Do you want to use a lifeline?

Regis celebrates Millionaire's tenth anniversary this August.

It is hard to believe that is been ten years since Regis Philbin first asked a contestant on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? if they wanted to use one of the their three lifelines. You remember what they were - Ask the Audience, Phone a Friend or Fifty-fifty - The question and the options became a lexicon of life in the late 1990's. ABC will bring back Millionaire in August to celebrate its tenth anniversary. Regis Philbin has agreed to return as host of the primetime revival, which-like the 1999 original-will unfold as a two-week, 11-night event.

Millionaire was one of ABC and network television's most successful programs. It not only kept the network afloat during a span of absolutely uninspiring programming, but the show is considered one of the pioneers in the reality television genre. Some industry observers criticized ABC's handling of Millionaire during its original run-the show aired as often as six times per week at one point - but nobody can argue the impact it had on TV programming and society.

There are times in everyday life that we wish someone would offer us three lifelines to assist in making a decision or validate the "gut instinct" that we aren't 100% confident about. When those times occur, reach out and use Lifelines of Life - no Regis required.

Just as with the lifelines on Millionaire, the Lifelines of Life are not a guarantee of the correct answer. Instead they are guidance and advice to assist in making your personal decision. Lifelines of Life are also not offered as a choice for any question. Instead they are used in three different types of decisions.

In life, when we Ask the Audience, we find out if we are a following the mainstream or if we believe enough in ourselves to be the rebel and swim upstream, against the current. Ask the Audience is typically used for moral questions or philosophy debates. The answers we seek not only impact the individual but also impact a group, community or culture. Selecting political candidates, deciding where you stand on a social question, or selecting the audience favorite on Top Chef are all times when it is appropriate to Ask the Audience.

Phone a Friend lifelines are used to assist with the intimate, personal life questions. The answers often have immediate impact and may be life changing. It is important to make sure the importance of the question equals the value of the select friend to phone. Often these questions reveal vulnerability or are emotionally charged; hence the connection with the "friend" must be equal to the questions significance.

The Fifty-fifty lifeline equates to "yes or no, either one is fine" in life. These questions arise each day and use of the lifeline is more a validation that our initial answer is heading in the right direction. When we use this lifeline, we want to make the correct selection but can survive the odds should we choose incorrectly. Fifty-fifty questions usually arise at work, home, or socially. Incorrect answers usually can be debated or defended by the initial reasons or factors in making your decision.

Don't wait until Millionaire's August return to start using the Lifelines of Life. If you do, someone may end up using Regis' other classic line - Is that your final answer? and in life, you want to avoid final as long as possible.