To feel the energy and enthusiasm of Annette Larkins is to know you are with a powerful force, a human being who believes in the importance of setting goals and being determined. We spoke on the phone from her Miami home and she told me we’d get along because we both like spreading positive messages and creating healthy atmospheres. Our interview inspired me! Annette is a mover and shaker and at the young age of 75, she is vital and feisty and a very smart cookie… raw-vegan, I may add… LOL.
Liz: Tell me a little about your nature.
What makes you tick, Annette Larkins?
Annette: I am excited about life and about being a human being. We are individuals who need to take advantage of what we are capable of, and of what life has to offer. I want to be sure to give back so when I leave here, my legacy will be what I was about… living a healthy lifestyle and being fit; psychologically and physiologically fit, and spiritually sound, at whatever age I am. I am about being the best human I can be throughout my lifetime. I don’t sit when I can stand and I don’t stand when I can walk!
Liz: Where did this arise from, this profound understanding of yourself?
Annette: It developed over time by living life and observing myself and asking what makes me happy and looking within myself and asking, “What do I need to do not only to survive but to thrive?” Liz: Was there a time where you needed to shift from taking your cues from the outer world and receiving your inner-directed wisdom?
Annette: I’ve always been an inward individual. Certainly, we are mirrors of our society to a degree, but many people do not listen to what is within them because they are so used to listening to the drumbeat of others. They don’t take advantage of what they have within themselves. I believe, and have since I was a little girl, that the true power is knowing that I matter, that I count, and I’ve always been able to have that inner feeling, that inner thing!
When I was twelve I heard this girl say, “I am never going to be able to do that.” I said to her, life will bring you so many opportunities and that is just a thought pattern. You can always have hope and you can think differently. Well, it turns out the thing she feared the most and said was going to happen did happen. How do you like that? It actually happened the way she thought it would, even though it was the one thing she didn’t want to have happen.
Liz: Some of the teachers say, “What you think about, you bring about and you’ll create it… have you heard that before?
Annette: Liz, just an hour ago, you may not believe this, I said that same thing to someone else. You put it out into the universe and it comes back to you.
We both marveled at the synchronicity of having stated out loud, within the hour, the same concept and philosophical tenant that we both adhere to… so we paused for a moment and our connection deepened.
Liz: Your choice to be a raw foodist and vegan has become vital to your health and well-being and I understand it has garnered you both health and success. Yet, your husband didn’t follow along on your path. How has that been for you?
Annette: I couldn’t wait for you to finish that question, Liz, because I knew where you were going… let me tell you something, at 84, my husband just made a turnaround. In interviews, he’s said, “I wish I would have changed with Annette.”
Well, here’s how it happened: In September 2016 Amos had a ministroke and he was coming along quite well, and then in February his speech seemed slurred and they found out he had stenosis, a narrowing of the arteries in the neck. I asked the doctor, “Would you agree his diet is related?” And she said, “Yes,” and my husband said from his bed, “I’ll do what my wife is doing.”
So it’s been a full year and my husband has not had had any meat or dairy.
He eats cooked food but nothing fried, and his blood pressure is better, his diabetes has improved and his elimination has made him feel healthier and lighter.
Liz: Let’s talk about most of the people who will read this article: They are eating meat, popcorn in the movies and they are set in their habits. What encouragement can you give them?
Annette: It is never too late. If the nail is in the coffin or the ashes are in the urn, then it’s too late! Otherwise, this is what I say, “Are you digging your grave with your fork?”
The point is, you can take steps: Get your mind in the proper frame and get your psyche in order. Say, “Self, you can do it. Yes, I can do this. The power is within me! Own it!” In my book, “Journey to Health,” I quote Og Mandino. He said, “Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.”
Determine your goal - be clear what you plan to change.
Discover the necessary steps to achieving your goal. Remember, there will be obstacles, but I say crawl under them, climb over them, go around them or hit them smack dab right in the middle. The idea is to stay focused and the eventuality is you will achieve your goal if you stay strong.
Affirmations - I AM IN CONTROL.
Today I am strong. Today I am powerful.
Annette has written three “Journey to Health” books and appeared on multiple television and radio shows, including “The Steve Harvey Show” and the “Tom Joyner Morning Show.” Meet her online at www.annettelarkins.com Most of her vegetables and cooking ingredients are grown in her own backyard and it is full of lettuce, tomatoes and ginger. Caring for her garden keeps Annette busy, but I can attest she is motivated, energized and inspired to make everyone she meets happy and healthy!
It’s springtime… the vegetables are in prime time here in Florida and it’s warm enough to eat cool, raw foods… so go ahead and try something new for a happy, healthy you!