Here in Singapore, people are so focused on making more money and advancing their careers that they simply don’t take the time to look after themselves.

“I don’t have time to go to the gym because there’s too much work.”

“I have no energy because I have too much stress.”

“I can’t sleep early because there’s too much to do.”

“I can’t exercise because I’m too tired after work.”

“I used to play sports on the weekend, but now I’m so tired at the end of the week, I just want to sleep.”

Sounds Familiar?

Every health talk I conduct there’s always people validating their actions by saying “It’s not that bad. I can live with it.”

Say it out loud to yourself, and see how it sounds: “I work myself so hard until I fall sick, feel pain, and run out of energy and time, but it’s ok because i can tolerate it.”

Sounds Silly? 

Health is Wealth. They are both the same. How much health/wealth we have right now is the balance of how much health/wealth we earn minus how much we spend.

A patient of mine told me she had not been working for almost a year. Previously, she worked hard getting her dream job in a highly paid position. I told her she must be enjoying life, and asked her what she’s been doing over that time. Sadly, she never enjoyed her time off work.

She frowned and replied that she was “forced to stop working” because she became very unwell. She suffered from severe headaches, neck pain, and back pain for the longest time until she couldn’t take it anymore. She had excruciating pain on both feet; even when she had to tip toe around, it hurt. Her shoulder hurt when she raised hand to shoulder height – washing her hair and pulling on t-shirts was painfully difficult. But it wasn’t just the pain.

There was depression, insomnia, weight gain, dizziness, gastric reflux, and a flurry of other unfortunate and uncomfortable medical conditions. And yet, almost a year later, she’s still visiting doctors, counsellors, and unsure if she’ll ever get better. One thing she’s realised is that a year’s worth of constant medical attention is draining money pretty quickly.

After four months of chiropractic care, she is almost 90% pain free, and able to enjoy the simple things in life. She’s thrilled she can clean and mop the house. She can stand in the kitchen and bake, without pain. She can raise her shoulder above her head with no problems.

How was this possible?

She finally committed to her health. She was willing to do what it takes to improve her situation. She took the time to do the exercises. She spent the money on health care that she held so tightly to in the past. She made the effort to honour her appointments. She loved and cared for herself.

Trying to make more money can make you poor, whether it’s in health or wealth. Don’t wait for the final straw before doing something about your health.

Some Thoughts To Ponder:

If you are a parent –
“You have to take good care of yourself if you want to take good care of your kids.”

If you are a spouse –

“How can you earn income for your family if you can’t go to work?”

If your main focus is career –

“It’s a painful and costly route to neglect your health now and try to buy it back later.”

And for everyone –

“Slow down and enjoy the small (yet the most meaningful) things in your day-to-day life.”

We can all have more health, and more wealth. It starts with you.