Loading ...Featured Article Positive ThinkingIt’s Your Decision to Live Life with Passion
I started my adult life jumping out of airplanes at age 17 as a member of the US Army Airborne and then went on to Special Forces Green Beret training. Talk about learning to live with passion. Everything we did, we did all out. This experience was where I learned the philosophy of work hard and play hard! It was also where I adopted the philosophy of “physical fitness: the difference between self confidence and self doubt,” which I still believe to this day.
I have maintained this philosophy through my adult life and it has served me well. I still love working hard and I still love playing hard.
Since becoming a physician, I have had the privilege to interact with many people and even impact their lives. I have noticed a huge difference between those who live with passion and those who simply live from day to day and how it affects their health. Those who face each day as an adventure and are excited about opportunities coming their way are definitely in better health. They miss fewer work days and are happier about what they do.
Here’s an example. In my clinic we handle many cases related to occupational medicine and workman’s compensation. It is interesting to watch someone with a workman’s comp injury and see how their philosophy of life affects their ability to get back to work. Those who live their lives with passion and are happy with their lives heal their injuries more quickly and get back to full duties in a much more judicious fashion.
On the other hand, those whose life’s philosophy is “what can others do for me?” or “how little work can I do and still get paid?” tend to milk the same injury for as long as possible. In fact, they will begin to become their disease or illness. As they try to get more time off and prove that they are in fact injured, they start to take on the characteristics of a person with that injury even if there is no physical evidence they actually have the injury.
What can we learn from this phenomenon? The mind is a powerful tool and we need to be careful of how we feed it and where we direct it.
Our lives and our health are a reflection of our thoughts. The way we choose to live begins with the things we choose to think about and the things we allow to enter our minds. If we continue to fill our minds with garbage from the media, magazines, and television, our lives have very little chance of taking on the excitement, adventures and opportunities we all hope for.
However, if we take that same time and fill our minds with the opportunity to learn by taking classes, reading good books and listening to positive educational/motivational material, our lives will take on a whole different meaning. It won’t happen right away. At first, you may not even notice a difference. But if you continue to listen to and read from good teachers, you will start to see your life change for the better.
Every day we are blessed with the opportunity to create the life of our dreams. We only get one opportunity to live on this earth (as far as we know), so why not make it everything it could be? Why not take this day to say we are tired of living the way we have in the past and then realize that the past does not equal the future?
Geese fly south in the winter because they are geese — they have no choice and it is what they are programmed to do. We are not geese; we are humans; and we can choose to do something else. We are the only species on earth that can make plans and set goals and realize the physical equivalent of our thoughts.
Health is a journey. It begins with the mind. Your particular philosophy on health and what makes for a healthy body will far outweigh anything you do at the gym. Living a life full of passion and joy and adventure will also lead to a life of health. So make a decision that this is the day you truly turn your life into one of adventure and romance and fun. Live every minute and live with passion.
[Ed. Note: Tim Reynolds, M.D., is a board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. He is a Managing Partner of Healthcare Express and the Chief Medical Officer of Urgent Care America. Dr. Reynolds is also a health and lifestyle expert and sought-after speaker. For more information, click here.]
For more great articles like this delivered to your inbox, subscribe to our free natural health newsletter!
Publisher's Picks
Tags: happiness, passion, positivity
Rate this article by clicking on the stars below.
(17 votes, average: 4.29 out of 5)
Loading ...
Yes I agree with the comment but, some peole do not know there is another way. What is the best way to introduce them to a better way when they are in so much pain and can’t see any other way?
Entered: May 12th, 2009 at 7:15 am. PermalinkThank you so very much for this fabulous article - it was just what I needed to read at the very moment that I read it. The power is within each and everyone one of us to choose our thoughts and therefore choose our lives. I spend many hours doing just as you suggest, reading, listening to lectures, attending philopsophy class but it is so easy to fall back into the old mentality and ways of thinking when life throws its challenges at you - in the short time that it took me to read your article it put me back on tract thank you Tim you are doing a great job. Greetings from London, England.
