FOREWORD
It is time to draw a line in the sand. Whatever the area of your life may be, it is time to say
“Enough is enough…I must do things better from now onwards” You get to choose. Nobody
else can make that choice for you. The first step must be yours.
It is time to move forward.
Perhaps you are extremely successful in your career, but at home things are not going that
well; perhaps you are heading for the corner office very soon, but your waistline tells another
story---it is too big. Soon you will be heading to a clinic instead and be told that unless you
change, your corner office may never be yours after all…… it may go to another person,
perhaps one more disciplined and focused than yourself.
My motive for writing this book is simply this:
--Remind you and me that in order to live a balanced life we all have to get to the line in the
sand at some point and decide if we have the courage and willpower to cross it or not
--Whatever choices we make, it is important to see them all as seeds we plant; they are
investments; they will either bear fruit or lead us nowhere... one seed at a time.
---Whatever the area of life may be, consistency is key. In consistency lies the power.
We all sow daily in one way or another. Every day we decide where we invest our energies.
We get to choose our thoughts, beliefs and what we say. Although others may indirectly
influence our thoughts, beliefs and words we still have the final say. We decide.
We all sow daily in one way or another
After a long time on a trans-Atlantic flight where I had much time to reflect on how to live
our lives I thought of a sowing metaphor. I see our energy, ideas, relationships, finances and
talents as seeds. We decide where we want to plant those seeds—or not plant them at all.
Sometimes we plant on purpose, aiming to fulfill our God-given destiny; at other times it may
be less obvious and far from intentional. We allow a drift. It is insidious. I see the results of
drifting every day in my busy medical clinic. And it goes beyond just the physical.
A busy husband may not be home as much as he needs to be and then one day wakes up and
finds his marriage is over when he reads the note on empty pillow next to his pillow that tells
him it is over and there is no hope to fix things ever again. The burden on his mental health
began as a seed he forgot to plant, neglecting what could have kept his health intact and in
balance.
Or perhaps it is in the area of finances. The credit card balance grows insidiously month by
month. The thinking goes like this: Today I am too busy with other stuff and next week I will
get back to checking up on my financial health again
But before next week comes the stock market crashes and being in deep debt now means
more stress than an average person can handle. The insidious slide got that person to a place
of pain. By being consistently inconsistent there is a price to be paid.
I shall never forget an overweight man on the floor of a hotel with his hairy chest cage full of
electrodes and his open mouth hanging limp to one side as we battled to get his heart to beat
again. His pale prominent paunch, stared back at me, as if to say “I killed this body tonight”
How did that happen? One bite at a time; one decision at a time to say no to daily exercise.
He even may have said something like “ I am allergic to exercise” and enjoyed the laughter
generated by his witty words This dead man allowed things to drift in his physical health. The
seeds he planted came up as a crop, but not the crop he and his family was hoping for.
By writing this book my goal is to avoid that drifting process
This book is all about sowing wisely and consistently and start doing it today—not tomorrow.
Instead, we must decide to draw a line in the sand, today. Now. Not next week or next month.
Most books like this one I am told are only read from cover to cover by 12 % of the
population. My hope is that even if that may be true at least one chapter will get you thinking
about being more consistent.
The English writer and philosopher, Harriet Martineau, observed “You better live your best
and act your best today, for today is the sure preparation for tomorrow and all the other
tomorrows that follow. Someone else said that “you are where you are today because of the
decisions you made yesterday. We cannot consistently make 50% decisions and expect 100%
results.
This book is all about two goals in life:

Becoming more aware of how we can consistently make the most of our lives by sowing
intentionally into, not only our own lives, but into the lives of others also.

