top of page

There's Room At The Top

By Timmy Lanier
A huge part of wellness is the health of your spirit, the “you” inside of you that governs your thoughts, actions, desires, goals, and dreams.  I personally feel a burst of spiritual health whenever I help someone.  That’s why I love what I do so much- its so rewarding to me when my patients return for follow up visits all better after initially visiting the office for an illness or health affecting condition.  I absolutely feel spiritually motivated and rejuvenated when, after patients have come to me with horrible lab results, we implement a plan of care and then they return for their wellness visit with near flawless lab results and they’re looking and feeling so much better than before! 

I think that when we help others, in some form or fashion, we help ourselves more- especially when our motives are honest and pure.  I also feel that we all have something that we can give, even if it may feel small or of little value when we ourselves think about what we can offer, because to someone else, that offering that we feel is so meniscal, may mean the world.  But neither yourself nor the person that could be the recipient of your blessing can benefit from it if its not given.  That’s one of the biggest reasons why I do what I do and I don’t have the words to describe how good it feels inside, in my spirit, when someone is made better from something that I said, did, or gave.
Unfortunately, so many people that are able to help others reach their full potential won’t do so because their selfish spirit can only think of the possibilities for prosperity that may come to others and are unable or unwilling to see how someone else’s evolution can help them as well.  Steve Harvey, in an interview on Shannon Sharpe’s ‘Club Shay-Shay’ podcast, when asked why after he had taken full control of morning radio, did he help Ricky Smiley, DL Hughley, Earthquake, and so many others to begin their own radio shows that would play to the same audience and ultimate be his competition,
responded “my mama told me a long time ago 
steve-harvey1.jpg
when I was about 11 or 12, ‘son, one day God is going to give you a big house up on top of the hill.  But when you get up there, you have to tell someone else how to get on the hill’ and I kept that with me because there’s room at the top because the top ain’t crowded.”  Steve said that he had read in a book that there is not traffic on the extra mile.  He added, “if you go the extra mile, you can speed, do donuts, flip your car, or whatever because there ain’t no traffic on the extra mile.”  And he’s absolutely right because every hierarchy graphic is shaped like a pyramid where the bottom is wide and contains the most and top is small because it holds the best. 

Steve said something so profound.  He said, “ When I helped Rickey Smiley, Earthquake, DL Hughley, and others to be successful at what I do, I was never worried about them being so successful and competing against me because what is for me is going to be for me no matter what.”  He went on to say, “people think that if they blow out your candle, it’ll make their candle brighter but that’s not how it works.  We need more candles and so my thing has always been to uplift others and teach them how to do it.”  And I’ve noticed this from Steve over the years.  Rickey Smiley one morning on his radio show shared how Steve Harvey got him into the business, taught him, trained him, and helped set him up with stations to help him take off.  Steve didn’t count these stations as personal losses when they subscribed to Rickey Smiley because he had already made it and made it big.  There’s room at the top!  Why be greedy and try to hoard his talent and knowledge to himself and not benefit others?  Why not help others become the best of themselves that they can be?  Why would I, knowing what would help someone become healthier and improve their wellness holistically, withhold that information from them? 

I agree with Steve.  There’s room at the top meaning it’s ok to share what you have with others to help them be better.  Steve said that he doesn’t feel that he’s lost a thing or that his wealth and presence has diminished one bit since he’s put so many others into the game.  In fact, he feels just the opposite.  He feels proud and excited when he sees his prodigies become great and he encourages them to not forget where they came from, how they got to where they are, and to do the same for others just as it was done for them because that’s where the true reward is.  I challenge all to share that spirit.  Reject jealousy and envy and embrace helping, supporting, and sharing because there’s room at the top.
bottom of page