“Feel good, play good. Play good, they pay good.”
Deion Sanders
There is a Connection Between Your Wealth Index and Health Status
Harvard released a study in 202 found that “an increase in wealth was associated with protection against cardiovascular diseases and a decrease in wealth was associated with cardiovascular risk.” To reiterate, the study looked at a person’s health, as in risk of disease, and wealth, as not just income, but the measurement of wealth.
Per the study, decreases in wealth lead to “more stress, fewer healthy behaviors, and less leisure time.” Still, as we’ll see later in this post, many people who are rich and successful feel stressed out and lacking in quality leisure time.
Your Job and Your Health
Your physical and mental health improves when you exercise and eat right. That leads to better output and outcomes at your work and passions. This leads to higher salary and increased wealth. With more wealth, you are able to have a healthier diet, see better doctors, and spend money to keep your body and mind in shape.
All this to say: Take care of your health to improve your wealth & take care of your wealth to improve your health.
Where to Start
Prosperity and health are derivatives of your habits. Conduct an audit of your everyday habits and track them over two weeks. Then, identify the areas that can affect both your wallet and waistline.
A few ideas for new habits that can improve your wealth and health:
- Setting a budget (go to our resources page for a template)
- Cooking healthier meals at home
- Reading books that inspire and enlighten you
- Checking your account transactions every night
- Setting a timer on your TV to force you to go to bed
- Avoiding the people and places that lure you into bad decisions
Then, set non-negotiable standards for your mental health, physical health, and your wealth:
- Taking care of your mental health is non negotiable. Your mental health is correlated with your happiness at home and work. For Dads – we have to take care of our relationships! This is a key factor in our mental health.
- Workouts are non negotiable. Your physical health factors into your work (eg. helps to eradicate burnout). Get out and work up a sweat, often.
- Staying on top of your cash flows – income and expenses – is non negotiable. You have to know where you’re making your money and how you’re spending it. Often, your bank account is an indicator of your health. Too many McDonad’s trips and not enough sleep? That will show up on your bank statement and on the scale.
Grind til I Die? Sleep When I’m King? You May Be Right Either Way
Companies like BankRate have illustrated the benefit of health to your wealth. For example, “after 55 hours of work, the net benefits of working additional hours are essentially null.” Why grind when the net outcomes are zero? And the negative effects rise with your wealth?
The evidence: “People living in high-earning and well-educated households report feeling more time stress and dissatisfaction with their leisure time.” (per National Library of Medicine)
Translation: Richer people enjoy your their time less than poorer people. Same clocks, same 1,440 minutes in a day. Yet, rich people are assured that their time is more stressful and unhappy, than less rich people.
The impact of dissatisfaction may lead to pervasive effects of Kings Disease, or Gout. Originally found in those of royal lineage, which allowed for an overindulgence in food and alcohol, is now found in those who are both successful or depressed, accomplished or poor. We prop ourselves up with rich foods and alcohol, perhaps drugs and prescriptions, and find ourselves bloated and distanced from who we truly are.
In your success – in becoming a King – don’t get pulled down by the negativity of others in your business, in your relationships, on social media, and who are hating on you. That creates anxiety, stress and disillusion – all of which can kill you.
Beware the Money, Embrace the Family
On the way to success, money can affect our relationships. The hamster wheel of success traps you as you make more money and feel the need to work more to sustain your way of life. We may find our partner is distancing themselves. Or your relationship with your child is weakening as they get older and you spend more time at work.
Avoid a negative outcome by talking to your family about wealth and health. Removing the stigma from these topics will ease your progress and make your family feel included. These are not easy conversations, to be sure, but they need to be had. You can be honest if you are feeling out of shape or depressed. Ask your family to help you make changes at home (especially in the kitchen). Set expectations with your family if you want to put in more hours at work in order to get that raise. Your honesty and attention could likely gain you a cheering section to help you on your path to prosperity.
Don’t let your success be the downfall, Dad. The money and resources can be made up anytime, but the time and effort to be a great Father is required all the time. Put your work in at home and realize the rewards to your health and wealth.
