Enjoy Every Sandwich: Living Each Day As If It Were Your Last

Monday, March 26th, 2012

“Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely”- Buddha

I recently read the book “Enjoy Every Sandwich” and had to share how the book impacted me. The author, Dr. Lee Lipsenthal was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in July 2009. As the medical director of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute, he was no stranger to disease and helped thousands of his patients through their illnesses.

Rather than be angry at his diagnosis, Lipsenthal continued living his life fully each day. He discovered he did not fear death and instead continued to enjoy everyday life and savor even the little things like every sandwich. Before his death in Sept 2011, he wrote a book called “Enjoy Every Sandwich” where he shares how to “find meaning, purpose, and peace in our lives.”

This heartfelt and incredible journey of one of our esteemed colleagues as his life was unfortunately cut short from terminal cancer is poignant and life changing. This book is so much more about living than dying. It is about living a life so rich, so meaningful, so moment to moment that if we were to die today we could do so knowing that we had sucked the marrow out of life and really maximized every moment. The real transformative concept is that to truly live we must be ready to die. It really outlines how following our spirit and living from joy instead of self protection opens up the entire world and beyond. Lipsenthal spent his life dedicated to healing others physically and emotionally and in his death he has continued to heal all of us, this time from our fears.

He takes us through his journey from diagnosis, telling his loved ones, treatment and illness. He is remarkably accepting of his death and in his acceptance shows us how to make sure we live each moment to the fullest. It is not just about dying gracefully but about living completely.

Book Trailer

His attitude helps to get all of us in touch with what truly matters in our lives. The recent death of my beloved mother from pancreatic cancer brought me face to face with this process and made the lessons from this book even more compelling. I sensed this with my mom and it permeates every page of this book – if we possibly only have a year to live why would we waste a moment being negative, hurt, holding grudges or worrying about what others think of us. If this is the case when we are imminently dying why should this not be the case for all of us all the time? We are all in fact dying we just don’t know when. As Lee writes “The real exception is to truly live.” If we look for more love, playfulness, laughter and joy in our lives we will quite likely find it. We must shift our perspectives to look for what we want more of in life.

The message to create meaning in all moments of our lives is truly transformative. To “enjoy every sandwich”, enjoy every breath, enjoy every second. Know in your heart what is truly important and do it every day. Be grateful for life no matter how messy or uncertain. We are here for a short time, don’t play it safe, play it full out.

Thanks Lee for your life altering gift to humanity. Thanks for helping all of us heal our fears and embrace our lives.

If you would like to win a copy of “Enjoy Every Sandwich” you can enter to win through one or more of the following methods

• Leaving a comment below
• Commenting on my Facebook page.
• Tweeting “In order to truly live we must be ready to die- Dr. Lee. Review of “Enjoy Every Sandwich” by @DrCarolynA RT to enter to win”

Congratulations to Jan S. who was randomly selected to receive a free copy of the book.

*Disclosure Policy* I purchased my own copy of the book, Enjoy Every Sandwich. The publisher later contacted us to do a review and offered to give away free copies of the book. I have not been paid or otherwise compensated for this review.

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The 10 Laws of Enduring Success according to Maria Bartiromo

Monday, March 21st, 2011

For the last 15+ years, Maria Bartiromo has been the high profile face of financial news. She is host of CNBC’s The Closing Bell and also editor of the Wall Street Journal with Maria Bartiromo. She is someone who knows a great deal about what it takes to be successful and the wisdom she has gleaned is exceptionally well presented in her recent book “The 10 Laws of Enduring Success”.

She describes true success as coming from the inside, being introspective, passionate, bold persistent and ethical. “Success is knowing yourself – an inner comfort and inner contentment.”

I really appreciated this lesson from her experience “If you’re going to get anywhere, you have to learn to take the hits and rise above them. Taking the initiative is always a risk. You are sticking your neck out for sure. You risk being laughed at, being ridiculed, or, worse, being wrong. But if you believe in what you are doing and are trying to do the right thing in every instance, you will ultimately win.”

