Recently, one of my good friends landed a job as a professor at one of Canada’s top Universities. He did not “Wheel and deal” to get this job, nor did he climb the traditional ladder of experience to earn such a prestigious position only few enlightened people ever get to do. He earned his job of teaching at one of the highest levels of post-secondary education for two reasons:
1)Knowledge & 2) Discipline.
This friend of mine calls me up from time to time to ask me for a new book that he can read or to see if I want to go to dinner, grab a coffee or hit up the beach for a good run. The point here is that he never stops his education and development. Whether it is learning through physical needs (recently pursuing a sprint triathlon) or by mental needs through ongoing professional development and literacy, he always aspires to learn more.
Now, you’re thinking to yourself, “Ryan, what does this have to do with wellness? yippeee, this friend of yours is a digger...so what?” I am writing about him as an example of a role model. Being successful should not be rocket science. He challenges his prior knowledge by constantly constructing new knowledge and he has a huge grasp on his emotional, spiritual and mental wellness because of his attitude towards continual learning.
This brings me to the second reason why my friend has and will continue to be successful....Discipline. Most people think that avoiding dessert is discipline and you are right....to a degree. I am talking about a multitude of discipline which my friend reminds me of by consistently living what he preaches to students and adults. For example, he firmly believes that if it comes in a box there should be something out there better for you to eat. Now, to some degree this may be extreme but that is for you to conclude. His food philosophy works for him and his body which ties over into his fitness level through years of healthy exercise. Coupling good nutrition with an extensive workout regiment allows him to keep a grasp on his physical wellness.
I firmly believe that we need to find our own path and our own way of living to achieve wellness and success but I write you today to provide you with an example of a tremendously successful person who lives behind his words by his actions. That can sometimes be more powerful to an employer than simply handing a resume. Constantly striving for new levels of knowledge and education and being disciplined is certainly not going to do you any harm. I encourage you to seek out successful people within your work place, classroom and/or sports teams and get to know them more. Sometimes they can have a lot to offer your personal wellness.
Ryan Fahey
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