But there also were people who ran back to their homes to fetch some valuables, and who died holding those valuables.

And here are seven great life lessons we can learn from Bill O'Leary, a tsunami survivor:

1. If you live in front row, this is where tsunamis hit.

Oceanfront homes come with drawbacks. Have an exit plan in case of emergency and learn warning signs.

2. A tsunami does not come unannounced.

There ARE warning signs, always. Keep your feelings alert and you should not miss them. If there is a sudden change, seek an explanation.

3. If you know about a problem, alert others.

Don't be afraid to be a Chicken Little. The sky may be really falling.

4. When smell danger, it is wise to run away.

When your gut feeling alerts you, don't freeze. Do something. The problem will only get worse if you wait. If you don't know what can be coming, ask others for help. If there is nobody around to help, simply run. Trust your gut feeling. If you feel unsafe, remove yourself from situation immediately. Stop a date and excuse yourself. Jump off car on traffic light. It's better to be silly than dead.

5. If you cannot run away from danger, face it with courage.

Jump on wave and keep your boat straight. Be totally fearless. Fight, if you have to.

6. No matter what happens, keep your cool.

There is no sense in panicking. Don't let your fears or anger overwhelm you. In any situation, first question you should ask yourself is, "What can I do about it?" Decide on course of actions and carry on.

7. You are priceless.

You life is thousands times more valuable than anything you own. If you smell danger, forget about your purse, cash or a family memorabilia. Even if you have nothing, you will be still same person you are today.

You must also obtain necessary tools and resources to use to make your resolutions, goals and ambitions succeed.

For this reason, Internet is a powerful tool for you. Search out and read articles on various topics to obtain valid useful information.

Buy and view “How To Videos” to learn any skills you need. Go to Cbmall Storefront (a Clickbank Store), where you can find 10,000 different e-books that can provide solutions to any problems you may have and provide you with insight into how to handle difficult aspects of your life.

Information and its correct application is power. To search and obtain right information is going half way to solving your problems.

(6) Read good books on various subjects.

Get into habit of reading good books, articles and magazines because that is one way to increase your knowledge and perspective in life.

The more you read good books, more educated, intelligent and sharp you’ll be.

Go to your nearest public library and borrow good books. The last time I went to my nearest public library, I borrowed 20 books at a time. Do you get it? Reading very good books is one way that I have obtained knowledge I am sharing with you here. Read good magazines. Borrow good movies from your nearest public library and watch and try to learn a lesson from it.

You can find time to read. When you come back from work, after having your meal, read a book. When going to work, if you ride train or use any other public transportation, read a book.

Any time you have free time, read a good book!

(7) Network with family members, friends and colleagues.

Go out and meet your friends and discuss their problems as well as yours.

Join clubs, associations and groups and mingle with others. Make friends daily where you go! By doing this, you’ll gain insight into human conditions and their problems. This will help you then understand your own problems and how to solve them. Talk about other people’s problem all time, as well as yours. Make world know what you’re thinking. Go out. Be bold. Communicate with others. Phone others. Chat with others. E-mail other people. Say something. Open your mouth and say “hello” to others. (Don’t worry, they won’t bite you!) Talk to other human beings! Get load off your chest. Know what is going in your city, state and world. Read news. Rise, shine and succeed.

(8) Update your resolutions continuously.

A lot of times resolutions you set up may not work out as you planned.

So, be ready to keep revising and updating them. Be flexible. Bend but don’t break. Keep all options open. Be pragmatic and be willing to look at every aspect of a situation before forming an opinion. Flow with times and with life.

When you attain a goal or achieve a resolution, delete it from your list and replace it with another one. View your resolutions and goals daily. Be possessed by them. If you do that, sooner or later, it will start impacting on your mind and it will activate circumstances and start bringing to you people, conditions and opportunities you need to actualize your goals and resolutions.

(9) Don’t give up.

Life is change. Sometimes things will go your way and other times it will not.

When it doesn’t go your way, don’t get mad, blame devil, feel disappointed and give up. There is no devil causing you problems in life. If you fall, get up and keep moving. Life is made up ups and downs, understand it now and accept it. It is facticity of life. Keep pushing ahead all time. Refuse to give up. As long as you keep moving, someday, you’ll reach where you’re going. And Avoid making excuses.

Remember you’re an immortal and life is endless. There is no beginning and no end. Life is movement. So, keep moving. Don’t be discouraged by failure. Keep moving on. Push ahead. Never give up. Never quit. Quitters never win in life and winners never quit.

(10) Believe and Trust yourself. To make your goals and resolutions succeed, you must believe and trust in yourself.

I tell you, my dear friend, unless you believe and trust yourself, nobody will.

Unless you belief and trust yourself, true success may not happen for you.

Most people fail in life because they don’t trust themselves. They have made many resolutions and set up many goals that failed and so became disappointed.

They listen to pessimistic opinions of their family members and friends.

So, stay away from negative people who enjoy telling you all time why you’ll never succeed.

Seek and associate with positive people who have same ambitions in life like you do. Exchange ideas with them. Learn from them. Be creative. Do things differently from others. Be original.

Think about both sides of every thing before doing it. See big picture.

Stop being limited. Think big and clearly and free your self. Let your imagination soar high to blue sky.

No matter what happens to you in life, don’t give up on yourself. Never give up on your dreams and aspirations. Some dreams may take a short time to become a reality while others may take a long time, but all same they will come true someday, if you keep moving on.

Make yourself number one, “numero uno”. Trust yourself. Listen to yourself. Respect yourself. Think well of yourself. Think of what is good for you.

Set up goals and resolutions. Then obtain all necessary tools and resources to help you. Then take action. Read good books, watch good movies, and eat healthy food. Drink lots of juices. Engage in physical exercises or work out in gym.

Think right. Network with right people. Exchange ideas. Be alert and aware wherever you are. Stop being an automaton. Be civilized, keep laws of your land and all will be well for you. Rise up and shine.

Enjoy New Year and may long life, good health and success be yours. Please feel free to print this article, publish it anywhere or e-mail it to your friends and colleagues.

Thank you.

Warmly,

I-key Benney