This book was written with the financial crisis of 2008 in the backdrop. When this occurred she noticed people re-evaluating the meaning of success. “They’re asking themselves the hard questions that have long been ignored, about what is really important to them and where the bedrock of their personal achievement lies.” She sought to find the answers to these questions in the 10 Laws and weaves through the principles with great personal and business stories as well as advice from many business giants.

Here are the 10 Laws. You will notice that none of these qualities are dependent on external circumstances.

10 Laws of Enduring Success

1. Self Knowledge – “Every successful person I’ve met has a strong sense of his or her unique abilities and aspirations, They are leaders in their own lives and they dare to live life on their own terms”
2. Vision – Create a beautiful blueprint for where you would like to take your life. Vision means having the foresight to look ahead and solve the next problem or innovate the next great idea. Ask yourself “How am I going to use the precious gift of my one life?”
3. Initiative – It is clear to Maria from her experience that if you want to be successful, you have to imagine what you want and go out and get it. Some of the most successful people have dared to step out over the edge and do something no one else has ever tried before. The only difference between the people who are first on the scene and the people who follow them is the commitment to act.
4. Courage – Be bold, smart and fair. “Courage isn’t bravado or taking stupid risks. It’s simply deciding to live in a mindset of possibility instead of fear.”
5. Integrity – Do the right thing. In this chapter Maria quotes Ben Franklins’ thirteen virtues. That if followed will all but guarantee a life of integrity. They are temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, humility.
6. Adaptability – The ability to change and find new opportunities. “The key is to have the attitude that you always have something to learn, even if you are at the top of the heap.”
7. Humility – The understanding that we are all human. “Believe in yourself, but don’t think you are the center of the universe” She then quotes Jack Welch former GE CEO “To get ahead, you have to possess self-confidence and humility at the same time. That combination is called maturity.”
8. Endurance – Pace yourself. Use discipline and sacrifice short term wins for ultimate long term success.
9. Purpose – Find what really makes your heart sing, what resonates with you. Never forget that true fulfillment comes from inner peace, creativity and meaningful relationships.
10. Resilience – The ability to survive and bounce back after failures and then use hardships as learning experiences in preparation for the return to greatness.

This book is an interesting read and hits home with the fact that although the landscape of success may change from era to era there are fundamental qualities that remain consistent no matter what happens in our outside world.

*Disclosure Policy* I purchased my own copy of this book and I have not been paid or otherwise compensated for this review.  If you decide to purchase the book from Amazon using the above links I will receive a small commission.

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The Power by Rhonda Byrne

Monday, September 13th, 2010

We all know about the book, The Secret, which was a worldwide phenomenon that introduced the masses to the concept of the “The Law of Attraction”. This book is the follow up to The Secret called The Power.

For some this may be considered a bit “new agey”, “woo woo” or way out there. But the underlying theme that love is the most powerful force in the universe and that all can be healed by approaching with love was fascinating to me. There are great quotes from thought leaders throughout history that are interspersed throughout the book to highlight the points and inspire the reader. Such as this

“Whether humanity will consciously follow the law of love, I do not know. But that need not disturb me. The law will work just as the law of gravitation works whether we accept it or not.” Mahatma Gandhi

She begins the book with the statement, “You are meant to have an amazing life.” Well what a great thought that all of us are meant to have all our days filled with joy, excitement, passion and great things. She claims that through love she will show us how to achieve this. Again the fact that you can change your life by changing your thoughts and feelings is the pivotal point of the book. Give positive thoughts and feelings and you will change your entire life.

But this begs the question “How do you know whether your thoughts are positive or negative? According to Byrne your thoughts are positive when they are thoughts of what you want and love! And negative thoughts are thoughts of what you don’t want and love. It is that simple and that easy. You have to talk about what you love, to bring what you love to you.

The Power of Love
The opening chapter discusses the concept of love as the most powerful force in the universe. The message is that everything you want to be, do or have comes from love. That whatever you give out in life is what you will receive back. And that life doesn’t happen to you; you receive everything in your life based on what you have given. Talk about the good news of the day. Talk about what you love. And bring what you love to you.

The Power of Feelings
Apparently your thoughts and words have no power at all in your life without your feelings. How you feel at any one moment is more important than anything else, because how you feel right now is creating your life. The better you feel the better life gets. I found it interesting that she made the point that life isn’t happening to you; life is responding to you. You decide what your life will be- by what you give out. I like this sense of control over our destiny. Whatever you want to receive in life, you must give first.

