Are you stunting your financial growth by neglecting this?
Yes, it’s your physical health.
I hate to break it to you. But let me shed some light into this.
The universe put you into this physical world for many reasons.
One of them is to take care of the body given to you.
But then society seems to overlook physical health. And it’s become synonymous with physical pleasure.
Do you love yourself?
“Of course. Hence this pizza I’m holding right now.”
“Yes! We’re trying out this new buffet place around the corner today!”
“Yeah! Ordered a dozen of donuts to munch today.”
All these are amazing experiences. But do you have to do it every time you get stressed, or every time you get so happy. Or bored, or just because.
You’ve become desensitized to these amazing things. Wanting for more and more and more. That you ignore your physical health and lock it in your pedestal labelled: “To be shredded.”
When in fact, it’s the first thing you need to look after. That is if you want to move forward with your life.
It all starts with how you feel. How your body feels.
Imagine having all the money in the world. Money is not a problem. You’ve achieved financial freedom. You can travel the world without thinking about money.
But…
You’re sick. You have a chronic headache.
Now, everything seems worthless eh?
What can you do with your life when your temples keep hurting?
Imagine having a family of your own.
Your daughter is getting married and starting a family of her own.
You’re excited to see your grandsons and granddaughters.
But…
You’re overweight and have back problems.
You can’t afford to play with your grandchildren.
You can’t even carry them on your back.
Go ahead, I’m listening…
“I’m still young. I don’t need to think about my future this far ahead. I can enjoy my life once and for all.”
Yolo!!! Come here and listen to my story.
We’re all different but I hope you can relate with how that thinking affected how I lived my life.
I’m Jona. I’m turning 29 this year.
I was pretty good at school but always felt unappreciated by my parents. As like any other kid, my parents’ opinion of me was everything to me.
This went on and on for more than 25 years. It became chronic and always felt like I’m not enough.
Not enough to be deserving of their love.
Not enough to be deserving of any other human’s love.
Not enough to be deserving of my own love.
And like any other kid, I turned to people/things other than my parents.
You know how you loved your friends so much in high school & college?
You know how you turned to drinking and smoking?
You know how you drowned yourself to movies and dramas?
You know how you’re running out of ways to let days pass by?
If not, I’m deeply happy for you.
But for most of us, it’s easy to blame the world for our unhappiness. It’s easy to give up the life we desire to live because of the pain we’re carrying all our lives.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m pretty sure I’m not 100% healed from childhood pain. It’s a long-winding road towards fully loving yourself.
It’s definitely more than giving yourself a donut treat after a day of hard work.
This is the point when I got up on my feet and said
“This is it! I’m tired of this!”
It’s every morning after getting drunk the previous night. And I have this hangover that would last for days. Happened a thousand times to me.
(There was even a time I got into a bike accident ’cause I was too drunk.
Too embarrassing, but I want you to know how I was a hopeless case.)
Kidding aside!
It’s when I started looking inward instead of outward.
And the first obvious thing I can see, is my body.
Right there looking at you across the mirror.
That’s you. That’s the most visible and tangible project you can work on.
When was the last time you had a good look at yourself in the mirror?
Your naked and bare physical body.
“What have I been doing to myself?”
Pale eyes. Pimpled face.
Pale skin. Beer belly.
Slouched back. Poor posture.
Can’t even stand still for a few seconds.
“Ughhhh damn, I want to look good naked.”
It sounds pretty shallow but this is something you’re in control.
You’ve been neglecting this control for the past 20 years.
What you are seeing is the result of 20 years of unawareness.
You were unconscious for more than half of your life.
Imagine this. If you are unconscious of this part of your life.
The very thing that’s always visible to the naked eye.
What else could you be missing?
What else could you be unconscious of?
I was still unaware of the endless possibilities that could open up if I could nail this category in my life.
Like other corporate slaves, the first thing I opted to do was to exercise. Move my body. Got a gym membership!
It’s easy because I have some background in sports.
So I was enjoying sweat here and there.
(Find something you enjoy to jumpstart your journey. Love cooking? You could start with incorporating healthier choices to your creations.)
It felt so gooooood. One thing led to another.
I got thinner. → People started to notice. → My mind was gaining clarity. → I started meditating. → I was more conscious of what I’m putting into my body. → I quit smoking. → I researched about healthier food choices. → I learned how to listen to my body. → I stopped binge drinking. → I found the love of my life. → I joined marathons. → My colleagues started running with me. → We joined fun runs. → We joined competitive runs. → We joined spartan races. → I received awards for my contributions at work. → I got promoted. → On the side, I got certified to be a wellness coach. → I’m writing articles for you.
I can go on and on.
You can see where I’m going right?
Imagine conquering this one thing.
Everything else follows with little to no effort.
The point is it all starts within you.
It’s no exaggeration.
The experience you’re opening yourself up to is proportional to how you feel. How your body feels. How your mind is clear of mental clutter.
You can optimize your experience about anything by optimizing your health.
You can choose to earn millions but feel weak and tired all day having no time for your kids. Which I guarantee will hinder you from earning more millions.
Or
You can choose to earn millions, feel great about yourself. Having fun with your family and kids during weekends. While still having more energy to think of innovations and ideas. Which leads to further creation of wealth for yourself.
If there’s one takeaway from this article, here it is:
You can enjoy life to the fullest.
You can create wealth to the fullest.
You can love to the fullest.
Only with a body you love and care about to the fullest.
Breathe that in.
Decide for yourself.
Stay put or start unlocking limitless possibilities.
Live well,
Jona
Guest Post by : Jona Rae Obrador
Jona is passionate about empowering people to gain a healthier well-being. She lost control over her own health but developed a sustainable lifestyle after 4 years of trial and error. With a lot of misinformation surrounding health and wellness, she educates people by writing articles weekly in Medium.
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