I don't know much about Deepak Chopra, other than that he's established himself as a brand on matters involving personal health. That is to say, I've heard of him, and perhaps seen him on TV talk shows, and whatever impressions I have of him are neutral-positive.

His post yesterday on HuffPost showed me, perhaps tardily, what's propelling him. Beginning to end, he hit the right notes. But I want to start with his end:

The solution is staring us in the face: Reclaim your right to decide who you will be and how you will live. There are no other shortcuts, even though millions of people hope and pretend that there are. The good news is that a conscious lifestyle is not just the healthiest but the happiest.

Three sentences, three killer-thriller thoughts. People want shortcuts. I want shortcuts, when I can make them work for me. But for some things, and many of the important things, the path is the path and can't be successfully shortened.

To my view, weight-loss surgery is a good example. Maybe it is medically indicated sometimes, but the better way is to reduce the problem is the way it accumulated, by replacing one set of practices and habits with a better one. It's my choice, and I will reap the outcomes of the choices I make.

The choices I started making 20-plus years ago — which most noticably changed my body size and appearance, dramatically — have had far more far-reaching outcomes that I wouldn't even have known to ask for. Without question, in my experience, becoming conscious about the world and about my world has indeed made me healthier and happier.

Prior to going down this route, I would have thought it would be a slog that couldn't possibly be worthwhile. If I hadn't been in as much discomfort as I was, I wouldn't have done it. But now that it has happened, I'm dedicated to sharing with those who still think it couldn't possibly be worthwhile, that it is. Not altruistically, or theoretical, but selfishly and tangibly.