Feeling Frequencies
Whatever you feel, whether good or bad, determines your frequency, and like a magnet you attract the people, events and circumstances that are on the same frequency. You can change your frequency at any time by changing how you feel, and everything around you will change because you’re on a new frequency. Every single second is an opportunity to change your life, because in any moment you can change the way you feel. To change anything – whether it’s circumstances of money, health or relationships you have to change the way you feel.

The Power and Creation

“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last you create what you will” George Bernard Shaw

In this chapter Rhonda Byrne discusses the Creation Process. To create what we want in our lives we should follow the simple three step process of… Imagine it. Feel it. Receive it.

1) Imagine it. Use your mind to focus on and imagine what you desire
2) Feel. At the same time as you are imagining you must feel love for what you are imagining.
3) Receive. The force of love will then work through the force of nature to bring you what you desire.

Whatever you desire you must want it with all your heart. Imagine that you have what you already want and never deviate from that state of being. This is interesting but I still think that the action piece is missing. You still must DO something to manifest your dreams. I do think that imagining the impossible is the first step to creating our dreams. But it alone is not enough. We must take concerted and focused action to achieve them. I am a proponent of positive thinking, of dreaming, and of imagining but it alone is not enough.

Feeling is Creation
This chapter discussed the new thought concept of every person being surrounded by a magnetic field. And that you attract everything through the magnetism of your field. The more love in your field the more power you have to attract the things you love. I found interesting the idea that you do not have to turn the negative into a positive. Just give love for what you want, because the creation of what you want replaces the negativity. There is only one force in life and that is the force of love. You are either feeling good because you are full of love or you are feeling bad because you are empty of love.

Life Follows You
This is the concept that life is not happening to you…life is following you. Your destiny is in your hands. Whatever you think, whatever you feel, will decide you life. I like the concept that we are responsible for our lives and our own personal happiness. I just don’t subscribe to the concept that everything that happens to you was brought about by your thoughts and feelings. I certainly would not want anyone feeling guilty about causing something terrible to happen to them or one of their loved ones. Sometimes bad things happen to great people. The distinction in my mind is how people deal with it.

Keys to Power
The keys to Power are Love, Gratitude and Play.

To use love as the ultimate power in your life, you must love like you have never loved before. Fall in love with life! So how do you fall in love with life? The same way you fall in love with another person – you adore everything about them. That is exactly how you use the ultimate power of love to fall in love with life. Whatever you are doing, look for the things you love.

Gratitude plays a large part in bringing abundance to your life. Gratitude begins with two simple words Thank You. Gratitude multiplies the positive in your life and eliminates the negative. The more you feel gratitude, the more love you give; and the more love you give, the more you receive.

The key of play brings home the concept that life is supposed to be fun. When you feel excited about anything and you feel amazing, capture that energy and imagine your dream.

The Power and Money

“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving” Mother Teresa

Love is the attracting force that brings money, and love is also the power that makes money stick. When some money comes into your hands no matter how small be grateful. Feel love whenever you pay for anything or pay your bills. Respect, honor and be thankful for the money you have and you will receive more. According to Byrne the beauty of life is that when you put love first, all the money you need to live a full life comes to you.

The Power and Relationships
“The entire law is summed up in a single command, Love your neighbor as yourself” Saint Paul

The message is to give love to others through kindness, encouragement, support, gratitude, or any good feeling and it comes back to you multiplied in every area of your life. Look for the things you love in a relationship more than you notice negative things and it will appear as if something incredible has happened to the other person. The more you give love and feel good, the more magnetic your field becomes and the more it expands, drawing everything and everyone to you.

The Power and Health

“Natural Forces within us are the true healers of disease” Hippocrates

What you continually give to your body with your beliefs or strong feelings, you receive in your body. When you give negative thoughts and feelings of what you don’t want, the force of health to your cells reduces. When you feel love for anything your body receives the full force of health. Gratitude is the great multiplier so say thank you for your health every single day. To improve your health you must give love to your health. Think in terms of what you want… to be healthy, vital and energetic and this will help to create these circumstances in your life.

