Are You Trading Your Health for a Paycheck?

I talked to a friend of mine the other day. He told me he's in the worst shape of his life. He's gained a lot of weight since he started his corporate job over five years ago. He'd been trading his health for money all that time and didn't even see it.

I asked him how he felt about it.

"Not great," he said. "But that's just part of life. You gotta make money, right?"

I understand that. I have kids. I have bills. Money matters. But something about it didn't sit right with me.

So I asked him: at the expense of your health? Could you balance it out? Get some exercise in? Make your health a priority, even while you work?

He said he's too exhausted. He gets off work and doesn't want to do anything. On weekends, he just wants to relax.

I don't judge that. I've felt that kind of tired. It's real.

The question that changed his mind

But then I asked him something else.

"Have you ever been really sick? The kind of sick where you can't get out of bed and all you want is to feel better?"

He said yes.

"When you were lying there, were you thinking about making money? Or were you thinking you'd do anything to feel better?"

He went quiet for a bit. Then I watched it click for him.

When you're sick, the paycheck disappears from your mind. The deadlines, the promotion, the inbox. None of it matters. You just want your body back.

That's when he realized he needed to make a change. Not quit his job. Just stop putting his health last.

Money comes and goes. Your health doesn't.

Here's where I land on it. We all need to make money. But making money at the expense of our health? That's a hard no. Money comes and goes. You can always make more. Your health is what lets you enjoy any of it.

If you're in that place right now, tired and stuck and telling yourself "that's just life," try asking yourself the same question:

If I were really sick right now, what would I want? To make more money, or to get well?

You probably already know the answer.

You don't have to fix everything this week. Take a walk tonight. That's enough to start.

Thank you for reading! Be well : )

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