I am the Master of my Fate!!

William Ernest Henley

Invictus by William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me, 

 Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be 
For my unconquerable soul.

 In the fell clutch of circumstance  
I have not winced nor cried aloud.  
Under the bludgeonings of chance 
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears  
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
 And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley wrote "Invictus" in 1875, and every time that I read this poem, my heart starts to pound because of this poem's powerful message that we are the Masters of Our Fate! We get to decide, all day, everyday, how we will respond to things that happen in our lives. We can decided to surrender when we need to surrender and fight when we need to fight.

December 2010, I went in for my routine physical just like I do every year, and I felt confident, because my numbers: blood pressure, cholesterol etc are always normal. So, I knew that I had nothing to worry about. However, my doctor's office called and said that they wanted me to come in to talk about my test results. If you know anything about me, I went into a small panic, and I tried to get the receptionist to give me a hint of what the doctor wanted. She assured me that I would live, but they wanted me to come in.

I went back to the doctor, and she told me that my Vitamin D was low (Vitamin D that comes from the sun, and I am always outside.) and that my cholesterol was high. (She had the nerve to ask me if I wanted to take cholesterol medicine!) I am the Master of my Fate!!!!!!!!!

After the doctors report, I started to cry right there in her office. I started to cry, because at that moment I felt helpless, but instead of surrendering to the report, I decided that now was the time for me to fight for my life. I had recently turned 40, and I needed to make some changes that day. I am the Master of my Fate!!!!!!!

With aging, we MUST make changes in our diet and exercise routines. I, nor you, can do the same things that we did in our twenties, unless in your twenties, you were very health conscious, and even then, a twenty and thirty year old body is different than a forty year old body, and some adjustment may need to be made. By the way, if you are in your twenties and thirties, I would advise you to workout and be conscious about what you eat as much as possible. It's never too early to work on your health.

After that report, I went to see a nutritionist and did everything that was suggested, and I increased the rigor of my workouts, and here are new numbers:

• Overall cholesterol went from 209 to 180 (less than 200 hundred is good),
• My bad cholesterol (LDL) went from 127 to 102 (Below 130 is good, but under 100 is optimum),
• My good cholesterol (HDL) stayed at 73 (60 and above is optimum),
• My Triglycerides went from 43 to 29 (Triglycerides are the chemical form in which most fat exists in food and the body. A high triglyceride level has been linked to higher risk of coronary artery disease. A number under 150 is good, and I am at 29. Thank You Jesus!)
• My Vitamin D is normal (I take Vitamin D everyday religiously.)
• My blood pressure went from 120 to 100. (120 is optimum and 100 or less is athletes and children's blood pressure.)

KNOW YOUR NUMBERS!

So, I know people who say "I ain't gone do all of that," and the good news is that you do not have too. You Are The Master of Your Fate."

"All of that" is one hour of rigorous exercise and being mindful about what you eat..... So "all of that" ain't that difficult, but it can give you a better quality of life.

What I know for sure is that I feel great: my energy level is to the roof, my mental state is unbelievable, my body is showing the positive results of eating consciously and working out etc.

I'll be doing these things until I die:

People, "WE ARE THE MASTERS OF OUR FATES!!!!!"