My Thoughts on This: I’ve had the good fortune to spend time, albeit not yet in person, with Dr. Vicki Rackner. She has been a source of encouragement to me as I attempt to reach a professional goal. On ths day of food, football, and rest, I offer more thanks for the good people I’ve met over the years and look forward to whatever the future brings. There is no way for me to say it better than this blog post from Dr. Vicki. Thanks.

by Dr. Vicki Rackner

If you make new year resolutions, here’s a prescription for enhanced physical, emotional and financial health:

Be who you are.
Know what you know.
Do what you need to do.

As Oscar Wilde said, “Be yourself; everyone else is taken.” You have a unique set of skills, gifts and passions. Put them to work for you.

Gifts are often hidden in plain sight. When you tap into your innate talent–whether it’s a gift for music or organizational skills or a flare for design–it’s like riding a bike downhill. How easy to forget that for others the same path is an uphill climb.

Find your gifts. Ask people you know, “If I were on the cover of a magazine, what would the magazine be and what would the article be about?”

Embrace your small, still voice that tells you things about yourself, about others and about the world around you. Science cannot always explain how and why you know things. As a practicing surgeon, I would often ask patients referred to me for a breast mass or an abnormal mammogram whether or not they had breast cancer. Almost 100% were proven right when the pathology report arrived.

How many times have you gotten in trouble when you dismiss your intuitive wisdom? As Gavin de Becker says in his book The Gift of Fear, “Denial is a save now, pay later scheme.” Attempting to pretend you don’t know something is like holding a beach ball under water. It diverts energy that could be better invested in health-promoting activities.

As you own what you know, you’ll gain clarity about what you need to do. Just do it!

Sometimes it’s uncomfortable to do the things you need to do. Very few people enjoy the act of exercising; what they enjoy is the feeling that comes with regular exercise. Temporary discomfort is a small price for a big life.

Sometimes it takes great courage to follow this prescription for healthy living. You may have encountered painful experiences being who you are, knowing what you know and doing what you need to do.

Painful life experiences can be like a skiing accident. The immediate pain –whether it’s from a broken bone or a broken heart or a broken promise–gives you time to heal. Your actions can accelerate the healing process–or slow it down.

Once injuries heal the pain stops. Then you have a choice. What next? Do you avoid the ski slopes all together? Do you ski as if nothing happened? Or do you return to the slopes you love, and ski smarter?

Health is not determined by when or not you stumble. Spills are part of the human condition. Your health is shaped by the choices you make in the peaks and valleys. Your resilience, optimism and sense of hope are your true measures of health.

Be who you are. Know what you know. Do what you need to do. Souza says it more poetically:

“Dance as though no one is watching you,
Love as though you have never been hurt before,
Sing as though no one can hear you,
Live as though heaven is on earth.”

Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of your life this past year. I wish you all the best in this coming year!