Today we are visiting with nutrition and fitness expert, Dr. Len Lopez, whose professional career has had its share of highs and lows. He says his professional career has been an education in itself, especially when it comes to having direction and a plan or goal to work towards. He believes, if you don’t have a plan for where you want to go in life or in business – how can you complain when you arrive at the land of heartaches and headaches instead of the land of milk and honey. What’s great about your life, your business, is that you get to decide where you want to go.
Is there a guarantee you will reach that land of milk and honey if you write your goals down and think positive – NO! But it sure does increase your odds. Dr. Len shared with me how he first set out to become a successful chiropractor, but it was everything that came afterwards that threw him off course. However, he was able to expand his skill sets, which helped him become an author, speaker, inventor, as well as, formulator of nutritional products.
He shared with me how he was first introduced to natural medicine. He happened to be sitting next to an investigative journalist while on a flight more than 30 years ago. He said the conversation was very thought provoking and had him recalling how his aunt was the local healer where he grew-up. She treated friends, family and others who had various health issue. She was a curandera which in Spanish means healer or medicine man or women – or as his dad would say, witch doctor. He just remembers people coming to her the same way so many people go to their family practitioner.
This happenstance meeting on a plane got him to do some critical thinking about health and healing. He says, western medicine is the best in the world when it comes to handling any type of trauma or injury, as well as various disease processes. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do such a great job with many of the chronic and degenerative problems facing our society. The good news and opportunity that Dr. Len saw, was that holistic, natural medicine was a growing business and a lot more people were looking to start treating the cause, not just the symptoms. So, remember when you set sail for whatever business passion you have, make sure there is a growing market or a large enough interest in whatever it is you want to do.
Dr. Len’s passion and interest in natural, holistic medicine grew, but he thought he would be treating people one by one in his office for the next 30 years. Fortunately, he had the foresight to feed his passion and expanded his education in his early years and became certified as a Clinical Nutritionist and Strength and Conditioning Coach. He recalls how his practice expanded and was attracting people with all types of health issues including chronic and degenerative issues. It was more than aches and pain and weight loss patients he was treating.
Fortunately, he was prepared for the next opportunity that came his way. He says that one day he was invited as a guest for a local morning television program in Dallas called, Good Morning Texas. What he thought would be a one-time opportunity, turned out to be a two-year gig. He said, he was overwhelmed with the attention and really didn’t know what to do or how to take advantage of the opportunity.
Dr. Len admitted he really didn’t know what he wanted out of this opportunity. So, when people approached him and handed him their card and said, they would like to become his publicist, his agent and talked to him about writing a book he was not sure what to do. In hindsight, he now understands the importance of having goals and dreams, because it gives you direction and keeps you on track. But his takeaway, is that you also have to update those goals and dreams, once you reach them, otherwise you can become stagnate.
Dr. Len looks back and realizes that he could have done so much more with the various opportunities, but they were learning moments in his life. He shared that story, because he had gone from helping people individually in his office, to helping people over the airwaves, but now other doors were opening as well. He was invited to be on the advisory board of various nutrition companies, which again took him off his initial plan of treating patients, that he eventually decided to start his own nutrition company along the lines of what he saw in his office. Unfortunately, Dr. Len had another learning curve to go through to better understand all the ins and outs of manufacturing nutritional products.
Starting a nutrition company simply evolved as a byproduct from what he was seeing and recommending in his practice. He thought it was a no-brainer and with the help of a partner things were going fine. He had never had a partner and as he looks back he sees the good and bad of any partnership, which again, was never in Dr. Len’s plans. But things were looking good. The little nutrition company they started grew and was going to be bought by a bigger company. Unfortunately, the deal didn’t go through. By fate, about a year later Dr. Len ran into the president of the company that was going to buy his company and was told the reason the deal fell through was because they only wanted him and the products, not everything else within the company. Again, Dr. Len looks back and sees how he never anticipated or had the forethought that his company would be bought. Maybe that’s why it never happened. Again, it goes back to having a clear direction on what you want and where you want to go with your business or professional career life.
One takeaway that he learned was that it’s hard to be a really good doctor and run a nutrition company. He ended up leaving the nutrition company he founded. Good or bad, it was the right time to bring out his idea for a fitness product he’s had for years. It took him over a year to really get the ball moving as he had to again learn a whole new industry. Not only did he have to learn about metal fabrication, but he also took his share of bumps and bruises as he sought domestic and overseas manufacturing.
The funny part of this story is how he describes his light bulb moment for his Portable Pullup Bar. For the better part of his adult life Dr. Len always had a pullup bar hanging in his house or apartment. But he openly states it was his wife who was his inspiration. You see he had recently gotten married and when they were putting their first house together, he asked or told his wife that he was going to bolt his pullup bar in the kitchen hallway. In his mind, it made the most sense, it was better than a doorway. Unfortunately, his beautiful new wife didn’t see it that way. He remembers her distinctly saying, there is No #*@%ing Way, YOU are hanging that &%$@ing pullup bar in my kitchen!!!
Yes, it is true, inventions are the mother of necessity!
As he looks back, he can see the lack of direction is what took him through all the highs and lows of his professional life. No one is immune from making mistakes, but when you are not certain on your direction, the mistakes can be a lot worse. All the twists and turns of his professional career had shaped him into who he is, and it was about to take another turn. He had been asked to share his thoughts on the whole body, mind and spirit connection. Fortunately, that was something Dr. Len had been focusing on for years, in fact he thought this would be a great time to share his 5 STEPS a Day accountability program he developed. It’s a unique program that can help you change your habits and attitudes by tracking how you feed your body, mind, and spirit. What’s unique about the book or journal is that it’s ideal for all those visual and kinesthetic learners.
What’s worrisome for Dr. Len, is that it is a bit outside of his comfort zone. He’s made his mark as a health and fitness guy, not as a personal development guru. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that so much of his professional life has prepared him for what lays ahead. Yes, it’s important to stay in your own lane in whatever area of business you are in. But don’t be afraid to move into another lane if the opportunity presents itself and it can take you to the destination you are after. What do they say, it’s more about the journey than the destination!
The big takeaway from Dr. Len is you need to have a plan or destination in mind as you plan for your professional and personal life. He says it’s important to develop the other areas of your life. We are not just bodies – we are body, mind, and spirit – and you need that balance, especially if you have a spouse, partner and or family, if you want to be happy and successful. The other takeaway is if you don’t know where you want to go or what you want out of your life – how can you complain about not reaching that proverbial land of milk and honey. It’s not on your radar! It’s OK to fall and stumble as you make your way. The key is getting up after you fall. It’s about climbing out of the holes. The one thing he can say with confidence, not that it will keep you from falling into a hole again. But if you don’t know where you want to go – you could be leaving it up to others to decide for you. This applies to your business, your career, and your personal life. Set your sights on what you want in life. Visualize it, Dream about it. Write it down. Stay Positive. There’s no guarantee it’s going to happen – but it sure as heck improves your odds.
