I am not a health fanatic in the sense that diet and exercise are my
whole life. That being said, I do put a premium on trying to stay healthy. I
exercise regularly and work diligently on my eating habits to stay trim and give
my body great nutrition.
Several years ago I started a habit that I continue today. I don't normally give
out recipes, but you might like this. For breakfast I fix myself a fruit
concoction. Concoction may not sound too appetizing, but it fits. This is not
some sugar enhanced milk enriched something. We're talking about a natural born,
pure, 100% fruit drink that is thick and smooth like a milkshake. It provides a
no fat, high fiber, delicious, "stick to your ribs" start to my day.
Here's the recipe. Pour one cup of apple juice into a blender. Make sure that
you have a really good blender that can liquify. I have one of those high
powered jobs that can even liquify egg shells. Peel three ripe bananas and put
them in a blender. Core one apple, cut it into sections and drop it in. Finally,
put in about a cup of one other fruit that has a strong flavor. I alternate
between frozen strawberries, blackberries, mixed fruit and frozen raspberries.
During peach season I sometimes use a fresh peach. Put the top on and let the
blender do it's work. When you are done. Pour up the drink and swig it down. If
that quantity it is too much for you, divide it with someone or cut down the
recipe.
As I mentioned, I have this every day. One thing, though, I have to stay on top
of buying the fruit. One day I got up to fix my drink, went to the refrigerator
and realized that I had run out of bananas. The thought of having something else
for breakfast did not appeal to me at all, so I did the only thing I could do. I
jumped into the car, went to the store and bought some bananas.
There is a point to all of this – besides giving you a recipe and reminding you
to get bananas. The point has to do with how you live your life. Just as in a
food recipe, if you want to come to a successful result in the various areas of
your life, you have to have the right ingredients to pull it off. When it comes
to creating your recipe for success in life (work, school, sports,
relationships…), there are four categories of ingredients that you must
include. Leave out even one and you are dooming your effort to ultimate failure.
The four areas are the emotional, physical, mental and spiritual. All four of
the areas must be worked on all the time.
The emotional part of us relates to how we feel. There are certainly a lot of
things outside of our control that affect emotions, but it is possible to get
control over them and be their master rather than being mastered by them.
Our physical part relates to health. In order to progress in life, we must have
the strength and stamina to do it. An athlete may have the natural ability to
become a professional, but unless he develops the physical attributes to compete
at that level, it will not happen. Your physical conditioning will affect other
things, too – your job, schooling, social life and so on.
The mental part relates to your ability to know how to do daily tasks. It is not
just a matter of learning content, though that is important. It also includes
mental skills which allow you to become more aware, alert, mentally flexible and
smart.
The final skill area is the spiritual. Religion and the supernatural fit into
this category, but that is not the bottom line. We are talking, here, about the
essence of our being – the essential self. The arena where this plays out is in
relationships.
If your life recipe is leaving out any of these four areas, you, unfortunately,
cannot just run to the store and pick them up like you can bananas. You have to
take the time to work on them daily. But if you do, you will find a life that is
even more satisfying than the fruit concoction I have for breakfast. And that is
saying a lot.
Dr. Freddy Davis is the owner of TSM Enterprises and conducts conferences,
seminars and organizational training for executives, managers and sales
professionals to help develop greater effectiveness and productivity. He is the
author of the book Supercharged! as well as the "Nutshell" Series of books for
strengthening business. Sign up, free, for Freddy's twice-monthly e-letter,
Nutshell Notes, at http://www.tsmenterprises.com.
