As I near my graduation date, I am reminded of the importance of goal setting.  Goal setting has been an integral part of my life through all levels of studies and athletic endeavors, and as I have experienced life, the depth and breadth of my goals has changed dramatically.  As the quality and nature of my goals changed (winning first place at the conference track meet to creating study strategies for learning the nerves of the human body) I realized that they were really rungs on a ladder to my higher Purpose, the self I wanted to create and the world I wanted to influence around me. 

Goals and Purpose are not one and the same- your goals should reflect and strengthen your Purpose, and your Purpose should inspire your goals. If you are looking to define your life purpose to inspire your goals for success, start reading!  Albert E. N. Gray, who has passed away, served as an official of the Prudential Insurance Company of American and became an influential writer and speaker in the insurance world.  He has inspired and challenged me with his words and thoughts.  I wanted to share some of his insights on success, goals, and Purpose with you.

The secret of success of every man who has ever been successful—lies in the fact that he formed the habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do.  It is true, and just as simple as it sounds. This particular tenet, though not popular, particularly with people who are not succeeding as well as they would like, has stood the test of time and is almost universally true.

So what is it that failures don’t like to do?:  The same thing that successful men don’t like to do, but successful men do it anyway.  But if successful men don’t like to do these things, then why do they do them?  Because by doing the things they don’t like to do, they accomplish the things they want to accomplish.  Successful men are influenced by the desire for pleasing results.

Why are successful men able to do things they don’t like to do while failures are not?  Because successful men have a purpose strong enough to make them form the habit of doing things they don’t like to do in order to accomplish the Purpose they want to accomplish.

But what happens when I’m in a slump?  Even the most successful men get in a slump.  When it happens it simply means that he has reached a point at which, for the time being, the things he doesn’t like to do become more important than his Purpose.  Regroup, get centered, recall your Purpose and remember why your goals and hard work are important.

Before you decide to adopt these success habits, please strongly consider the importance of habit to your decision.  Any resolution or decision you make is simply a promise to yourself, which isn’t worth anything unless you have formed the habit of making it and keeping it.  Any resolution or decision you make today has to be made and kept again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, and the next, and so on.

When habits are made you become the master of yourself and master of your likes and dislikes by surrendering to your Purpose in life.  That is why behind every success there must be a Purpose.  But as long as you live you will never succeed beyond the Purpose to which you are willing to surrender.

Live with Purpose--

Kristen Watts, Chiropractic Intern

To read media accounts relating to H1N1 and seasonal flu one would certainly come to the conclusion that we are under microbial attack.  It is implied in these accounts that if you are prudent you may somehow avoid exposure to the bulk of these disease-causing germs.  The truth is that germs are everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Not only are they everywhere, but they are present in such large concentrations that to think that you can avoid them is about as foolish as thinking that if you run fast you can avoid being hit by rain drops in a torrential downpour- it is simply not possible. 

The good news is that germs are nothing new to us- they were some of the earliest inhabitants of earth and we grew up with them, in an evolutionary sense. They live on our skin and in our digestive tract.  It is estimated that in your gut alone there are over 100 trillion organisms. We are literally swimming in a sea of bacteria, fungi, and single-celled organisms, and yet we usually manage to get along with each other just fine, and even have a mutually beneficial relationship most of the time.  As with all ecosystems, our relationship with germs is a delicate balancing act- sometimes conditions favor certain of them and sometimes it favors us, the host.  What is important to understand is that we are part of the same ecosystem and depend on each other.  To think that we can eradicate them is utter folly, and is not in our long-term best interests anyway.

There are times when they get the upper hand and it is wonderful that we have such things as antibiotics to keep them from killing us outright.  However, to broaden this emergency measure and think that the solution to germs is to kill them all off, simply will not work.  Our feeble attempts to tilt the balance in our favor by wide-spread and excessive antibiotic and antiseptic use has mostly served to accelerate the evolution of these organisms and has made them much more powerful foes.  What we have to do is accept that we are linked through our evolutionary history and accept that, like living with your in-laws, sometimes you just have to make the best of it.  Your real job, especially during this time of year, is to make sure that your body is strong and balanced and thus a  poor breeding-ground for germs.

Here are some things that you can do during cold and flu season to keep your immune system strong:
1. Avoid sugar and processed foods-these things weaken your immune system.
2. Get plenty of rest.  A well-rested body is a strong body.
3. Find ways to reduce stress.  Chronic stress weakens cellular immunity.
4. Eat a balanced diet.  This is one of your most powerful weapons against disease and infection.
5. Exercise regularly.  Vigorous exercise has been shown to have a stimulating effect on the immune system.
6. Take vitamin D-3, especially if you are not getting any sun exposure during the winter.  D-3 has a very potent impact on immune function. Talk to your doctor on dosage.
7. Take probiotic supplements.  80% of your immune system surrounds your gut and caring for your gut ecology will help you fight disease-causing microbes.
8. Get adjusted regularly- chiropractic adjustments reduce stress and stimulate immune function.
9. Wash your hands, but use good, old-fashioned soap and warm water. It can’t hurt to limit exposure because maybe you aren’t perfect at all of the other measures above.

It is, of course, a tragedy when anyone succumbs to the flu or other infectious disease, but I think all of us should remain calm and simply do what we can to fortify ourselves from the inside.  That strategy has always been, and still is, our best assurance of staying healthy.  I am confident that when the dust settles on the H1N1 issue we will look back and find that it was scarcely more severe or virulent than the regular, seasonal flu.  Not that either flu strain should be taken lightly, but it is important to keep things in perspective, especially when the media is in the middle of a feeding frenzy and the pharmaceutical companies stand to make billions- something to ponder.

Be Healthy,

Tim Fargo D.C.