I would like to share the things I value and treasure in my life and why.
I have learned that if I don’t have some kind of direction or guiding light in my life I feel empty. I was brought up attending a Catholic grade school so religion and God became a part of my life very early on. As an adult I studied about six different religions and went to many churches. I finally decided that after attending church I felt good, some better than others, there was still something not right about religions and churches. I now value developing the spiritual being part of me through daily prayer, positive self talk, occasionally reading the bible and other spiritual books, listening to spiritual/meditation music and engaging in conversations with people where we can discuss these very topics.
I recently met a gentleman who told me he was an atheist. I respect his decision and even though we were not able to fully engage in that conversation I certainly look forward to meeting with this person again and learning more about his viewpoints and why. I’m certainly not going to try to convince him into believing there is a God. But I find it interesting to learn other peoples opinions, beliefs and their reasons.
My children are also very valuable in my life. I teach them to love themselves, to respect others even if they don’t agree with them, to be kind, to have an inquisitive mind, to take care of their bodies now so that in fifteen or twenty years they don’t regret it. I teach them that there is a higher power in this world that we call God and that there are consequences for their choices so making good choices in life is important. I teach them that school is important because it’s important to become educated but that if they really want to succeed financially in life they need to be their own boss and have their own business because the model of getting a good education to get a good job or career does not provide for a secure future like it did thirty-forty years ago. You can have a good career but you will be a slave to it working fifty- sixty hours a week.
Health is one of your most valuable assets. If you lose your health what do you have. You can’t work. And if you can’t work you don’t make money. And life without money is very painful and not fun at all. Too many people take their health for granted. Why? Because they are not in severe pain or have not been diagnosed with cancer or some other life threatening disease. I know many patients who have Type II Diabetes but that still does not motivate them to get healthy and reverse it. No, they just do what their doctor said and continue taking those prescription drugs.
My father had diabetes. They were going to amputate his foot due to gangrene but only amputated his big toe after I argued with his doctors. Still he died from the side effects of all the drugs the doctors had him on. I also came close to getting diabetes. Several years ago I was developing pre-diabetic ulcers on my feet from living an unhealthy lifestyle. I quickly changed that lost the excess weight and started eating lots of salads, fruits and vegetables. I started taking vitamins and exercising daily.
It’s unfortunate we have such an epidemic of unhealthy, obese adults and children in this country. Too many people believe that because they have not been diagnosed with diabetes, cancer or some other disease they are OK. They just suffer with allergies, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, headaches, neck pain, tension, stress, irritable bowel syndrome, gastritis, heartburn, acid reflux, constipation, erectile dysfunction, restless leg syndrome, carpal tunnel, sciatica, poor circulation…..have I missed anything? As long as they are not dying they are OK. Besides there are lots of prescription drugs for every one of those symptoms. And it’s so much easier to take those pills than to change their poor lifestyle habits.
Relationships are another important and valuable part of my life. I strive to develop good mutually benefiting relationships with my family, friends, children, significant other, patients and all the new people I meet every day. I take and I give. I give and I take. Sometimes I give more to some people who need it. For example I give lots of time to those patients that are asking for my help and guidance. Sometimes I take more from my mentors that I seek to learn from.
Lastly I strive to have more to give more. If I make more money this year than I did last year I can give more to my children, more to charity, more to myself. Here’s the magic formula
BE MORE + DO MORE = HAVE MORE
How can you BE MORE? Take a course on personal development. There are many good life coaches and trainers available. Bob Proctor, Jim Rohn, John Assaraf, Jerry Clark, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen are a few of the different coaches I’ve used in the past. There are hundreds of coaches to choose from. Find one that firs your personality. You can attend live life changing events, read their books, listen to their audio CD’s or even watch their DVD’s. Most of these coaches have lots of free articles and other resources on their websites. Dedicate an hour a day to your personal development. You can listen to a CD while driving or listen to a recording on your i pod while walking or working out.
Be more mentally and emotionally. Get healthier physically and spiritually. Body, mind, spirit. Then you can DO MORE and HAVE MORE.
Do these things on a consistent basis and watch your life change in ways you would have never imagined. Then you can really take care of the most important and valuable things in your life.