter solstice celebration: The Turning Point Suite.

Each moment in our lives is an opportunity, a turning point. Sweet.

Change today? Yes, today.