Conquering Diabetes

Hello!!! This is your “wake-up call”! I have a question for you: Are you sitting on your butt letting life pass you by or are you taking advantage of the miracle that is your life? No matter what your current health is like today, I can guarantee things could be a lot worse. We all have much to be grateful for and I urge you to stop for a moment to consider what you’ve got!

My next question is: Are you going to passively let your health slide away, or are you going to do what it takes to take your health to the next level? It is easy to find excuses for being passive, but ultimately, you are cheating yourself and those who care about what happens to you. I have met many people who live with regret. Regret for being lazy and careless. Regret for letting their jobs and immediate priorities and health limitations keep them from taking care of themselves. Regret for ignoring common sense advice about how to eat and exercise. Regret for having a stroke or heart attack or other major health problem that could have been prevented by being proactive years earlier.

Are you kidding yourself by telling yourself you’re doing a pretty good job? Just as I can guarantee your health could be a lot worse than it is, I can also guarantee your health could be a lot better! It is easy for an “A-minus” student to stop and be satisfied by looking at all the “B” and “C” students. You and I both know you could do better. Again, it is easy to find excuses. It is easy to point to your successes. But if you stop to think about it, living life to the fullest doesn’t mean sticking with the status quo – it means striving to meet your full potential. Are you doing that? Really?

I’ll be the first to say I’m not satisfied with where I am. I’m no exception to the allure of the wake-up call. The “wake-up call” represents a reminder that we have one life to live and our job is to live it to the fullest. Who doesn’t want to be all they can be? Who doesn’t want to be fitter, stronger and healthier? Who doesn’t want to be pushed and motivated and encouraged to reach for the stars? So, if you want what I want and what everybody else wants, then this “wake-up call” is for you!

- Michael Dansinger, MD

Are you striving to meet your full potential? Post your feedback on the Diabetes Exchange.