Dr. T's 4 rules for a successful day
Dr. T's 4 rules for a successful day
Living on purpose, one day at a time.
Dear Friends,
So I envision this as a combination of encouragement, personal sharing, and an invitation. There is currently much hype in the world of Personal Development about “morning routines of the rich and famous”, or “daily habits of billionaires” etc. (I guess “millionaires” are not impressive enough anymore. Dang inflation..)
So this is my attempt to weigh-in. Here are the concepts I keep in mind to make every day as personally fulfilling as possible:
1. Do something physically hard.
Like caring for a thoroughbred horse, the idea is to do your body a favor today by putting it through its paces. Your joints, muscles, heart, lungs, and blood vessels are begging you for some attention and inviting you to turn away from neglect and apathy, which lead only to weakness, stiffness, and decrepitude.
I like to take this further by not just doing something physical but something physically hard. Why? Cause it’s good for my soul. It pushes me to challenge myself; to expand my borders; to get comfortable feeling uncomfortable; to set goals; to live expansively; and to be all that I can be. If I were to shrink back constantly from hard things — continually prioritizing comfort above all else — I would become mentally soft, weak, lazy, whiny, and brittle… No thanks.
My Day: Ran 2 miles on a manual treadmill. Stretched. Lifted some kettlebells. Swam 1000 meters. Felt mentally weary at several points during my run, so I had to remind myself to stay in the moment: my job is not to run 2 miles, it’s just to take the next stride.
2. Eat good food.
Everyone eats food, but my goal today is to make it good food. Cattle eat the same grass every day and consume only for sustenance, but God gave us taste buds and a brain that can derive immense pleasure from flavors and smells — why not enjoy them?! We have agricultural techniques that produce a cornucopia of amazing fruits, vegetables, and spices. And we have human culture which imaginatively mixes and matches them to create delicious recipes. Each day I prioritize at least one meal that is taken slowly — with intention, with delight, and with thanksgiving. Why wouldn’t I?
My Day: Currently waiting on whatever my lovely wife makes for dinner! Not sure what it will be, but I know it will be delicious and I know we will sit together — phones off — to enjoy it.. Here’s a recent example:
(Cesar salad with fresh pepper, chicken-apple sausage, sourdough toast, and burrata with strawberries and mint… I am so spoiled :)
3. Learn something.
The “use-it-or-lose-it” principle also applies to our brain; in fact, I read recently that the #1 habit associated with longevity is curiosity and continual learning. This ties back into being expansive, having a growth mindset, and becoming all that you were meant to be. You can pick up a book, read an informational article, practice an instrument, enroll in a class, or start a hobby — the possibilities are endless, and your mind will thank you.
My Day: Looking forward to practicing piano tonight after dinner. Don’t get much time to do it, but it’s always a delight. I am definitely a beginner but that doesn’t dampen the joy I feel tickling those ivories to produce melodic sounds. Currently working on a simplified version of “Be Though My Vision” in the key of C. (Come on left hand!)
And most importantly,
4. Draw near to God
We are each on a unique personal journey here, so your situation will not match mine nor anyone else’s, but the idea is to take just one step closer on your path today.
Not sure about the existence of God or the credibility of religion? That’s okay, my friend: God still loves you. He caused the sun to shine for you today, balanced the atmosphere to give you the right amount of oxygen, unfurled the sky as eye candy, and placed a melody in the heart of the birds, all while giving you the gifts of sight and hearing to comprehend it. And He likely put at least one human being in your life who loves you devotedly and unconditionally.
Struggling with feeling hurt, let down, or abandoned by God? That’s okay, my friend: God can deal with your honest pain. Perhaps you start a dialogue today in which you express yourself frankly (like many of the psalms do) and wait for His response.
Taking ground for The Kingdom today? Feeling dialed-in and on track? I am so glad to hear it! Perhaps you seek Him for a fresh revelation of the plans He has for you, and for the courage and self-sacrifice needed for the people He is going to put in your path today who need love.
My day: Being greatly inspired by this song
and meditating on this verse from Psalm 25:
“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God.
Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.”
And there we have it, friends.
What about you? What are your thoughts?
I would love for you to take just a moment to include 1 or more of your rules for a successful day in the comments.
Enthusiastically Yours,
P.S. Do you need to arrange preventative options for COVID-19?
Or active treatment for COVID, Long COVID, or vaccine complications?
About Dr. Turner:
Michael K. Turner, M.D., is a graduate of Stanford University, Harvard Medical School, and The Mayo Clinic. He practices Integrative Medicine in his own national concierge practice, providing personalized approaches (including hormones, sleep, recovery, nutrition, supplements, and exercise) to help people achieve their optimal state of health. Called “genuine”, “caring”, and “the best doctor in the world” by patients, he brings a high degree of empathy, trademark optimism, and a holistic approach to patient care. He brings a passion for excellence to everything he does. He believes in living and modeling a healthy, balanced lifestyle.
What would it feel like to be as healthy as you could possibly be?
I would be glad to connect with you at www.MichaelTurnerMD.com
Stanford, Harvard and Mayo Clinic wow that's impressive!
My first question would be do you follow the FLCCC and AAPS protocols? I've used them personally for Prevention and helped my parents and family and also members of the community not only with Prevention but with treatment and even post hospitalization. It's great what they have done, but they were definitely ridiculed through the planned-demic.
I love the song actually when I saw the title. I was thinking of a different song called lighthouse of course with a different beat and rhythm and I'm sure you know that song as well. Loved the beat of this song in the message behind it. I had not heard of this band before, but will listen to more of them.
I would say rules for a healthy day because to me that is success. As you and I both know being healthcare professionals you can have all the money in the world, but if you don't have your health well, then it doesn't matter.
1- Start the day with prayer- also just pray throughout the day- because it's really a relationship. It's not about religion.
2- I eat according to my blood type. It's not a diet. It's just three categories of food in each group whether it's highly beneficial which is like medicine to our bodies or if it's neutral or if it's in the avoid group which is like poison to our bodies. obviously, it's based on our DNA.
I eat organic and non-GMO and grow a good bit of our food here on the 10 acres so I start my day with a nutritious nutrient dense meal.
3- Movement and fresh air - those are a must for me love being outdoors, working outdoors and being very active.
4- Drink healthy, chemical-free, filtered and ionized alkaline water, which I use a machine to do that.
5- Sleep- very important for the body to regenerate and heal as you know. I actually love when the nights are shorter only for the reason that my body tends to wind down earlier and I go to bed much earlier. Otherwise, if the sun doesn't go down until 9 PM, I'm out working or doing something on the 10 acres 😉
Hope that wasn't too long. I just saw you in my feed and really enjoyed your article.
God bless you, be safe and stay healthy!
What a lovely inspiration.
Thank you for the reminder of so many truths that get blurry in our life on earth.
I shall endeavor to remember them and take heart when life seems dark.