I took care of a man in my clinic the other day who had retired a few months before. He had worked hard all his life; he was honest, hardworking and raised children that were fairly successful. He was in my clinic because he was depressed. He was depressed because he felt like he no longer had a reason to get up in the morning.

He didn’t want to go back to work but he also didn’t know what to do with himself. He felt he was no longer contributing to society. In addition, he was broke. He wasn’t in poverty; he just didn’t have any money. He and his wife live on a fixed income and it doesn’t allow them to do many things. His 401k has taken a hit and his retirement plan doesn’t look like what he was told it would.

Even his marriage is on the rocks. He and his wife are “at each other” all the time because they are always home together without a break.

I wish this story were unique.
I wish I hadn’t heard it before, but unfortunately I hear something similar daily. People find themselves at the end of a road they didn’t even know they were traveling down. They get to the latter part of life and wonder what they did that got them there. Most of them are broke, embarrassed, and depressed.

They didn’t plan for where they were going. They just got on the ship of life and let it drift to its own destination without wondering if it was where they really wanted to go in the first place.

If we have no plan, then we do not get excited about life and where we are going. We cannot possibly know if we are getting closer to our destination if we don’t know what our destination is.

Many of us fear the future.
We fear what may be coming because we are allowing others to plan our future for us. We sometimes become so paralyzed with the fear that we will make the wrong decision, that we make no decision at all. That is the greatest tragedy. We must plan what we want our future to look like and then take massive action to make it happen.

Read Michael Masterson’s book, Ready Fire Aim. He offers some great advice on how to overcome your fear of decision-making. His philosophy will help you start planning to get what you want out of life and then take the steps to make it happen. Don’t worry if you make a mistake or change your course. You can correct as you go.

Dr. Tim's Personal Rule
I have a personal rule to not worry about things I cannot control. That means I stopped worrying about the economy or Wall Street. I no longer concern myself with what the President is trying to get through Congress. I don’t care what the weather will be like next week. I don’t want to know if my negative brother-in-law is any more or less negative than last week. You see, these are things over which I have no control.

Interestingly, most people spend a large amount of their time explaining, discussing, worrying about, or whining about things they have absolutely no control over. There is probably a good reason for this. It helps them avoid working on the one thing they can control — themselves!

When we spend less time worrying about the President’s economic stimulus package and spend that same time planning our own stimulus package, it is so much more productive.

Imagine spending your time creating your own dream life instead of watching reality TV shows. Take just a fraction of the time you spend worrying about things you truly have no control over, and spend the time instead on something you can control — your own life and future.

Here is a challenge for you.

Shut off the news for two weeks. Don’t watch anything negative at all. Even though you may think you have to keep up on depressing world events, just try it for two weeks and see if you really miss anything at all. You may be surprised to learn that you don’t.

Spend that time instead reading a positive motivating book. Challenge yourself to read ten pages a day of something that will help you live the life you want to live. Ten pages doesn’t seem like much, but trust me, the new habit will change your life. I can tell you that it’s worked for me in my life, and I know it will work for you.

You won’t end up retired, broke and depressed when you stop worrying about the things you can’t control and start taking control of your life and actions. Just get busy.

Author's Bio: 

Dr. Tim Reynolds founded Living Every Minute in 2009 to allow him to share his passion for finding success in every minute with others. He dedicates countless hours each week to helping other people change their lives through mentoring, life building, giving inspirational talks and writing for his free weekly newsletter.

Life wasn't always the picture of perfection it is now for Dr. Tim. In fact, he was the first member of his family to graduate high school. He joined the military shortly after graduation, where he graduated from the Special Forces Q-course in July of 1982. He served as a Green Beret medic on an A-Team, as the Battalion medic and eventually as a Special Forces Battalion Surgeon for the 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne). He served both enlisted and as an officer for 17 years.

After getting out of the military, Dr. Tim decided he wanted to go to college to be a doctor. His guidance counselor told him he was too old. He would be 32 before he finished his degree. He told her, "I'm going to be 32 either way." He went on to graduate college with honors.

It was his passion for helping people that inspired him to become a medical doctor, and in 1993 he graduated Summa Cum Laude with an MD degree from the University of Utah. He completed his Emergency Medicine residency at Texas A&M Scott and White in 1996 and is board certified in emergency medicine. He is the managing partner for HealthCARE Express, a group of urgent care clinics rapidly expanding across the United States.

Prior to starting HealthCARE Express in 2006, Dr. Tim held numerous positions across the medical field, including: medical director of the Wadley Regional Medical Center Emergency Department and level II trauma center; president of E-Med Services, LLP and of E-Med Billing Solutions, LLP; associate clinical professor for the Area Health Education Center at the University of Arkansas; and founding member of the Greater People’s Clinic of Texarkana Board of Directors.

In addition to his medical experience, Dr. Tim is also an entrepreneur and successful businessman. He is currently the chief executive officer of TL Reynolds Properties, LLP, a real estate investment company; and he is a managing partner of JJET Developments Ltd., a real estate development company.

Dr. Tim has served on numerous other committees and boards throughout both the medical and business communities and is published in various journals and publications. He is sought after as a presenter at many national conferences.

In his leisure time, Dr. Tim enjoys spending time on his Ranch in Atlanta, Texas, where he lives with his beautiful wife, Pam, and their five amazing children. He holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, is a SCUBA rescue diver, and a pilot. He also enjoys body building, golf, and hiking.

Dr. Tim is a world traveler, having visited over 40 countries on six of the seven continents. He is a firm believer in Living Every Minute of life and teaching others to do the same.

Learn more at www.LivingEveryMinute.com