Strive

10Enhance Yourself

The first wealth is health.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson, American transcendentalist

Success Without Self‐Care Is Failure

Bloated

That's what I thought about myself one day when I happened to come across a recent photo of myself. I stared at the picture for a long time. A juicy steak, an extra slice of cheesecake—these kinds of things tasted so good going down, but when I saw myself, I realized that my eating habits were wrecking my body. I knew I wasn't young anymore, but I didn't realize that I would look so unhealthy when I hit my 30s. I didn't just look sickly, either. I didn't feel well, and my physical health was impacting my attitude. I decided that I needed to do something immediately, so after some discussion with my wife, we decided to go raw vegetarian.

Cold Turkey

I didn't allow myself any transition foods or cut myself some slack. Every day I chowed down on bags of sliced raw vegetables like beets, carrots, and tomatoes. Needless to say, this had an immediate effect on my digestive system. (Let's just say I felt sorry for my coworkers.) However, the amazing thing about changing my diet so radically was that I looked and felt better. It was as if the years had melted away. My flagging energy gradually returned, and I found that I could manage my moods better. My skin cleared up and I looked younger. I stayed on that diet for about three years, and then switched to one that incorporated a wider variety of foods. Now, I eat carefully considered portions ...