Many of us seek consolation in the words of Frank Sinatra, "I did it my way." I say many of us because I feel this trap has snared more than just me. Oh, it is a trap, alright, a way to defend our defiance, combat accountability, and excuse our own stupidity.

Maybe, we don't even say it aloud if our inflated egos and economic attainments have enabled us to dupe ourselves and fool a few others? Well, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could learn from the mistakes of others rather than only our own?

Scripture says, "There is a way that seems right to a man but the path thereof leads to death and destruction." The Bible is chucked full of examples of foolish men who learned that their ways didn't work, while God's way invariably did, at least, for those who were still alive and willing to make life-course corrections.

The good news is that this readily available wisdom applies to me. I am still alive. Multiple Sclerosis has forced me to make some life-course corrections too. Best of all, I have been given a chance to pause, reflect on my previous mistakes, and admit my fallibility both in sound judgment and in my treatment of others.

So, now I write some of the understandings that I have been led to in Free Reprint articles and have published a mystery novel, For Sale By Owners:FSBO, which discloses other mistakes too many unthinking and "did it my way" people make. I selected the novel format because it allows me the freedom to create hypothetical scenarios and fictional characters to expose real dangers.

Here is an unsolicited e-mail I received from one reader:

-----Original Message----- From: f.bush To: RUSS MILES Sent: Wed, 22 Dec 2004 13:05:45 -0500 Subject: Your Novel

Hi Russ,

I've just finished, in your words, "a very good read".

The name of the book is "FSBO" which I enjoyed thoroughly.

You covered it all, bureaucracy, politics, sex, drugs, crime and day-to-day Real Estate activity.

You have a talent that MS can't touch.

Even though I have Master's in journalism and communications, and have read a lot, I think you could teach many published writers a thing or two about story telling.

I hope to hear more from you. Keep up the good work.

Very Best Regards!

Frank Bush

Coming from a person that I have never met, I felt my work was appreciated. At least, the reader did not find the novel boring. If you too read FSBO, I hope you will also send me your comments.

As one who has had to revise my own thinking about many things, I can say I am truly thankful that I have time to reflect, implement more life-course corrections, make some amends, and draw refreshment from the wells of others who have taken their time to write and publish understandings gleaned from life-lessons. By so doing, less of life's lessons need be "Lessons Learned Hard."

Russ Miles is author of the novel, For Sale By Owners:FSBO. A "Seasoned Real Estate NAR? Broker," disabled by Multiple Sclerosis, writes books & articles on varied subjects. Google russ miles FOR SALE BY OWNERS:FSBO ISBN 0-595-28703-4,in trade paperback, is available by phone or Internet:1-800-Authors to order direct! Adobe e-book & hard cover editions also available FSBO at Amazon.com at Barnes and Noble and other fine booksellers. Comments: MilesRuss@Gmail.com.[Visit http://soulful-writer.com]