Health and wealth are two areas of my life that I’m currently focused on leveling up.
That’s because I believe having high levels of health and wealth create the foundation to live a long, vivacious, and fulfilled life as they are the cornerstones of true freedom (no health/wealth limitations).
To be clear… I’m not defining health as having six-pack abs and bulging biceps… or defining wealth as having Rolexes and private jets. Nothing wrong with any of those things… I just don’t use them as my barometer… you definitely don’t ‘need’ them to live an extraordinary life.
I define a high level of health and wealth as having the capacity (energy and resources) to live a remarkable life on your own terms… doing what you enjoy (and find meaning in) and doing it with those you care about.
Having a high level of health and wealth allows you to live the life you love and love the life you live.
What I find incredibly fascinating is that there are 11 key similarities between what it takes to build high levels of health and wealth:
- Both rely on a consistent commitment to the fundamentals. The primary building blocks of achieving health are quality sleep, exercise, nutrition, and stress management. The primary building blocks of achieving wealth are spending less than you make, saving/investing, diversifying, compound interest, and reducing tax liabilities.
- Both require patience and having the daily discipline to stick to a proven process (even though you won’t see results for a while). The healthiest and wealthiest stick to the process despite minimal short term results. They know you don’t see results after one meal, one workout, or one investment - they respect the fact they are playing the long game. They believe time + consistency = results.
- Both require you to overcome setbacks and circumstances outside of your control (and be very thoughtful and intentional in how you respond).
- Both require you to remove emotion, fight off temptation, and make decisions based on standards (not feelings). To do what is best in the long term, not what you feel like in the moment. This is easy when you feel motivated… the biggest separator is how you behave and what you do when you aren’t feeling motivated. This is why proven systems and processes are more effective than fleeting feelings and emotions.
- Both are undermined by playing the Comparison Game.
- Both require you to ‘plant seeds’ and do something today your future self will appreciate.
- Both are heavily influenced by your environment and inner circle.
- Both require extreme ownership (do the best you can with what you have wherever you are)… no blaming, complaining, or making excuses.
- Both are built upon the premise that ‘little things make a big difference.’ Every rep matters. Every meal matters. Every dollar matters. With that said - neither requires perfection! Doing right 80-90% of the time will yield incredible results!
- Both need to be tracked and have a system for accountability.
- Both recognize that ‘what you don’t do is just as impactful as what you do.’ Saying no to the decisions that undermine health and wealth is essential!
The idea of this post was inspired by Chad Willardson’s book Fit for Wealth (which I highly recommend!). Chad is an awesome follow on LinkedIn!
And if you need guidance on health and/or wealth, I highly recommend you follow and connect with Megan Rutherford!
