How to 'Metabolize' Your Environment

One way to achieve mental metabolism is to keep a positive mental attitude. I know it sounds like a cliché these days, but you must stay positive.  A positive outlook on life is not just a theory one subscribes to, nor is it simply a fanciful way of thinking – it’s a way of life.

This principle was beautifully illustrated by the story of former college basketball player, Isaiah Austin. Austin grew up dreaming of playing in the NBA.  He overcame a series of setbacks in his quest, including an incident in junior high school that left him legally blind in one eye.  Austin kept plugging away at his dream.  He earned All-American honors at Baylor University and his talent delivered him to the doorstep of NBA hoops.  But, just four days before the 2014 NBA draft, Austin’s dream was suddenly snatched from his grip when he was diagnosed with a career-ending medical condition called Marfan syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that would end his basketball career immediately.  Most of us would be crushed by this seemingly unfair and sudden set of circumstance, especially when you are so near the finish line of a long-awaited dream.  What Isaiah Austin said, though, motivates me every time I think about how tough I may have it: “It’s not the end, it’s only the beginning. Life goes on”.