Health Hacks 7/10/17

Last week we discussed the nature of independence; this week we’ll cover an equally important topic. When asked what a human’s goal is, what’s his life purpose, the Dalai Lama replied, “…to live a happy life.” Gandhi is quoted as saying that, “It is health that it real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” When asked what thing in life gives him the most satisfaction, perennial top 5 Richest Man in the World Warren Buffett stated without hesitation, “my health.”

How do these messages relate?

There are different aspects of happiness, and various things we can do to facilitate a sense of happiness (or lack thereof), from connecting with others, to giving of ourselves, to pursuing challenging undertakings. At its core, however, it is near impossible to be happy when you are sick, when your state of being is unhealthy. How many times have you injured yourself and immediately gone into a state of semi-depression (this is especially the case if you are an active person)? How many days when you were bed ridden, sick with the flu, could you characterize as one of the best in your life? Conversely, how many times have you finished a workout and felt better than when you started – euphoric in fact?

There is a very strong correlation between our health and our happiness, especially deep down happiness (I’m not talking about being ‘drunk happy’ after 3 glasses of wine, only to feel like crap physically and emotionally soon thereafter).

In a world where there are so many forces – both within and outside of our control – that can derail our mood, knowing that something over which we have virtually total control can have such a massive impact on our happiness is a powerful, dare I say, comforting concept.

That is not to say that just by being fit and healthy that no tragedy let alone challenge will befell upon you. However, when you are physically and mentally healthy, your baseline attitude, demeanor, state of mind, tends to trend towards happiness. Further, by treating yourself well physically, mentally and spiritually, you are generally in a better place to deal with whatever challenges come your way. By way of a specific example, once I allowed myself to get adequate sleep, the number of colds/sore throats (which I hate!) I experienced dropped to virtually zero. I have not been sick in the sense of not being able to go to work, workout, etc. for several years. That alone gives me a head start on the race to happiness (it’s anything but a race…like love, there is no zero sum game).

What will you do this week to improve your health – and thus happiness?

Stay Disciplined My Friends!