We make decisions everyday about how we choose to live our life.  Sometimes, we need to take a step back and take a closer look at the choices we make on a daily basis.

Granted, sometimes things happen to us, that we would not choose, I didn't choose to have diabetes, but I do choose how I live with diabetes.

I've listed below 4 Choices that I make everyday to lead a healthier, happy life:

1) Feed and Protect Your Mind Daily

I am very careful what I allow into my mind everyday.  One of the things that I have gotten into the habit of doing is: limiting the amount of time I watch the news, or reading the newspaper. I used to read 3 newspapers daily, and I always watched the 11 o'clock news before going to bed.

Not any more.

Everyday there are incredible, positive things happening all around us, unfortunately they don't make the front page of the newspaper, or the lead story on the news.

Protect and feed your mind daily by: reading a great book, listening to your favorite music, talking to a friend, or going for a walk.

The choice is yours, what you focus on does indeed expand.

2) Make Healthy Food Choices

I admit that before I was diagnosed with living with insulin dependent diabetes, I didn't always make good food choices.  Now it's a priority.

The great thing is it is easy to do, but does take some planning.

Now I make sure to drink at least 6 glasses of water a day, eat my fruits and veggies, and limit the amount of caffeine I consume a day.

3) Exercise Daily

That doesn't mean that you have to go out and join a gym, but rather make it a habit to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day.  I've spent a fair amount of time in New York City this year, and one thing New Yorkers do alot of is - walking.

If you have a busy schedule, get up a half hour earlier and get your 30 minutes in before the day starts.  You will feel better, have more energy, and I've found that my best ideas come to me while I'm exercising (so much so that I carry a pen and a notepad in my workout bag).

4) Spend time in Silence

People that know me well, find it hard to believe that I spend time silent everyday, but I do. 

How you spend that time is entirely up to you.  Some people people meditate, do yoga, dream, write in a gratitude journal, the choice is yours.

Shawn Shepheard Speeches & Training Shawn Shepheard has worked extensively in the career development field, including recruitment, customer service, career management and leadership training. He is also a celebrated inspirational speaker and was named the 2008 Volunteer of the year from the Canadian Diabetes Association.