Entered: May 12th, 2009 at 8:31 am. PermalinkThat was an excellent article and hopefully the more often this type of material appears the more people will realize that they have so much control over the quality of their lives.It is important that we remove as many self-imposed limitations as possible and fulfill our true potential.
Entered: May 12th, 2009 at 12:56 pm. PermalinkI agree and have seen this very thing at work in my own life in the last year. It is truly amazing what the power of positive thinking can lead to emotionally, physically and spiritually as well. We CHOOSE who and what we read & listen to, who we hang around, and what our approach to life will be, each and every day. If more people could grasp that, and head towards positivity and being passionate about the good in life, we’d be more likely to change things for the better instead of succumbing to all the doom & gloom that’s projected out there. (especially people in influential positions, like our media, and our government leaders). Every day is a gift. Live that way. Great article!
Entered: May 12th, 2009 at 2:04 pm. PermalinkHey Doc,
Entered: May 12th, 2009 at 2:14 pm. PermalinkI think this is a great way to encourage people to become self-motivating. We live in a “do it yourself” world or rather a “point & click” society but nevertheless, you have to want it. I think it is equally important that you emphasize being in shape doesn’t always correlate to the number of hours you spend working out in the gym. My husband and I recently cleaned out a spare bedroom and converted it into a small work out room so that we could find a few more minutes each week to spend together. It is so easy to get caught up in working all the time, going to school, taking care of the kids, grocery shopping, trying to be competitive, and keeping a clean home that we forget how to play. Great article, Tim!
I absolutely agree. Our bodies are the clothes for our spirits, and our spirits soar when we take care of our bodies. Great motivational thoughts; please continue to write!
Entered: May 12th, 2009 at 2:49 pm. PermalinkWhat an inspirational and encouraging article. Thank you for reminding me that our outlook, attitude, and choices impact the purpose that we have in this life. Please keep writing such motivational and reflective articles. Thank you.
Entered: May 12th, 2009 at 3:53 pm. PermalinkI couldn´t agree with you more, in the end it is all about PERCEPTION and how we perceive our reality…You can look at a glass that is half full as either half empty or half full. The choice is yours. Looking at it as half full carries a more positive message but of course, you may still look at it another way- a third perspective according to which there are no absolute measures of emptiness or fullness, leaving you with Endless Possibilities…In the end it is YOUR choice…So, there should be nothing stopping you; go out there and live life with PASSION!!!
Entered: May 12th, 2009 at 4:05 pm. PermalinkAwesome! Great article!
Entered: May 12th, 2009 at 5:45 pm. PermalinkThe mind is a powerful tool and I loved the article. If more people could think like you this world could do a lot of self healing. Great job Tim! Very inspiring! I will try to apply this in my everyday life! We do have control .lets use it!
Entered: May 12th, 2009 at 5:59 pm. PermalinkI totally agree with your article. We need to nurture our mind as well as our body (which is the temple of the spirit). Garbage in, garbage out. We need to find a balance in what we feed our mind and ensure we have a healthy diet of relevant information and spiritual content as well. Music is also a powerful medium and we need to make sure that our mind is ingesting what is wholesome and inspiring us to live better lives and care for our fellow man and the awesome world and nature that God has provided. We need to guard against media junk that has no nutrition for the mind. Passion is a wonderful tonic as long as it does not endanger our lives or the lives of others. Before we persue our passions, let us spare a moment to think about how our activities may affect our loved ones. Life is fragile.
Entered: May 12th, 2009 at 6:29 pm. PermalinkA truly awe-inspiring article. I read it more than once just to insure I captured all the article had to offer. In today’s society, it is so easy to get caught up in the everyday media black hole of depressing events that surround us. Before you know it, it drags you down. When you focus your mind and energy on positive, inspirational information such as this, it is amazing the personal growth you can achieve. I agree with Dr. Reynolds, change doesn’t happen immediately. Small baby steps, every day over time, equates to personal growth you would never have if continuing to do nothing to improve your life. I myself am speaking from personal experience. The journey is long, but it is amazing the changes I see in me, merely by what I read, my state of mind, the choices I make, and the people I chose to share my life with. A wise man once told me, it’s easy to do and it’s easy not to do, the choice is yours. Please continue to do what you do and keep the articles coming. I applaud you for taking the time to share your personal experiences and impacting the lives of so many. I look forward to your next article.
