Never sacrifice your physical health for money!
I was that dude doing that for the corporate world for about 10 years. Eating unhealthy, no exercise, no lifting, nearly lacking sunlight, blue light exposure, and an irregular sleep schedule. In today’s world, health is something that got turned around, flipped inside out, and got all messed up.
I’m not an old man by any means yet (unless you ask my kids). Trying to get rich at the expense of your health isn’t worth it. I’ve been through enough in the course of my life to start to see that.
In your early twenties, you could think you’re invincible, so you put in 80-plus hours a week at work to climb the corporate ladder running on caffeine and adrenaline. However, your way of life will eventually catch up with you, and if you’re lucky, you’ll notice the warning signals before it’s too late.
In this article, let’s discuss money and health. I will point out why you should prioritize your health and the benefits that it can have on your life.
Health Is Wealth
“The greatest wealth is health,” quoted by a master poet I like, Virgil from Rome, c. 50BC.
How intriguing it is that, 2000 years later, wealth appears to be the primary goal for most people in the ‘developed’ world, with health being put on the back burner while many people struggle to make ends meet. If health is a form of riches, what kind of monetary value would you put on it?
Taking good care of my health has enabled me to live a more ‘rich’ life, and for me, that means being in excellent condition and having enough raw energy to get through my week. You can agree surely that it’s impossible to price that!
Why Is Health More Important Than Wealth?
What is your most valued property – your most essential asset? Is this your place? What about your 401(k)? How much money do you have in an emergency savings account? Possibly even your time?
The more you think of it, your most important asset is certainly YOU – more precisely, your health!
In other words, your health serves as the foundation for all other aspects of your life, including wealth. And all that you gain is meaningless if your health worsens and you can’t enjoy what you have worked hard for.
I may speak more about this in the future, but I’ve had my battles with health issues, and without thinking for a second, I’d gladly swap my account balance to be 100% healthy. The following are a few reasons why:
1. You Can’t Start Building Wealth Without Health
Ironically, wealthy people appear to be the ones who grasp this concept the best. When you examine the habits of successful people, you will notice that many of them concentrate on food, exercise, meditation, and taking time out for friends and family. They recognize that they will not be able to achieve their highest levels of productivity in their money-making endeavors unless they take care of their health.
Because of my health concerns, I am aware of the limitations to what I can accomplish in my personal life. I’m not the kind of person who can stay up until midnight and get up at 5 a.m. every morning. I need more sleep than the average person. I’ve learned to manage my time effectively and prioritize what I devote my attention to. My awareness and understanding of my limitations have enabled me to eliminate any non-essential activities from my life and avoid the “shiny object syndrome.”
And, to be honest, I believe that if I had never experienced health problems, I would have been more susceptible to falling into the trap of pursuing wealth at the expense of my health. As a result, learning this lesson earlier in life than most people is a blessing in some ways.
2. Money Cannot Ultimately Make You Happy
This is something that I strove with for many years. It was easy to convince myself that I would be happier if I had more money. However, no amount of money can bring you happiness unless you have a healthy body. And this is the main reason why you should prioritize your health. You can have a significant income, but it doesn’t matter how much money you make if you don’t have a healthy body.
There’s this saying that you’ll own nothing. And you’ll be satisfied. And I think that’s true in countless ways. After many years of pursuing financial stability alongside my pursuit of health, it finally clicked for me – the only way to be truly happy is to take care of my health first and be contented with what I have.
3. Wealth Cannot Buy Health
Being in good health indeed allows you to have more time, energy, and motivation to earn extra money, but, with few exceptions, it doesn’t work the other way around. A 40-year career of neglecting one’s health cannot be followed by the expectation that one’s health would be restored by throwing money at it.
But interestingly enough, that appears to be precisely what we (at least in Western society) are attempting. The United States has a prescription pill for almost everything, rather than turning to holistic health techniques such as nutrition, exercise, meditation, or even just a night out with friends to alleviate your symptoms.
Compared to other high-income countries, the US spends $9,400 on healthcare per capita. That’s a lot of money for the typical American. Despite this lavish spending, our health is undoubtedly not getting better and, in most cases, it has even deteriorated. Preventable conditions like diabetes and heart disease are far more prevalent in the United States than in other high-income countries.
The relentless quest for wealth or just trying to keep up with our peers is a constant source of stress and anxiety. Despite the assurances that life will be perfect once we reach the next level of financial security, we are poisoning ourselves to get there. And it’s typically only when we reach the pinnacle that we realize we’d gladly trade our material gains just to be healthy.
How to Set Your Health as a Top Priority
The good news is that it is never too late to realize that health is more valuable than wealth.
And, in case it wasn’t evident from the above, being a healthy person encompasses more than bodily well-being. I have been rigorous in pursuing all forms of treatment for my health issues, whether medical, nutritional, or holistic.
Even if your physical health is not in perfect condition, and while health is something you can’t always control, you can still find happiness and satisfaction in your life by improving other aspects of your body and mind.
Here are a few actionable suggestions to assist you in prioritizing your health:
1. Incorporate Exercise as a Part of Your Everyday Schedule
By integrating daily exercise into your routine, you’ll be able to get enough exercise that will not interfere with your schedule (if you have one), and it will promote good health. Besides being therapeutic during times of stress, it will undoubtedly increase the quality of your life. This doesn’t mean spending 2 hours a day at the gym.
Just shifting your lifestyle to include more walking instead of driving can undoubtedly help out.
2. Spend More Time Preparing a Nutritious Diet
I am not a nutritionist. I am not even a health coach. But I can tell you, and you’ve heard it before: eat with moderation. Working on your diet is one of the main ways to promote your health, especially if you have diabetes or other cardiovascular problems.
3. Sleep Well
Make sure to get 6-8 hours of sleep each night. This is the best way to restore your energy after a long workday. If you have difficulty sleeping, start including some activities that relax you before bedtime (such as reading).
4. Spend Some Quality Time with Loved Ones
It’s easy to get wrapped up in your work, school, or other commitments. But in those moments when you are with family and friends, take a moment to enjoy the company of others. Use this time to share laughter with your loved ones, if nothing else. It will do wonders for your mental health.
5. Spend Some Quality Time by Yourself
Though you’re better off spending quality time with others, there’s no harm in spending some time alone either. The body needs rest too! If you’ve been tired lately, I’d recommend taking some more rest to avoid burnout and mental fatigue!
6. Meditate to Improve Your Wellbeing
There are many ways to improve your well-being, but meditation is without a doubt the best. Meditation is also a great way to get rid of stress and anxiety. Mindfulness is also a part of this process, as it teaches you to be more aware and present in your life. I had a two-day meditation retreat, and it was a phenomenal experience.
It was exactly what I needed at that moment in my life. It restored my perspective and taught me to be more mindful in my everyday life, which will undoubtedly lead to long-term healthy habits, relationships with others, and improved health on all levels.
Author’s Note About Money and Health
This article has helped shed light on the importance of prioritizing your health. I hope that by reading it, you have been able to prioritize your health better than before.
If you love more articles like this, you can check out the rest of my blog. We’ve added a few of our favorites below as well. Check it out! You should definitely give it a read.
I wanted to thank you for this good read!! I absolutely loved every little bit ofit. I have you bookmarked to look at new stuff you post.