S.H.I.E.L.D.

My Personal Development Program

Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash

One day, I heard an older gentleman talk about how he lived to be 100 years old. He used the acronym S.H.I.E.L.D. to explain his longevity strategy. I liked it so much that I wrote it down. And I'd like to share it with you because it's sort of the way I've lived my life. I adopted his strategy as part of my P.D.P., my Personal Development Program.

When I was 24, a nutritionist watched me eat lunch one day. And he said, "You're not going to live very long doing that." I was eating french fries, cornbread, and dessert. Every day, I was eating everything wrong in his book. Since he was a nutritionist, I thought I should listen to him a little. And the fact that his sister owned a vitamin store got me thinking. I began to listen to people who knew something about health. That old man is long gone, but I thank God he stuck with me and told me to eat better. So, today, I wanted to share the S.H.I.E.L.D. strategy with you.

• S.leep

• H.andle stress

• I.nteract with people

• E.xercise

• L.earn something new

• D.iet

Let’s consider each step thoughtfully:

S.leep seven hours a day.

I went through a tough patch in my life a couple of years ago. I only slept three or four hours a day because of the stress. I was leading a large organization, but not very well. One doctor said, "The neurons in your brain are misfiring. The right brain is no longer talking to the left brain."

I went to multiple doctors, and the bottom line was that they couldn't help me as long as I had that job. I went to a sleep study and discovered that I never entered into the deep REM of sleep. At that point, I obtained a sleep machine. And as a result, I'm sleeping 7 hours a day today. Life hasn't been this good for a long, long time. I've fought for many years against getting the sleep machine because I didn't think I would look cool sleeping with a contraption on my head. But it pretty much saved my life.

I wonder now if that wasn't what killed my dad. He had sleep apnea, had a stroke in his sleep, and died. The medical profession told me that it would happen to me if I did nothing about it.

H.andle Stress.

I can always feel it in my shoulders and neck when I get stressed. I guess that happens to people who work 6 1/2 days a week. However, there’s a point that I know that I have pushed it too far. And I'm beyond distress signals telling me to quit. You have probably been there, too.

So, what are the signals that you are stressing? And what are you doing to ensure that one of the top killers in America isn't going to visit you soon? You would do well to find that out because stress now is becoming a leading cause of premature death.

I.nteract with people.

I am an introvert by nature, but over the years, I've had to learn how to get out of my shell. I grew up a very timid and shy individual and always enjoyed taking the back seat and letting someone else go out front. But in doing so, this did not make me very many friends.

How's your interaction with people going? If you don't have any friends, it'd be good to start making them. Because at the end of the day, that's all we have left. It's the people standing beside our casket, not our computers or gadgets.

E.xercise.

Thank God for Dr. Adonna Otwell at Southwestern University in Waxahachie, Texas. She was our sports instructor and taught me that we must exercise at least three times a week. I've kept that regimen up for all these years, and thank God I have. If you're not exercising, I would encourage you to at least do some brisk walking for 30 minutes a day for three or four days a week. It will do wonders for your body.

L.earn something new.

I thank God that I have been given the gift of curiosity. I did not have this gift when smoking dope and going down the wrong path of a mindless existence. I could hardly read when I was born again because I had smoked so much pot. I prayed to the Lord and asked him to give me a hunger for the Word of God. I could barely read one chapter without getting exhausted.

That's been a long time ago. Now, I have read the Bible multiple times. And not only that, I try to read at least 11-15 books a year. I've also recently just returned to grad school to study a field unrelated to anything I've ever studied. This will keep your mind sharp. That's why they tell old people to do crossword puzzles :)

D.iet.

Dr. Daniel Amen made a statement one time that stuck with me. "Love the foods that love you back." Why don't you test this out? The next time you eat a meal, ask yourself how well you feel afterward. A spinach salad would do you much better than a hamburger with cheese and mayonnaise. If you have not discovered your body type, it would be a good thing if you're struggling with weight. There are certain foods that your body will fall in love with, and it will help you to control some of those weight issues.

Or, maybe the shampoo is causing us to gain weight. I was reading the label on my shampoo the other day. It said: for full body and much volume, use this shampoo. There it is right there. Now I wash my hair with Dawn Liquid. It says on the label that it helps dissolve fat, which is usually difficult to remove. (Smile. That was a joke!)

By the way, a joke or two may aid in our health as much as anything. You can get a free joke book I published over here:

If you let me, I can help you. Put up your S.H.I.E.L.D. daily. And remember to smile because God loves you!

Thank you for reading. Please pass this on to a friend who may benefit from these insights. Thank you!