When you have the opportunity to ask some of the most interesting people in the world about their lives, sometimes the most fascinating answers come from the simplest questions. The Thrive Questionnaire is an ongoing series that gives an intimate look inside the lives of some of the world’s most successful people.
Thrive Global: What’s the first thing you do when you get out of bed?
Dr. Frank Lipman: I meditate for 20-30 mins.
TG: What gives you energy?
FL:I love what I do and I love the people I work with. And on the weekend I try spend time in nature. Both interestingly give me energy.
TG: What’s your secret life hack?
FL: I have the love, support and wisdom of an amazing woman, my wife, Janice.
TG: Name a book that changed your life.
FL: Between heaven and earth, a guide to Chinese medicine.
TG: Tell us about your relationship with your phone. Does it sleep with you?
FL: Not particularly attached to it and at night it is turned off and in another room, never in my bedroom.
TG: How do you deal with email?
FL: I respond when I can, I don’t like having unanswered emails.
TG: You unexpectedly find 15 minutes in your day, what do you do with it?
FL: Depends where and when but generally try and get out of my head. Although these days, I find myself looking at the news to see if something else outrageous has happened since I last looked (and it often has).
TG: When was the last time you felt burned out and why?
FL: When I was pushing myself too much and not meditating.
TG: When was the last time you felt you failed and how did you overcome?
FL: Failure for me is not a particularly big issue because I am able to brush it off and move on. I don’t dwell on failures and have actually learnt a lot from them along the way.
TG: Share a quote that you love and that gives you strength or peace
FL: This quote by Wendell Berry… “People are fed by the food industry, which pays no attention to health, and are treated by the health industry, which pays no attention to food.” It gives me the strength to keep fighting the good fight to change the system.
Dr. Frank Lipman, author of How to Be Well and founder of Be Well.