Your health is your wealth – don’t let the money fool you!
Imagine this scenario: You have amassed great riches. You live in a sprawling mansion, own a fleet of luxury cars and a private jet, and have access to the world's most exclusive clubs and resorts. But suddenly, illness strikes, eclipsing those moments of enjoyment with pain, discomfort, and a constant struggle to find relief. You visit your doctor, who tells you that your diagnosis is incurable and that, at best, you have six months to get your affairs in order. Your once-envied wealth loses its luster when you cannot savor the experiences it afforded you. No amount of money can make you feel better. So you suffer while waiting for death to rescue you.
We need a certain amount of money to live comfortably. Still, we must not lose sight of the fact that, like the rich man, when we are too sick to enjoy our wealth, a sense of regret and longing for what could have been creeps in as we begin to realize that the actual value of wealth is not in the accumulation of material possessions, but in the day to day experiences that we create, experiences that do not compromise our health.
When it comes to your health, a dose of gratitude is good medicine. The connection between gratitude and health has been well-researched. Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., is the world's leading scientific expert on gratitude and a leading scholar in the positive psychology movement. Emmons notes in his book Thanks that from a scientific perspective, gratitude defies easy classification and is known to improve physical and mental health significantly.
Emmons’ work is cited in The Gratitude Project: How the science of thankfulness can rewire our brains for resilience, optimism, and the greater good (2020), a book of groundbreaking scientific research. Scientists who worked on the project discovered the transformative power of practicing gratitude, including people reporting fewer symptoms of illness, less depression, and a more optimistic view of life.
Gratitude also cultivates positive emotions, reduces stress levels, strengthens relationships, boosts self-esteem, increases self-confidence, enhances resilience, prepares you to handle adversity better, and, most importantly, living grateful helps to develop a consciousness of health. It helps us to think, feel, and behave in ways that enhance our physical, mental, and emotional health.
The next time you find yourself chasing that dollar at the expense of neglecting your health, don't let the money fool you. It won’t make you feel better when you’re on your deathbed, so why not try a dose of gratitude instead? It’s a simple task. Grab a journal or notebook and list three things you are grateful for about your body daily. It requires only a few minutes of your time and is a small change that yields BIG RESULTS! The more grateful you are for your body, the only vehicle that allows you to experience life, the better it will serve you!
Need help getting started with starting a gratitude journal? Please email me at smallchange@myrtlerussell.com.
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