“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” Jim Rohn
In my years as a health coach I’ve learned that in order to help people improve their physical health, they have to look at all areas of life.
Career stress, relationship woes, family trauma, losing your sense of purpose, destructive patterns, or any other issue that life presents will affect your physical health. And your physical health affects your mental health and how you cope with issues. It’s a vicious cycle.
When I ask my clients why they want to either lose weight or get healthy, their first response is almost always about vanity — and that’s OK. It’s completely normal and built into our human biology to want to appear beautiful; glowing skin, shiny hair and a healthy body are all signs of good health which attract our mates.
Wanting to be healthy for outer-beauty reasons isn’t bad, it’s just not enough.
The reason vanity isn’t enough is that it eventually fades. We inherently know that there’s more to life than what we look like, so it’s easy to cheat on our eating habits or skip the gym if our only reasoning is the way we look.
The real reason your health is your greatest asset it that you need this beautiful physical body you’ve been given to be in tip-top shape to do the great work you’re meant to do. You need energy and longevity to carry out your life’s purpose.
You are here to do great work, and you’ll need a healthy vessel to do it.
I was recently on a speaking tour in Australia and New Zealand teaching people about nutrition and building online businesses. Right before my last talk in Auckland one of the crew members backstage asked if I still get nervous before I go on. The answer is yes! Here’s what I posted on Instagram afterwards:
“Right before I go out I always think, “Why did I agree to do this!? Remember to say no next time.” But every time I finish I’m so glad that I showed up to serve. My prayer every day is “Please use me for what I’m here for.” I remember that my purpose in life is to serve and teach, and I’m beyond grateful that I get to live out my calling. Thank you to Auckland for being another wonderful audience! I am grateful!”
Please use me for what I’m here for is one of the most useful prayers/meditations/mantras you can stay every day.
You’ve got BIG work to do on your short time on this planet. Unhealthy habits that affect your health will only create unnecessary distractions.
The foundation of healthy habits that I’ve created allow me to show up, get on stage, and teach. The energy, mental clarity, and ability to ground myself are all rooted in daily healthy habits and rituals.
Shifting your mindset to viewing your health as your greatest asset will allow you to be in tip-top shape to carry out your purpose.
You might not even know what your greatest work is yet. Don’t fret, it will come to you if you create space and stillness to hear it. It will even change and morph into things that you can’t even imagine yet. No matter your age or where you’re at, you’re here to accomplish big things. It’s time to take care of your vessel so you can show up and serve.
Take Inventory
Take inventory of what you put into and onto your body this week:
- Are you eating to take care of yourself or are you eating to fulfill missing pleasure in other parts of your life?
- Are you mindful about what goes on your body, or are you slathering yourself with fake chemicals, parabens, and other nasty ingredients to feel better on the outside in the short-term?
- Are you exercising purely for vanity, or are you focused on energy and vitality?
Be gentle on yourself. You don’t have to do a complete 180 and change every habit at once. Simply shift your mindset and mantra to “My Health Is My Greatest Asset,” and allow positive change to happen.
If you like this post and want to learn more about doing great work, join my free 28-Day Success Challenge. You’ll get daily mentoring emails and daily Instagram posts that will catalyze your growth and teach you to turn your passion into a career.
Originally published at medium.com