Mercury in the fish, toxins in the air, poisons in the hand sanitizers, steroids and antibiotics in my meat, chlorine in the water, fluoride in my toothpaste, even my cell phone is transmitting electromagnetic garbage that may kill me.
It seems that everywhere we turn we are told about the toxins in our environment that can cause us harm and disease. Yet I believe we may be ignoring the number one toxin of all. This is the toxin that will put an end to your productivity . It will make you miserable and it will take you down if you let it.
The toxin I am referring to is not antibiotics in our food or poisons in our water; it is something I guarantee you came in contact with yesterday and you will also come in close proximity to today. If you are not careful and you do not keep your guard up, it will have a greater influence on your life, your success and even your health than any of the other aforementioned toxins. The toxin I am talking about is the negative people in your life.
If you had a brand new Ferrari, you probably would not give the keys to just anyone. You would be careful how you took care of it and who you let borrow it, drive it, or even ride in it. You probably wouldn’t let anyone eat or drink in it. Yet you freely give away “the keys” to more precious possessions every day, your mind and your attitude , when you let negative people decide what goes in your head and what you listen to.
I call these people “toxic people,” and they’re easy to spot. They are the people you dread seeing and being around because you know they will have nothing positive to say. I have a colleague who always leaves me feeling like I have had my battery drained. Any positive outlook I had on life and business before I interact with him is gone afterwards because he sucks it out of me. My guess is you have people like this in your life as well.
These aren’t necessarily bad people. In fact, they probably don’t even know they are doing this. They may even fain to have your best interest in mind. They will say things like, “You can try that but I know of a guy who lost everything in rental properties…” They spend their lives trying to figure out why things don’t work. Anyone can figure out a reason not to do something if they analyze it long enough.
So what should you do with these toxic people? Simply get rid of their influence and stop hanging around them. Quit thinking you are immune to their thumb sucking and pity whining. Their attitudes and actions affect you.
I am not saying you should walk away from your negative friends and family ; I am saying you should RUN ! You don’t have to disown them, but you do have to decrease your association with them. You have to decrease the amount of time you spend with them.
Start focusing your time on people who make you feel better about yourself, people with great ideas. These are people that encourage you to follow your dreams . Not only that, they pick you up when you fall or come up short. You need to find a way to increase your time with these people. Hang around them more. Make them your friends and mentors. Try to become more like them.
You may also need to take a look at yourself and ask which kind of person you are: (a) one that people should disassociate with or (b) one that people should spend more time with. Once you find your answer, do what it takes to become the latter.
I encourage you to make a list of the most influential people in your life and decide for each rather you should dissociate with them, decrease your association with them or increase your association with them. Then make a plan to do so.
The real toxins in our lives are not necessarily those the media portrays, but rather those we allow to influence and affect us daily. Guard very carefully what and who you let influence you day-to-day.
Dr. Tim Reynolds is the managing parter for HealthCare Express. He is also the president and CEO of Dr. Tim, International, a company he founded in 2009 to allow him to share his passion for Living Every Minute with others. He dedicates countless hours each week to helping other people change their lives through mentoring, life building, giving inspirational talks and writing for his motivational newsletter, Adventures with Dr. Tim.
Dr. Tim was the first member of his family to graduate high school. He joined the military shortly after graduation. Dr Tim was a graduate of the Special Forces Q-course in July of 1982. He served as a Green Beret medic on an A-Team, as the Battalion medic and eventually as a Special Forces Battalion Surgeon for the 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne). He served both enlisted and as an officer for 17 years.
After getting out of the military, Dr. Tim was the first in his family to graduate college with honors. His passion for helping people inspired him to become a medical doctor, and in 1993 he graduated Summa Cum Laude with an MD degree from the University of Utah. He completed his Emergency Medicine residency at Texas A&M Scott and White in 1996 and is board certified in emergency medicine. Dr. Tim is the managing partner for HealthCARE Express, a group of urgent care clinics rapidly expanding across the United States.
Prior to starting HealthCARE Express in 2006, Dr. Tim held numerous positions across the medical field, including: medical director of the Wadley Regional Medical Center Emergency Department and level II trauma center; director, Texas College of Emergency Physicians Board of Directors; president of E-Med Services, LLP and of E-Med Billing Solutions, LLP; associate clinical professor for the Area Health Education Center at the University of Arkansas; founding member of the Greater People’s Clinic of Texarkana Board of Directors.
Dr. Tim speaks fluent Spanish, having lived in Guatemala and traveled throughout Central America.
In addition to his medical experience, Dr. Tim is also an entrepreneur and successful businessman. He is currently the chief executive officer of TL Reynolds Properties, LLP, a real estate investment company; and he is a managing partner of JJET Developments Ltd., a real estate development company.
Dr. Tim has served on numerous other committees and boards throughout both the medical and business communities and is published in various journals and publications. He is sought after as a presenter at many national conferences.
In his leisure time, Dr. Tim enjoys spending time on his Ranch in Atlanta, Texas, where he lives with his beautiful wife, Pam, and their five amazing children. He holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, is a SCUBA rescue diver, and a pilot. He also enjoys body building, golf, and hiking.
Dr. Tim is a world traveler, having visited six of the seven continents. He is a firm believer in living every minute of life and teaching others to do the same. His online website www.livingeveryminute.com allows him to reach thousands of people around the world as they subscribe to his weekly self-help and life improvement adventure newsletters.