“The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d rather not.”           
-Mark Twain-

We should be spending 80% of our time and energy in the major things and 20% in the minor things.

If you ever watched the show “Apprentice” on NBC with Donald Trump, the winning team usually focused on the “sale” and not on the minor details. But like the losing team, we tend to focus on the details of our lives and not what’s really important. What really matters are the things that will greatly affect the outcome.

In health, there are four areas we need to focus on. We all know them but we do them with mediocrity. They are stress, habits, exercise, and diet (AKA S.H.E.D.). Yes, I know, you heard these before. “Decrease stress, form good habits, eliminate bad habits, exercise more, eat more fruits/vegetables, eat less fats/carbohydrates”.

But how many people do you know who exercises regularly (and correctly, that’s another story), is vegetarian, doesn’t smoke or drink, sleeps early and wakes up early, AND manages his/her stress well. Probably 1 or 2 at most. It sounds hard so how do I do it?

ANSWER:

SMALL STEPS. To achieve anything great in life, you need to take it one step at a time. If improving all four of S.H.E.D. at the same time is difficult then focus on just one for now. If you haven’t exercised in years then try to improve that area first. If you are overweight and have other health problems then try to eat a more balanced diet. If you smoke or drink alcohol at least twice a week then try cutting down on them. If you are “stressed out” then focus on managing your stress.

Step 1

Like Tony Robbins said, we need to control our emotions and our thinking. Go to the bookstore and buy a recent book by Tony Robbins or one that talks about managing stress. I believe stress is the most important factor to you being well or being sick. There are numerous research studies linking stress to heart disease, cancer, joint pain, and majority of diseases/conditions.

Step 2

Once a day, practice controlling your emotions and your thinking. When you notice that your emotions/thinking are making you stressed then ACTIVELY change that emotion/thinking. There are various techniques you can use. Joel Osteen has good messages to lift you up. Even taking a nap can help sometimes.

Step 3

When your stress level is down, now you can work on your habits, exercise, or diet. Whichever you feel is easiest to tackle right now. It’s all about doing what you can do and will do so that it will last.

“A sad soul can kill you quicker than a germ” 
-John Steinbeck-

image: flickr stephmcg

There are tons and tons of information on health in books, at seminars, from your doctors, in the media, and lets not forget the internet. In todays world, the problem is we have TOO MUCH information. Thus, we do not know who to believe and what to believe and we become even more confused.

So how do we separate the valuable, practical information from the “junk”.

First, the information has to be “time tested”. 

Second, the information has to be “simple”.

And third, the information has to be “customized”.

We all know what we need to do and not do to stay healthy. The trick is HOW do we become motivated enough to apply what we know and HOW do we stay motivated.

ANSWER:

“I HAVE TO”. When I see others who try to live healthy, they have one common denominator. They have the “I HAVE TO” mentality.

They know they have to stay healthy so they won’t get another stroke, be there when their kids get married, be productive at their job (especially if they have their own business or if they are a professional athlete), not live in pain, believe their body is a temple of God, or want to look great.

It’s hard to motivate ourselves to eat right, go exercise, and quit our bad habits if we’re doing it just for our benefit. But it becomes much easier when we do it for the people we love.

Step 1

List 3 people who you would do anything for. It may be your spouse and kids, your parents, a best friend, fiance, boyfriend/girlfriend, employer/employee, and God.

Step 2

Tell those 3 people that you WILL start eating better food, exercise a little more, and drink/smoke a little less. You will be amazed how these small steps can lead to big changes. Remember this is not a diet or to look good for the summer or a temporary thing. It should be your way of life.

Step 3

Each day, do ONE thing to improve your health. It could be exercising, eating more fruits/vegetables, relaxing/meditating/praying, or whatever you could think of but it has to be something you can and will do.

“Motivation comes from love. Love for others” 
-Dr. Michael Chong-

image: flickr nathanus

“The greatest wealth is health” by Publius Vergilius Maro
(Virgil, the Roman poet)

The four areas of our life that need balance are: religion/spirituality, relationships, school/money, and health. Which area are you the weakest in? Which area do you need to invest more time and money?

Most of us would agree that we spend the least amount of time and money in improving our health. So why do we?

I believe it’s because there is no IMMEDIATE consequence for not investing in our health. Plus there is no IMMEDIATE benefit nor GREAT benefit of eating a vegetarian meal tonight versus a hamburger or pizza. In relationships, school/work, and to some degree in religion; there are rewards and consequences soon after what we do or don’t do.

So how can we focus on our health more?

Answer:

Long term thinking. Go volunteer at a hospital and visit all the sick people there (you may actually have been one of them). Most of them will tell you:

“I should of taken better care of my health when I was younger”

“Why didn’t I exercise and eat well when I was in my 40’s and 50’s. Now, I can’t even play with my grandkids or travel anymore because my joints hurt so bad”

“After experiencing a stroke that nearly killed me, now I realize the importance of health”

Yes, we all want to enjoy today and worry about tomorrow when tomorrow comes. That’s why we are a credit card nation. Enjoy now, “pay later”.

Step 1

Think about all the long term consequences of not taking care of your health NOW. Do you want to spend the last 20 years of your life in pain, going from doctor to doctor, taking 5-10 prescription medications per day, spending money on doctors’ bills instead of your loved ones, and not get to enjoy life.

