One of the amazing things about living in D.C. is that you can meet inspirational people that change the world at any time. Congressman John Lewis was one of those inspiring people that I got the chance to meet on several occasions over the years. I found him to be very kind. He always had a kind word for me when I ran into him in the halls of Congress, as I was visiting a friend who worked there or lobbying for naturopathic medicine. On the few occasions when I was able to speak to him, he shared simple wisdom that caused me to think about a topic in a new way.

There are so many reasons that he was inspirational but what made him inspirational to me was that he believed in what was important to him and put all of his energy towards it. In the Eulogy of Congressman John Lewis, President One of the exceptional things about Congressman Lewis, that Obama spoke about, was that he showed us that when we follow through on what we believe in, even when it gets challenging, we can overcome our challenges to reach our goals.

Why do I take time to share my musing with you? First, because I want to pay my respects to this great man who fought for all our rights for his entire life. Second, because his lesson about persistence is so important when I think about achieving our health and life goals. I speak with so many of you about how important your health goals are to you BUT you don’t think that you will be able to achieve them because you give up as soon as you encounter an obstacle. I understand, it is quite common to get discouraged when you don’t see progress. It is normal. However, when you push past the initial disappointment, amazing results are waiting on the other side.

Congressman Lewis fought to get the African-American Museum of History and culture. In his own words, “I introduced the museum bill in every session of Congress for 15 years,” he wrote. “Giving up on dreams is not an option for me.” He made his dream come true and now millions of people are reaping the reward of his persistence.

Maybe you don’t want to change the whole world and you don’t have to. But you can change your health, so that you can spend more time with the people that are important in your world, and that is enough.

Now more than ever, maintaining and reclaiming your health is crucial. I know it is a dream for so many of you. I am here to tell you that I want to support you in achieving your dreams. You can have them! You just need to support to get over that first hurdle. We are here to help you! If you want to learn more, book in for a free 15-minute Priority Health call with Dr. Dae.