An old wise doctor once told me: the quality of the questions you ask yourself day-to-day determines the quality of your life.
One question I have about my own health is, ‘What choice do I make everyday that can influence my health the most?’ I have found the answer. It happens in the grocery store. Once I put something in my cart, good or bad, it is likely to end up in my stomach. Even if you feel remorse in the grocery store, when you get home, your willpower stands little chance. Number one, you paid for it, and it’s only a few steps away from your mouth once it’s in the house.
Anytime I visit the grocery store, I try to stay out of the middle aisles because that is where most of the unhealthy and addictive junk foods are. If I don’t see soda pop and chips, there is no way they will end up in my cart. Out of sight, out of mind.
Healthy foods tend to be in the perimeter of the grocery store. I spend most of my time in the fresh produce and seafood sections. A wise elder once told me fish can make you smarter. I believed it when I was a child, and now science confirms this. Fresh fish is healthy for your brain and heart.
So please, don’t test yourself at home — make up your mind in the grocery store.
Another question I often ask myself is, ‘How do I get more of my patients to be more active?’ After all, we only have one body to live in our entire life and without health there is no wealth. Exercise brings us health, lowers our blood pressure, releases brain-derived neurotropic factor (a fertilizer for memory formation), and decreases the chance of being diagnosed with diabetes or a cardiovascular disease.
So I quickly went to do my research and found that in medicine, there is a common theme — what gets measured gets better. The more the doctor and YOU measure your blood pressure, check up on YOUR blood sugars, the better results we tend to get. Some medical clinics are world famous for patient outcomes — they live longer and healthier lives. The one reason they do better is because they measure everything they do with their patients.
After much reading from people like Tony Robbins, here are a few of the questions I like to ask myself at the beginning and end of the day.
The Morning Questions:
1) What am I most happy about in my life right now? 2) What about that makes me happy? 3) What am I most excited about in my life right now? 4) What am I most proud of in my life right now? 5) What am I most grateful for in my life right now? 6) What am I enjoying most in my life right now? 7) What am I most committed to in my life right now? 8) Who do I love? Who loves me?
The Evening Questions:
1) What have I given today? 2) What did I learn today? 3) How has today added to my life? 4) How can I use today as an investment in my future? 5) What did I do today towards reaching my goals?
Have a blessed week and I hope some of these questions help make your life happier and filled with satisfaction.