Entered: May 12th, 2009 at 9:52 pm. PermalinkFine words and I’ve dosed myself on motivational material and a positive attitude all my life. It still doesn’t equip one to deal with loss, and especially loss of loved ones that are snatched so brutally from our midst and when a series of them occur in a short space of time, well sorry, but the spirit can only take so much, and all the self help books in the world cannot overcome lonliness or depression when it knocks a person down from their standing. We’re only human and we fall every so often despite our best intentions, despite leading a good life being kind and generous and of service to others. And no amount of ’snap out of it’ or ‘take a step forward’ can help.
Entered: May 12th, 2009 at 11:43 pm. PermalinkI agree with most of your readers. Good article but, as usual the people who read it are in doctor’s office getting drugs or time off.
I too work hard (so others on the workmans comp) can get automatic commpesation whether it is justified or or not.
Don’t get me started on policy and legislation.
Wonderful article and maybe it reach the one person.
Entered: May 13th, 2009 at 5:57 am. PermalinkDennis
Great Article!!!! The article is so inspiring and true to life!! I am reading “The Secret” and what Tim says is echoed time and again in the book. Life is what you make it but majority of people live with the flow of circumstances. They fail to know that to make and enjoy life, they need to necessarily create the circumstance they want. Best article of the week!!!
Entered: May 13th, 2009 at 8:03 am. PermalinkGood article Tim!! A positive attitude and thinking can lead to positive healthy living. You see it daily at work. You have a great perspective and keep the articles coming.
Entered: May 13th, 2009 at 1:52 pm. PermalinkThis article is amazing and so true although so many of us fall away from this instead of toward. We do only have one chance to live this life and at the end, we have the choice of dealing with regrets or rejoicing for our accomplishments. An employer once asked me “How would you live today if you knew if was your last”? We should think of this daily; if we are given that chance! Dr. Reynolds, Thank you so much for your inspiration and passion. Keep pouring into us, you may or may not see it, but it does make a difference.
Entered: May 13th, 2009 at 4:35 pm. PermalinkThat was a very inspiring article. I guess as a physician you do have the opportunity to interact with many different patient types and by using your examples I am able to categorize several individuals that I know. I think you are correct, if you live your life with passion how much more fulfilled in health and happiness is possible.
Entered: May 14th, 2009 at 8:03 am. PermalinkWhat a great article. A fantastic outlook on life. As a fellow ER physician, I agree with you completely. We need to maintain a vitality for life in all aspects - physical, mental and spiritual.
Entered: May 14th, 2009 at 1:27 pm. PermalinkDr. Renolds…Excellent Read. Your well crafted article was full of words to live by. Having met you and your family, I’m pleased to know (and announce to all) that you practice what you preach. PoB - CHB
Entered: May 14th, 2009 at 9:11 pm. PermalinkWhat an excellent approach to life. Makes us all want to stop for a minute and do a ‘gut-check’ to make sure we are on the right path. Thank you for sharing.
Entered: May 15th, 2009 at 8:31 am. PermalinkI went back and read this artical several times about the people on work comp. I crushed a disc in my lower back at work in the late 60’s. was sent in for an Electro Mileagram. was sent to several doctors and hospitals ,every test they used back then. Admitted and told I needed surgery right away. Once the hospital contacted Work Comp. in Calif. I didn’t need surgery? Finally I took all the info I could get from my medical record To A Fantastic Orthopedic surgeon in Pasadena who said lets opperate first then contact work comp. The main nerve from my spine going to my left leg was all most severed. If work comp was more concerned about workers health than saveing money alot of people wouldn’t be suffering and liveing on Vicodin like me at 66 years old. I know many people use work comp as you stated. But I know many people like myself who had serious injurys Thank you, John
Entered: May 17th, 2009 at 3:10 am. PermalinkI agree because Dr. Reynolds is awesome and sets a great example for living healthy!
Entered: May 17th, 2009 at 9:49 pm. Permalink