What does Health have to do with Wealth?

You may have heard the saying, "your health is your wealth" and wondered how on earth these are this related? You're not alone if you're scratching your head about this one.

I'd like to share a personal story to help put this in context and with how it's correlated.

Fasting

Over Easter I completed a 4 day fast. That is I took in no solid food. I survived on water and tea. And yes I survived. And I thrived. I've been fasting periodically for over 5 years.

The benefits are too long to list here. But I've love to share some of my insights to shine a spotlight onto the comparisons with our finances.

Mind over Matter

First of all, fasting is mind over matter. Your mind is screaming at you that couldn't possibly go without the next meal, let alone skip the next 13 meals! 

There's a large element of control that needs to take place in order to overcome the mind's flip out. After all, our mind flips out over just about everything (if we let it) so it's time to take control and press the override button. The good news is we all have one of these buttons and we can practice using it.

Liberation

Once the decision was made, I immediately felt a sense of liberation. Liberation from the incessant longing for food, whether I'm hungry or not. Food is available 24/7 and don't we know it! 

Food

• It's there when we're hungry = meal times
• it's there when we're sad = comfort eating
• It's there when we're getting together or celebrating = social eating
• It's there when we're nervous = anxious eating
• It's there when we're bored or watching a movie = mindless eating

You name it, it's there for all occasions. Just like a good friend that we can always rely on.

We are like this with our money. We consume all the time. 

Money

• We buy things that we need = essential spending
• we buy thing when we're sad = emotional spending
• we buy things when we're anxious = void-fixing spending
• we buy things when we're excited and deserve something = reward spending
• we buy things when we're bored = mindless spending

There are endless 'things' and 'experiences' to spend our money on.

What state are you in?

Ask yourself next time you're browsing in a shop or online about to make a purchase, "What emotional state am I in?" and "What category of spending is it?" 

Doing this exercise alone will give you a good insight into your patterns and triggers. Up to now these habits are mostly subconscious. In other words we have no idea what's driving our decision-making we just go along with what our mind tells us.

Exercising Restraint

Exercising restraint whether it's with food or spending can be life-changing. It brings about introspection and awareness of our habits. It becomes a mechanism from which to create new boundaries and disciplines. 

Applying self-discipline, frees you by focusing on the things that matter the most to you and saying no to noise and distractions. We can choose to cease being a slave to our cravings. Discipline is expansive and not restrictive.

I was looking for a suitable quote to highlight this point, but I couldn't choose between these 3 - they all nail it perfectly!

1. 'Freedom without discipline is chaos' -Mahatma Gandhi. 
2. 'Only the disciplined are truly free. The undisciplined are slaves to moods, appetites and passions.' - Stephen Covey
3. 'You will never have a greater or lesser dominion than that over yourself…the height of a man's success is gauged by his self-mastery' –Leonardo Da Vinci

I particularly like with the last quote because self-mastery becomes a side-effect of Cashflow Mastery. 

While Cashflow Mastery is a program about money, it's more than that. It's contains content that is designed to shine a light on your habits and subconscious beliefs that are keeping you stuck. 

You become empowered to create your new story from a position of control and discipline. Of course a person must want to make positive changes. You can only lead the horse to water.

4 other Key Reasons why Health is Wealth

A healthy body and mind gives you confidence

Health is more than just physical health, it encompasses full body, mind and spiritual well-being. 

When you are in balance with these elements you have more confidence and self-sufficiency in your everyday dealings with others, whether its dealing with people at work or in your relationships and family life.

Confidence helps with decision making. You are less likely to fall into the emotional spending trap and want to invest for your future.

Healthy people have more energy and are more productive

Healthy people need less time off from work, can more easily get out of bed and are able to fight infections better than their less healthy workmates. When you have more energy you are able to do so much more in the time you have.

Money cannot buy you health

You can pay for gym memberships and have regular massage. You can pay for the medications or surgeries you may need. But you have to put in the work, no-one else can make you healthy no matter how much money you have. 

Steve Jobs quoted profound realisations on his death bed. The founder of Apple died a billionaire at age 56 from pancreatic cancer.

He said " You can employ someone to drive the car for you, make money for you but you cannot have someone to bear the sickness for you.

At this moment, lying on the sick bed and recalling my whole life, I realize that all the recognition and wealth that I took so much pride in, have paled and become meaningless in the face of impending death."

Being sick is costly

Ill health can impact your wealth in several ways. It can force you to take time off, restricting your earning power. Sick pay only goes so far and when it runs out you have to continue covering your expenses. Depending on the nature of your illness, you will incur additional expenses for treatment.

Poor financial decision making can contribute to significant health issues. Money tends to be a leading cause of stress, and financial stress can cause migraines, insomnia, anxiety and even the adoption of coping mechanisms like smoking and drinking.

Over time, these seemingly harmless issues can lead to far more serious health concerns, including cardiovascular disease, which in turn create further financial distress. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle.

Summary

Health and Wealth are like Yin and Yang, Masculine and Feminine. They go hand in hand. When you have both your finances and your health under control it creates the ideal environment for mutual growth.

Having problems in one of these areas often leads to problems in the other. Similar principles apply to both health and wealth and can lead to success in both areas.

Ignore one at the peril of the other.

Personal Finance Coach - Empowering you to be in control

fasting disclaimer - I do not recommend a water fast unless you've done your research and checked in with your health specialist to see what works for your own body. Your personal goals and health status is unique and any health regime needs to be tailored to you. I have done intermittent fasting for along time and have built up to this level over the years. I share my story for example purposes only.