I was nervously getting my Annual Physical Exam when it hit me like a ton of bricks.
“Dead men don’t achieve their dreams.”
It sounds morbid, but it’s true, isn’t it? We need to be alive to achieve our dreams. So the following is also true.
“Sick men don’t achieve their dreams.”
It suddenly came to me because I recently had the flu that left me unable to work for a few days. That’s when I realized that it’s almost impossible to pursue grand dreams of wealth if you’re bed-ridden and fighting off a life-threatening disease.
I have a friend from my previous company who is fighting cancer. I admire his tenacity and his desire to live. Unfortunately, I can only pray and wish him the best because this is his body’s fight.
This is one of the reasons I had my APE a few days ago after not having one for the past five years. I stopped getting it when I resigned because I wasn’t feeling anything anyway. So when I turned 40 and finally accepted that growing old is inevitable, I nervously had my APE.
Fortunately, the results came out fine. I’m relatively healthy at 40. Thank God!
I’m amazed at people who are fabulously fit and wealthy at 50, 60, and even 70. My real estate mentor is around 70, but he still lives passionately. He works to contribute to society, has a great life, has lots of money, and has no maintenance medicine!
On the other hand, I see some friends who are pre-diabetic, have high cholesterol, or fighting off cancer.
Why are some people enjoying exceptional health and wealth while others are suffering? What’s the difference between the two?
I found four principles that the rich and healthy use to be wealthy and fabulously healthy at the same time.
#1 Law of the Harvest
You reap what you sow.
If you sowed in business, the stock market, or real estate, you can expect to reap the rewards of your investment. Business growth, capital appreciation, or residual income will come to you today because you did something in the past.
If all you did in the past was spend on vacations, eating out, buying the latest gadgets, or whatever, then you’ll reap nothing. Worst, you could be driving yourself into debt if you overspent. These things are not necessarily bad, but they don’t contribute to wealth-building.
Same with health. If you eat right, exercise, sleep, and drink lots of water, you will be healthy over time.
The actions are fundamental, right?
But in our highly stressful world today, where a lot is expected from a person, it is not surprising if people are not eating right, not getting sleep, or not drinking enough water.
When you’re young, and your body is still strong enough to take the abuse that you are placing on it, you won’t notice the damage on your body.
The unfortunate thing is sometimes, you notice it too late. You already have high blood sugar, or high blood pressure or worse, just had a heart attack.
So if you’re still below 40, decide to sow the right things in health and wealth because you will reap what you sow when you turn 50 or 60.
If you’re over 40 and already feeling some or many of the symptoms of degenerative diseases like diabetes or high blood pressure, answer the wake-up call. Your clock is ticking. Please don’t ignore it.
#2. Diversify
When investing, you diversify to spread the risk. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket is the conventional wisdom.
Many of my rich mentors give the same advice. Of course, the advice will vary on where to put your money, but the principle is the same – diversify.
You need to diversify your sources of passive income. When you retire and have only one source of passive income, that source of income encounters a problem, and your retirement is at risk.
Amazingly, diversification is also needed in health. What do I mean?
You need to diversify your sources of nutrition. Remember the food pyramid?
Although that principle is outdated, the thought is the same. You need to get nutrients from varied sources to avoid nutrient deficiency.
That’s why your grandmother or your doctor advises you to eat fruits and vegetables in different colors. This is how you get ample nutrition.
But what happens is that we are often stuck with fast food or cook the same food because it’s easy to prepare. It’s hard to plan meals when you have to leave early for work to avoid traffic.
Make it work for you, stick to the principle – diversify your food to get the nutrients your body needs.
#3 Manage Risks
When investing, you need to look at the investment's risks and take steps to manage those risks.
If you don’t, you will lose your money.
Donald Trump says it best.
“If you take care of the downside, the upside will take care of itself.”
Learn to recognize risks and manage those risks.
That said, when you lose money, it’s not the end of the world. You can always make it up.
But losing your health, though is more dangerous than losing money. Sometimes, it can be fatal, and you have no chance to bounce back.
Therefore, risk management is critical in health.
Don’t take risks with your health. Instead, identify your health risks and proactively reduce them.
This can save your life.
#4. Have a strong why!
Have a solid reason to be healthy and wealthy.
Mine is my family. I want to celebrate my golden wedding anniversary. I want to see my kids grow and achieve their dreams in life. I want to see my future grandchildren grow and pursue their goals in life.
Another personal reason is my mission. I want to help people make deals that give cash and cash flow. But, unfortunately, I can’t do that if I’m sick or dead.
It takes massive action and commitment to become both. You must have a strong why to sustain the effort needed over time.
You will meet challenges and speed bumps along the way. You need a strong why to meet and overcome those challenges.
Sometimes, the results don’t show up immediately, so you need a strong why to continue and persevere when nothing seems to be happening.
To find your why. Find your motivation to become fabulously healthy and super-wealthy. Then go and do it.
We only live once. Use these four principles to pursue health and wealth and live life to the fullest.
How about you? What’s the one principle you’ve noticed applies to gaining health and building wealth.