Sowing consistently and with a healthy balance between three key areas—body, soul and
spirit. And doing that one step at a time—the same way I trained and completed dozens
and dozens of 26.2 mile marathons.
I am privileged to meet all kinds of people as doctor, marathon runner and a regular
contributor to television, radio and printed media. As you hold this book in your hands,
please know that I count it a privilege to share with you some of the life lessons I have
learned from people I have met over the years.
One such a person is a friend and pastor, Len Zoeteman, who taught me something recently
about reading a book. That lesson may well apply to this book. Len taught me that in order to
get the most of a book, one must read it three times: Once for information, the second time
for revelation and finally, the third time, for application. As I reflect on books that really
helped me personally to become a better doctor, runner or family man, I can clearly see the
truth in Len’s ideas.
Another group of people who have taught me much are the men at the breakfast group I
attend some Fridays. I talked to them about this book and what I am hoping it will do for the
reader---help anyone, regardless of who they are, to finish strong and long by being
consistent and knowing that it all starts from the inside out. It was then that one gentleman
told me a line which I will never forget.
He said “Peter, in this world there are three kinds of people. There are those who are in the
parade, those watch the parade and then those who do not even know that there is a parade!”
In this world there are three kinds of people.
There are those who are in the parade, those
watch the parade and then those who do not
even know that there is a parade!
I trust that you will want to join the parade and live each day fully; reaching your full
potential in whatever role you have to play. The aim is to go all the way…. the full
distance…..and to use an expression I heard at a recent marathon “Finish your race with joy”.
In marathon running sometimes when the results are made official, the letters DNF appear
behind a runner’s name. It stands for “Did Not Finish” May there not be any DNFs behind
your name as you run the race of life, finishing strong, consistently applying what you learn
and sowing your seeds wisely.
The families I care for as a pediatrician have helped me to better understand a question I still
do not fully have all the answers to. The question is simply this: As we live our lives, why do
we do the things we do when we know the things we know?
Although I have read fine books by psychologists, professors and articulate writers on how
and why we make health decisions, I am still not sure I know the answer to this simple but
tough question.
That question is so important that it needs to be repeated. Why do we do the things we do
when we know the things we know? I am looking forward to sharing some ideas about this
key question later in this book. If we can get an answer, our success for peace, health and
wisdom will be so much more likely
Why do we do the things we do when we know the things we know?
I define success as being in a state of total peace with myself and those around me most days
of my life. It is a place where nothing is missing and nothing is broken.
And I like the definition of wisdom being more than knowledge. Alfred Lord Tennyson,
English poet, said, “Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers”
I have studied a number of successful individuals over the years What I have observed is that
there are three key areas these people have applied their wisdom:
---faith
---family
---fitness
Not only do they start, but they consistently make wise choices in the three areas. They sow
wisely in fertile ground and they make sure that the seeds sown are well cared for later. They
are patient as they await the fruits of their decisions and actions.
.
When I use the term faith I do not think about organized religion or a particular culture,
denomination or tradition. I am talking about a consistent way of thinking and choosing your
attitude each day of your life. In other words what determines your thoughts, beliefs and
words. It is about being in total and continuous peace no matter what happens. It is all about
trusting the Creator as your source.
When I talk about family I am not talking about your biological family only but also about
the people you associate with at work, in the organizations you belong to, the people who
care about you deeply and most importantly the people that you must care about consistently.
When it comes to fitness I am thinking about more than your resting heart rate, your muscle
power, your endurance or your athletic skills. I am thinking also about the choices you make
about nutrition, sleep, stress management, and your ability to age with overall wellness.
These seeds you sow in the area of complete fitness must always be on the front page of your
mind. No matter how dedicated you are in getting along with others, yourself and your
Creator, a sick and tired body is simply like a fine luxury car, but without fuel in the tank.
There are so many other books out there on how to accomplish success in the various fields
of life. With the Internet at our finger tips any second of the day there are fewer and fewer
times when we can truly say “I do not know why or how”. There is no shortage of experts.
More and more blogs are born daily. They shout at at us “ Listen to me; Come back again. I
have the answers”
Lack of reliable information is not the reason people are sick, tired stressed, inconsistent in
their habits. It is all about lack of being consistent in applying knowledge daily..
But what strikes me every time I care for sick patients or learn about people failed to finish
well I wonder how it could be that when they knew all the things they knew they ended up
doing the things they did. Or as someone remarked “If all the How To books worked, we’d
all be skinny, famous and rich”
It almost seems that we have unlimited information and knowledge, but limited wisdom as to
how we apply all that we have come to know. We have the seeds in our hands but we fail to
sow; or we sow in the wrong soil and expect fine fruits.
As you read this book, my hope is that you will be inspired to ask three questions:

How can I become more consistent in applying what I already know or with the new
information I will learn in the days ahead?

How do I persuade myself consistently to first go inside; to check my mental map, my
internal drive or my internal dialogue— the things that determine my thoughts,
beliefs, words, opinions, attitudes What comes out of a cup when it is bumped is the
contents…what is inside matters much.

What are the top three areas I need to work on consistently in order to experience
peace---security in the midst of turmoil--- within myself, with others and most
importantly, peace with my Creator, God?
As a runner who runs every day of my life, and as an athlete who is getting closer and closer
to running a 100th marathon, as a doctor who has helped a number of patients reach their
goals of healthy living and as a person who regularly gets invitations to be on TV, write on
health matters or do radio interviews, I am certain that in consistency lies the power. I have
been blessed thus far to complete each and every marathon I entered and in the chapters
ahead I will share some ideas on how you can become more consistent in finishing whatever
challenge you may face more often than not. In marathon running I have observed that many
enter but not all finish. Those who fail to finish, do so most often as a result of being
inconsistent in some area of their daily routine.
In consistency lies the power…
After all these years of doing what I have done, I know without any doubt that although its
easy to start something, it is way harder to finish it and that one of the biggest reason for
finishing well---whatever the area may be---lies in the ability to be consistent. In consistency
lies the power.
My prayer and hope for you is that as you read these pages, the words will not be words
anymore, but that they will transform your ability to live life one day at a time, filled with
peace, wisdom, victory and success. As noted earlier, allow knowledge to come, but then also
allow wisdom to linger. Applying knowledge is wisdom. The neat thing about this truth is
that the longer one applies knowledge wisely the easier it gets to avoid traps that may cause
one to drift off course.
The Jewish word for Peace is Shalom. I am told that the true meaning of that word is nothing
missing and nothing broken---security when there are all kinds of troubles and obstacles. In
consistency lies the power to experience that kind of peace. I believe you have the ability to
walk in the best health possible—body, spirit and soul. All these areas in balance, causing
complete fitness and wellness all the time.
May you choose wisely, sow well, do it one step at a time as we cover the next few chapters
together. Enjoy the journey. Become like a marathon runner and pace yourself wisely one
mile at a time with purpose in each step.
In life it is time to move forward.
Although life is also like marathon running about enduring and overcoming, make sure you
enjoy the distance. Make it last. Leave an impact. Live by example. Give a 100% effort and
expect a 100% result. Believe the best, expect the best. Speak the best and think the best.
I am looking forward to seeing you at the finish line….meanwhile enjoy the journey.