Step 2

Think about all the short term AND long term benefits of having good health. After just a few weeks of eating well, exercising, minimizing/quitting drinking/smoking, and “managing” your stress; you’ll feel better and look better!!! You’ll have more energy. You’ll be happier.

Step 3

Go to the bookstore or amazon.com and buy ONE book (for now) on either eating better, how to motivate yourself to exercise, or how to manage stress. Some good books are:

“How to get what you want and want what you have” by John Gray

“How to stop worrying and start living” by Dale Carnegie

If you still haven’t realized how important health is, let me tell you one more thing.

“Health affects everything else”

Good health will help you get a better job, make more money, feel better, look better, and the list goes on and on. Bad health will make you tired, lazy, sick, etc. which will affect your physical appearance, your mood, job performance, marriage, and other relationships. Now, does it make sense?

If you want to become rich and happy, you need to be HEALTHY first.

“The greatest wealth is health“ by Publius Vergilius Maro (Virgil, the Roman poet)

(image-flickr,joe shlabotnik)

There are four ways of making money but only two are in the passive income category.

First rule of becoming rich in this world is: DO NOT listen to 95% of the people out there whether it’s friends, so-called experts on TV, and even famous authors except Rich Dad Poor Dad  (and a few others).

We all know what happened to the stock market in 2002 and recently the housing market.  Americans lost their savings, their nest egg, and their investments because they took advice from people who didn’t know what they were talking about.  

The rich are rich, stay rich, and get richer because they know who to listen to and more importantly, who to not listen to.  You ask “how do they know?”  Well, they know because they have done their own hard work of researching the facts before investing in stocks, real estate, or a business opportunity.  They know what to ask their advisors and when to trust them.

So where does this all lead to?  If you’ve read “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Richard Kiyosaki or “The Richest Man in Babylon” by George Clason, you know what I’m talking about.  For those of you who have read these books and know the “secret”, what’s stopping you  from becoming rich?

We all have “EXCUSES”: not enough time, not enough money, too busy at work, too busy with family, not the right time, I’m not smart enough, it’s not God’s will, and the list goes on and on.  

Of  course, there are other ways of becoming rich: winning the lottery, becoming the next Brad Pitt or Oprah or Tiger Woods, receiving an inheritance, becoming a doctor.  I don’t want to sound pessimistic but for the most of us, the probability of these coming true is pretty slim.  The good news is: what I’m about to tell you can come true for most of us.  

How do we become RICH in 5 years $$$

Answer:

PASSIVE INCOME.  Basically, passive income is money that you make while you’re sitting around doing nothing.  The true financial experts are telling us to become entrepreneurs and investors.  So spend at least one hour a week either educating yourself or getting started on building a business, a company, or on investing.   

There are many different ways of achieving this.  Some require more time, money, and energy to start and maintain a stream of passive income while others only require a few hours and a few hundred bucks.  Just search the internet or go to your local Barnes and Nobles or Borders.  If you still can’t find the steps then come back to this website and I’ll post more details later.

Step 1

This weekend go to your local Barnes and Nobles or Borders bookstore.  Ask the nice customer service lady/guy to direct you to the section with books on passive income (or if you prefer audio, you can go that route).  Ask which ones are currently popular.  And if they have “Rich Dad Poor Dad” and “The Richest Man in Babylon” in stock.  Skim through about 5-10 books then pick 1-2 books that you really like.  It’s all about buying the one/s that’s RIGHT FOR YOU AT THIS TIME.  

Step 2

Read, read, and read.  Take notes.  Understand the main point of the book.  You should be able the summarize the book in 1-2 words or sentences. 

Step 3 

You can either go back to step one and read another book, or if you’re ready, you can search the internet (google it) for HOW to create passive income.  Then wait for Chapter 2 (c2) of this post.

“If you want to earn more and pay less in taxes, you need to have people and your money work hard for you“   (Rich Dad Poor Dad, Richard Kiyosaki)

“We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19)

Why do we love God when we need Him and not when He needs us?  Why do we follow His ways sometimes and not all the time? 

As humans, we tend to love others who bring joy to our lives or people who benefit us or people who have made our lives better.  If that is the case, we should love God more than anyone, right?

Yes, but most of the times, we put God either  2^nd, 3^rd, or 4^th on our list of people to love.  I admit I sometimes spend my money, time, and energy on things and on people that could have been used for God. 

We say we love Him, but when God asks us to do this or don’t do that; we tend to close our ears pretending we didn’t hear Him. 

So is it just me or do some of you do this too?  It was only 2 weeks ago that I found the answer to why I “loved” God only time to time. 

Answer: 

I failed to recognize God’s blessings from the past, present, and even in the future.  Plus, I did not give the credit to God when something good happened.  Instead, I gave the credit to myself or someone else. 

So how can we love God on a “weekly” basis?  (Of course, we should show our love for Him daily, but let’s just start off with one day a week for now)

Step 1

Write down all the things, big and small, God has given you or done for you in the past.  Then each week write down the things he is giving you or doing for you now.  Also, write down things you are praying about that you hope will come true in the near or distant future.

Step 2

Read your list each week, pray, and thank God for His blessings (even the ones that seem like setbacks).  The more we realize how much He has done for us, the more we realize His love for us.  Thus, our love for Him becomes natural.

Step3

Now, one day a week, show how much you love God by doing what He wants you to do and not doing what He doesn’t want you to do according to what is written in the Word of God. 

“We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19)