Bad things come in threes... or more.

Today I accidentally went to lunch during the time I was supposed to be in a meeting. And when I tried to pay for my meal, I realized that I had lost my credit card.

I was kind of the poster child for Larry G. Patten's new program for personal life improvement, "Living As A Champion," which is “designed to bring individuals to a point where they can take charge of their lives and become champions in all that they do,” according to the recent news release from AuthorHouse.

I could use some help being a champion in all that I do these days. Last week, I bought a pair of running shoes and then accidentally left them at a T-Mobile store across town. By the time I realized I didn’t have the bag in my hand, they were long gone, and just for fun, the store overcharged me by $75.

I guess that’s not a big deal, at least not according to Living As A Champion’s “simple, common sense hierarchy.”

“In their quest for success, readers will progress through Discovery, Direction and Development, the three elements of Patten's program. Discovery is about establishing a greater awareness of what matters most in your life.”

That’s good to hear because I’ve kind of been beating myself up over gouging a part of my boyfriend’s hairline when I was giving him a haircut the other day. But that doesn’t matter most in my life.

“Success arises from Results, which are products of Behaviors, which are driven by Attitudes. If you can devote yourself to creating more effective habits of thought, then you are on the right track to self-improvement.”

I should tell my boyfriend that. Success is a relative term. Just think positive. And maybe I should tell that to the IRS too since I just found out that I owed them $510.

But I owe it like a champion.