Living WELL Aware

Monthly Message for MARCH 2022

THE GOAL:

GETTING HEALTHIER AND HAPPIER 

Hello Seekers of Greater Wellness!

Dr. Waxman here for this month’s wellness message.  Question:  Do you want to be the same person this time next year?  I don’t!  I’m a work in progress and nowhere near the amazing version I was created to BE.  Are you on track to make this The Year of the New You?  At any point, we can begin to make changes to steer toward greater well-BEing.  I have a suggestion to propel your progress.   We need to BURN THE SHIPS!  Legend has it that in 1519, Hernán Cortes began his conquest of Mexico by first taking over the city of Veracruz. Then, he ordered his own ships burned and sunk so that his outnumbered forces would have no route for retreat. They had to push forward and attack the Aztecs. He gave his army no other choice! 

Whether or not this story is true, the basic idea is worth considering. If you really want to accomplish something, closing off your avenues of escape allows you to reorient your mindset and focus entirely on getting where you want to go. I read about a wonderful example of this in the story of Nathan Chen, the American who won the gold medal in figure skating at the recent Winter Olympics. At the Olympics four years previously, hopes were high for Nathan. However, he stumbled and failed to live up to his expectations. This time, he was determined to do everything possible to achieve his dream of victory. To help him focus, he decided to travel to China without his cell phone so that he would not have the “urge to scroll for hours through social media.” Instead, he brought his guitar, and used his playing to calm himself and achieve a state free of outside distractions.

I have tried to apply this concept to my own life in small ways and large. For instance, I treasure my morning routine of exercise and meditation, which helps me kick off the day with a mindset prepared to handle all the unexpected challenges which come my way. To do this successfully, I “burn the ships” and refuse to look at my cell phone and email and the latest news until this morning routine has been completed. Otherwise, I know I will get sucked into activities which will only drain me and prevent me from completing my routine.

Here’s another example. I am trying to minimize the amount of dairy products in my diet. One huge obstacle is my addiction to ice cream. Especially if it has caramel mixed in with it! I know that if there is ice cream in the freezer, I will be very tempted to reroute my path through the kitchen so that I can savor a few scoops. So how did I “burn the ships?” I made a New Year’s resolution to avoid eating ALL ice cream for the entire year.  There has only been ONE exception.  My granddaughter wanted me to have a piece of her birthday cake in February.  It just so happened to be an ice cream cake!  I had a small piece.  That’s it!  I’m back on track. 

Is there something you need to eliminate from your kitchen or house or life that would take you down a path of greater health and happiness?  

A final illustration of a ship that I sunk. I love to learn. In my spare time, you will find me consuming books, podcasts, video courses, or reading articles in the medical literature that help me enhance my knowledge. That's how Dr. Sulak and I are able to share so much wonderful information with you in the yearlong LWA 2022 webinars regarding wellness! And Patsy and I enjoy our experiences with people IRL (I just learned that this is the new expression for "In Real Life!") We get together with our friends and family to share a meal and exchange ideas. So what ship did I sink? I cut the TV cord. No DirecTV, no Disney+, no Netflix, no Hulu. I did not need the temptation to hijack my precious time.

What do you need to eliminate that is keeping you from greater health and happiness so you can addsomething that will create a more vibrant YOU?  If you make a rule for yourself and cut off all pathways which might lead you to fall back, you enhance the possibilities for success!  

So, my question for you, Dear Living WELL Aware Reader…  What is it in your life that you would like to improve? What goal would you like to accomplish? Is it possible that success will come to you more easily if you find your own ships to burn?  If so, light that fire and proceed!  And, consider joining Dr. Sulak and me in LWA 2022 as we and others work towards our 2023 version of ourselves. ONWARD!

THANKS for reaching out!  We are looking forward to speaking at Oschner Health in New Orleans, the American College of OBGYN in Asheville NC, the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland Ohio, Texas A&M Coastal Bend in Corpus Christi, ESC 18 in Midland, and at numerous other organizations and school districts.  We welcome the opportunity to get on your calendar in 2022.  

THANKS to all the participants in the YEARLONG LWA 2022:  Getting Healthier and HappierWeekly Webinar and Weekly Newsletters. We have just begun.  The webinars and weekly newsletters will continue throughout the year. The BEST is yet to come!  Forward this newsletter to your family/friends. It’s not too late to join!  REGISTER HERE

AND, THANKS to all the school districts who are implementing the adolescent wellness curriculum this semester entitled Living WELL Aware: My Choices, My Life.  The list continues to grow!  This one of a kind wellness curriculum has components for students, school employees, AND parents.  Contact us at info@livingwellaware.com.Check it out HERE.

DOES YOUR BUSINESS, ORGANIZATION, SCHOOL NEED A WELLNESS AWAKENING PRESENTATION? 

Have Dr. Sulak and Dr. Waxman speak to your group LIVE or via Zoom.

Contact Gabe at gabe@livingwellaware.com