The key message of this book is to give love because it is the magnet of all riches in life. To improve your finances, your relationships you health or any other aspect of your life, send love to them and be positive and good things will come to you. In general this is a great message. The world would be a brighter place if more people chose to live in the light of love.

*Disclosure Policy* I purchased my own copy of this book and I have not been paid or otherwise compensated for this review. If you decide to purchase the book from Amazon using the above links I will receive a small commission.

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Review: Live a Life You Love by Dr. Susan Biali

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

This month I am excited to highlight Dr. Susan Biali’s incredible book, Live a Life You Love!: 7 Steps to a Healthier, Happier, More Passionate You. This book is an exceptional guidepost to living an authentic life. In the book, she relays her personal stories and experiences in a very real and down to earth manner. Reading the book feels like having a conversation with an incredibly wise and compassionate women. Each of the steps she discusses lead you to look at your life to make sure you are living a life you love and not a life that others would love you to live.

Susan Biali’s Steps to Living a Life You Love

Step 1      Allow Yourself to be You

Susan opens with a compelling personal story and a life altering epiphany. When she found herself miserable in her Emergency Medicine residency the statement by one of her senior residents “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to” was compelling, surprising and life altering. She had never considered this. She had never considered that she had any say in any of it. The overachieving, people pleasing, super women was climbing the mountain and never took the time to determine whether the mountain she was climbing was the right one for her. When she stepped back and changed gears her life began to take shape in a way that was fulfilling and inspiring.

Her advice is that whenever you get a clear impulse to do or try something different it is usually something that will turn out to be immensely important in your life path. That is if you can find the courage and the faith to do it.  She encourages us to not give up before the miracle and to listen to our heart’s and create a life that is authentic. Ask yourself what is truly in your heart. Take time to get away from all the noise of daily life and get quiet enough to let yourself feel what the real you cares about and longs for.

Step 2      Learn to Love Yourself

She notes that so many of us practice compulsive avoidance of ourselves. Never truly knowing or loving who we really are. Self Love as she describes is multifaceted and consists of: pursuing real solutions to problems and not quick fixes, choosing healthy rewards for yourself, making time to take care of yourself, reducing the clutter in your life and addressing your finances. It is so important to treat yourself in the same way that you would treat anyone you care deeply about. Give yourself time, patience, love, kindness and thoughtful loving gifts and treats.

Step 3      Honor Your Body

In this chapter Dr. Biali offers practical advice. She discusses the importance of moving and eating an Anti-inflammatory diet. This diet has an incredible impact on your general wellbeing and levels of energy. If you are up to something that could threaten your health your body will often whisper some gentle hints. Don’t wait until it yells. Be honest with yourself. Is your body telling your something? Should you be approaching something in your life differently? There is usually some kind of message or meaning in almost every illness. Look for the lesson and take heed.

Step 4      Rescue and Revitalize Your Relationships

The message here is to put the proper attention on your life. Your relationships are a mirror of your soul. Turn the spotlight on yourself because only someone that truly loves and honors themselves can be there to love and honor another.

Step 5     Get a Life

Dare to Dream and Don’t Give Up!

Life often tests us to find out how much we really want something. Don’t give up before the tide changes, it may seem like your dream will never come true. Remember success lies on the other side of failure. She eloquently describes how we are born with the dreams that we have in our hearts, and we wouldn’t be given them without having the ability to walk that path. Hang in there and take one more risk.

Step 6     Make Room for the Divine.

In this chapter she describes the important role that spiritual connection has to our well being in general. I so appreciated her candor and openness about her beliefs. She makes the point that we often know what is good for us and what we love but we don’t do it. Try to do what is right for you and strive for meaning in your life to gain the greatest fulfillment.

Step 7      Make today Someday

Her advice in the final chapter is to take action on your vision. Silence your inner critic and know that this is just a part of the human experience. Know that it is normal to be terrified when you take a big step towards your dream. Take the big step anyway and take your life to the next level.

Following her steps will help lead you to a Life that you can truly Love. A life of passion and fulfillment.

*Disclosure Policy* I purchased my own copy of this book and I have not been paid or otherwise compensated for this review. If you decide to purchase the book from Amazon using the above links I will receive a small commission.

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