Many years ago I attended a wellness event. One of the presenters was lecturing on Heart Disease,and I will never forget what he said, “If you get a heart attack, you will either die or end up in the hospital.”

There are a myriad of reasons why someone may have heart disease; the two most common reasons is congenital and for the most part self-imposed as a result of lifestyle. If you get and attack at any stage and are fortunate to surive, this is called a wake up call.  It is hoped that scenario will cause you to take better care of yourself.

I have known several people in my life who have suffered from heart disease.
One was a young man, David Lucas. We met in our junior year in high school.  We were both new to the Dallas area, and we became fast close friends.  He had an amazing physique at 16, and he was the very first person who showed me how to lift weights and brought me into the weight room at school, in spite of the fact that I did not play team sports and technically wasn’t allowed to be there.  David, in addition to being very handsome, possed an infectious personality, a love of sports and a passion for life.

David suffered from the same congenital heart disease as his father.
David’s father was a professional athlete who played football for the NY Giants.  He died at age 36 of heart failure leaving Mrs. Lucas to raise their six children alone.

I remember David traveling to hospitals around the country in order to get help lowering cholesterol, which was a whopping 400-500! Yes it was that high and he was just a kid. He always knew in his “heart” he was not going to grow old, but we never talked about it. He never let his illness slow him down.  He lived every day to the fullest. He was a tenacious worker, ran 5 miles everyday, took his meds daily and ate very healthy. His love and knowledge of sports led to a gig on his own sports radio talk show.

It would take way too long to describe David, but try to imagine a man who greet you with a smile and give you a hug.  The last time I spoke to David he sounded happy; he was engaged to the love of his life, had just purchased a new house and raved about his golden retriever.  One week later I received the call that David died of a heart attack while jogging with his fiance and his dog. He died the same month and at the same age as his father. It has been twelve years since his death, and I sure do miss him.

My mother’s oldest brother, at the age of 77, died suddenly of a massive heart attack.  This came as quite a shock because his doctor claimed he was being treated for asthma and slightly elevated blood pressure, with no previous history of heart disease.  He had no weight problem, unlike other members of the immediate family, and he did not smoke or drink.  I very much feel his absence in my life.

I opened my first gym in 1989 in the Highland Park Village, a community in  Dallas, and I became well acquainted with Richard, the mainman for this area.  He is a “salt of the earth” kind of guy, who was always cheerful and willing to go out of his way to make people feel good.  One day a new guy showed up to deliver the daily mail.  This surprised because I never knew Richard to take a day off except for vacations.  The new mailman informed that Richard had suffered a heart attack and was recovering in the hospital. Either weeks later Richard came to the gym and requested that we talk privately to discuss how he could lead a healthier lifestyle.
Despite all the walking he did he still needed regimented exercise and a good eating plan to love at least 60 pounds.  In less than twelve weeks he lost all the weight he needed to lose, he looks terrific and received an excellent bill of health from his doctor.  He credits me for saving his life, but I tell him that he saved his own life!

Heart disease is still a major killer of both men and women in this country. At times it happens to people like David, inspite of their efforts to control the outcome. There are many contributing factors that cause heart disease, but most of the time heart disease is a result of
self-
inflicted behavior; poor eating habits, smoking, lack of exercise, excessive alcohol consumption, etc. In other words, stop inflicting these bad habits on yourself and don’t wait until you get that “wake up call.”

Valentine Day is coming up, and my Valentine wish to you is to live life to the fullest and treat your heart to a healthy new lease on life; take a walk, run, jog or skip and vow to eat healthy.  Here’s a line from a song my Mom used to sing to me, “Live, laugh, love and be happy.”

Have a Happy and Healthy Valentine Day.

This is my story about how I became a positive thinking person.

The best year of my life, up to that point, was in 1977.  I was 16 years old.  I had worked that summer building swimming pools.  When school started I got a job after school and weekends as a stock boy at a women’s shoe store.  The general manager did not allow music to be played in the stock room.  Instead, Zig Zigler tapes were played.  Mr. Zigler, who is a Dallas gentleman in his 80’s, was a pioneer in sales, motivation and inspiration.  At first, I was not very receptive to the tapes, but after several months I sort of got used to them.  In fact, I could recite each and every word of all 10 tapes.  It became an ongoing joke because I learned to imitate his voice so well that I could practically sound just like the voice on the tapes.  To this day, I can still hear Zig saying, “Money can buy you a house, but it won’t buy you a home; money can by you a bed, but it won’t buy you a good night’s sleep.  Little did I know that someday I would produce my own tapes, which have sold way over one million copies.

Saturdays are always the busiest days in retail.  On one particular Saturday, five sales people either called in sick or chose to not show up for work.  The GM freaked out, and in a moment of haste insisted that I get on the floor and start selling shoes.  I told him there is no way I can do that.  I had never sold a thing in life, and I was wearing a dirty tee shirt and jeans.  He dragged me down to the mall and bought me a shirt and a slip-on tie, and the next thing I knew I’m like a deer in head lights on the shoe floor.  I will never forget that day, from my first sale ever to the most beautiful women I had ever seen, to the nine pairs of shoes and boots sold to the woman from Mexico City who caused me to stay after closing so I could ship the shoes to her home in Mexico.  Along with all of this, I was calculating how much money I was going to earn that day.  That day I went from a $4.00 hour minimum wage to a 10% commissioned salesman.  I earned approximately $1,300. that day.  In 1977,  that was a red letter day for a 16 year old, and even by today’s standards, it was a huge amount to earn in one day.

After that first sale, I was unstoppable.  I could not help but feel that the Zig Ziglar tapes had made a big impression on me.  In return, I hope that I can leave as good of an impression on you as Zig Zigler made on me. This was a big turning point in my life and career.  (It also helped that I knew where every single shoe in that store was stocked.)

That night, when the final numbers were tallied at the register, the GM turned to me as he kept rechecking the receipts and said, “You just crushed the largest single sales day by an employee in this store’s twenty year history.”  Not bad for a 16 year boy on the first day of his new job as a “salesman.”  The feeling of elation at that moment has rarely been duplication in my life, but it is that feeling accomplishment that keeps me motivated.

I went on to sell ladies’ shoes very successfully for several more years.  I learned to love selling, and more importantly, I realized the power of words, dreams and vision.  My first grade teacher told me that I was a day dreamer.  To that, my Mother breathed, “Thank God.”

To continue my story, I have learned a very important lesson. Over that last 30 years, I have been led on a path of selling the greatest product in the world…health, wellness and happiness.  Now come join me on my quest to help you make this the best year ever.  If you can look back on this year, and end up with your health and happiness, this will be wonderful years.

Above all, maintaining a positive attitude through any means possible, regardless of everyday’s ups and downs that we all have, each year of your life can be the best year of your life.