Non Fiction / Personal Growth/Career
Date Published: February 18, 2020
Publisher: Clovercloft Publishing
College, medical school, and then ten years of grueling surgical training, that’s what it took for Brian Lima to become a leading heart transplant surgeon – literally able to breathe new life into critical ill patients. Not only has Lima never shied away from a challenge, he has spent his life actively seeking them in pursuit of seemingly near-impossible goals. In his insightful new book, HEART TO BEAT: A Cardiac Surgeon’s Inspiring Story of Success and Overcoming Adversity—The Heart Way (Clovercroft Publishing/February 18, 2020), Dr. Lima shares his story, giving everyone – not just aspiring physicians – the tools and encouragement needed to be their best selves.
“We all have free will, and we all have a choice,” he writes. “You can choose to live aimlessly, halfheartedly going with the flow and suppressing that inner voice, the one beckoning you to unleash your full potential and to grab the world by storm. Or you can achieve success by committing to hard work and unceasing effort.”
In HEART TO BEAT, Dr. Lima candidly shares, often with a wry sense of humor, how this approach enabled him to reach the pinnacle of success in all of his undertakings – whether it was building the strength and skill to become a varsity football player, becoming valedictorian of his high school class, earning a scholarship to Cornell University, or winning coveted residency opportunities as he trained to become a heart surgeon.
“You don’t have to be the smartest or most talented person in the room to get ahead, just the one who wants it the most,” he writes. Indeed, Dr. Lima credits his own achievements purely to his intense effort. In his eminently readable, down-to-earth book, he breaks down the keys to advancing beyond your comfort zone and perceived limitations to unleash your full potential. Dr. Lima’s powerful lessons include:
Heart Over Matter – “You, and you alone, are responsible for how much or how little you achieve in this life,” he writes. Only when you realize that you are master of your own destiny, and refuse to allow insecurities, past experiences, and fears to limit your potential, will you realize your dreams.
Heart Of War – Complacency is your biggest adversary. You must never cease working and bettering yourself – if you do, you will surely slide off the top of your game. “The minute you rest on your laurels and kick your feet up, you’ve settled for defeat,” says Dr. Lima.
Kickstart My Heart – Dr. Lima explains that the “propulsive power of ambition” has been one of the most impactful forces of his life. “Your eagerness to move ahead contributes more to your success than natural talent or being born with a silver spoon.” Ambition is what enables people to overcome the primary hurdle to success: self-doubt.
Till Death With My Heart – If something is truly your calling – meaningful, bigger than you, and well-intended – it is likely not going to be easy to achieve, says Dr. Lima. For him, the rule must be “it’s all in or no win.” Being “well-rounded” is incompatible with true excellence, he contends.
Not For the Faint of Heart – Fear of failure can disrupt the pursuit of any goal, and overcoming this fear is a monumental task that requires you to meet it head-on again and again, until you’re desensitized to its paralyzing influence. Dr. Lima urges readers to see every moment as just that – a moment – whether they’re going for a buzzer beater in basketball or performing heart surgery. This is what gives people the courage to take their shot at every opportunity.
The Heart Sell on Entrepreneurship – “One way or another, you have to get the word out about how great your ‘brand’ is – in other words, how great you are,” says Dr. Lima, contending that the sales mantra “always be closing” is critical to success. He points to such key fundamentals as avoiding pigeonholes and being open to opportunities; never second-guessing yourself; continuing to invest in yourself; and using your time wisely.
In addition to the author’s compelling personal story, HEART TO BEAT also includes a fascinating look at the current technologies and medical care available to treat heart disease, along with the basics about living a heart-healthy life – straight from the mouth of one of the country’s leading heart transplant surgeons.
“There are those who choose to chase victory and to live life on their own terms, and there are those who don’t,” declares Dr. Lima. HEART TO BEAT will help you choose the path to victory, giving you the motivation you need to achieve your dreams, whatever they may be.
Interview
Interview
What is the hardest part of writing
your books?
As
a busy heart surgeon, finding the time to organize my thoughts and ideas has
been one of the most difficult challenges in writing my book. But time is only
part of it, because almost equally as challenging has been making the conscious
decision to go out on a limb and share my personal journey—few, if any, of my
colleagues have done so in the past so it was a leap of faith on my part to
trust my instinct and tell my story.
What songs are most played on your
Ipod?
My
playlists consist primarily of 1990’s alternative (grunge) and hip hop, with
classics from NAS’s 1st album ILLMATIC, widely considered the best
hip hop album of all time (favorite tracks include New York State of Mind), Wu
Tang Clan, and any song with Chris Cornell (from grudge band Soundgarden) who I
think is the best male vocalist of all time—songs include Black Hole Sun,
Sunshower, Seasons, Hunger Strike. But really, depends on my mood, what I’m
doing (driving, operating, working out), and I can listen to most genres.
Do you have critique partners or beta
readers?
Not
really, unless my wife, Courtney, counts as one? She was my unofficial sounding
board throughout the writing of this book.
What book are you reading now?
“THE
SUBTLE ART OF NOT GIVING A F*CK”
How did you start your writing career?
For
the past twenty years I’ve written a great deal in the medical literature as
part of my professional career in heart surgery. But about 5 years ago I began
to coalesce personal notes I had jotted down about my life and the challenges I
faced reaching my goals. These became the eventual contents of my first book, a
motivational memoir entitled HEART to BEAT.
To be determined…
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