The Choice That Saved Husamettin’s Life
Last week, I had one of the more interesting and amazing conversations I’ve ever had with a cab driver. His name was Husamettin. I’ve been in New York for the past week for a series of client meetings and interviews related to the launch of my new book. (Be sure to check out the special launch week offer at the end of this post.) On the way to one of those interviews, I was talking with Husamettin about how he stays sane navigating the crazy traffic of Manhattan. He told me that he has been driving here for 30 years but if he hadn’t changed his approach to his job 25 years ago he probably wouldn’t even be alive today, let alone driving.
For his first five years behind the wheel, he told me, he used to lean on his horn, yell and stress out every time he was cut off in traffic. Years of that kind of stress led to stomach ulcers so severe that he couldn’t even take a sip of coffee or orange juice without it feeling like someone was sticking a knife in his gut. He chose to make a change that likely saved his life.
“I decided I was going to wake up smiling every morning and keep smiling throughout the day. I wanted to start enjoying life again,” Husamettin told me. Based on the way he engaged with me and the fact that I had the smoothest, most pleasant cab ride I’ve ever had in New York City, I’d have to say that smiling and relaxing is working for him.
It was really a beautiful way to start a couple of weeks of activities related to the launch of Overworked and Overwhelmed: The Mindfulness Alternative because it was such a perfect illustration of what I’m writing about in the book. So, Husamettin, thanks for the great reminder that simple, mindful choices can not only make life feel less overworked and overwhelmed, they can save your life.
Launch Week Special Offer for My Readers
To say thanks for being a part of my blog community, I’m offering two companion resources to Overworked and Overwhelmed to readers who buy a hard cover copy of the book from Amazon between October 13 and 16. The first resource is a Group Discussion Guide designed to help like-minded people use the book to support each other in making essential changes in their lives. The second is the Life GPS® Personal Planner which includes a self-assessment, scoring guide and instructions on how to use the book to create a Life GPS® that helps you show up at your best and create the outcomes you want at home, at work and in your community. If you’ll send an Amazon receipt for your October 13 – 16 purchase of Overworked and Overwhelmed to ootma1.65zzo@zapiermail.com, we’ll get those two resources to you right away.