Health Philosophy for Prosperity

How do you…you know…actually manifest prosperity?  There’s so many conflicting theories and a lot of just batshit crazy beliefs about the subject.  If you’re just jumping on board, we began the discussion with this post about self-examination, then this post on how philosophy helps us do that, and this post on the synergy of science and philosophy to manifest prosperity.  I sought to clarify the manifestation process in this podcast about the seven big decisions you make in the field of your prosperity.  That episode generated a lot of buzz and numerous additional questions.  Let’s see if we can clear it up with a deep dive into the subject.  Here’s the foundational premise:

There are seven life-defining philosophies you develop about prosperity – these philosophies determine your worldview – and the resulting worldview regulates the level of prosperity you will experience.   

By any chance, did the word “regulates” jump out at you in the last sentence?  It should have.  Because for all practical purposes, your worldview does regulate how much prosperity you will allow yourself to receive. (You may want to re-read that last sentence and mindfully process it, because it speaks to a deep, profound truth about prosperity.)

Your decision about paying $199 for a hotel room with an ocean view versus $129 to look at the dumpster behind KFC doesn’t determine your prosperity. Nor does ordering that artery-clogging Big Mac instead of a healthy salad.  Choosing to pay the up-charge for a better sound system in your new BMW won’t determine your prosperity either.  Individual, situational decisions like these do influence your prosperity momentarily.  But unfortunately, you’re not making most of these decisions mindfully.  Because what you decide on these situational decisions has already been predetermined by the philosophies you developed for living, in the seven core areas. 

The 7 areas of life-determining philosophies are:

1. Health
2. Relationships
3. Environment
4. Leverage
5. Spirituality
6. Financial
7. Purpose

I’ll share one essay on each of the decisions. Beginning today with…

Your Core Philosophy About Health 

Start with two premises:  Premise number one is that when we use the word health, we’re referring to both the mental and physical types.  And premise number two is that prosperity is holistic – intimately interconnected and understandable only by reference to the whole.  From there we can draw the conclusion that your health philosophy will be the one which will most influence the other six philosophies you develop. (And more importantly, the results those philosophies create.)  You can be the wealthiest person in Europe, but you won’t feel very prosperous if you’re losing your health.  Your health affects your earning power, mental clarity, peace of mind, and almost every aspect of your life. 

Then we get to the fundamental underpinnings of your philosophy about health: do you see it as something you’re born with, it happens to you – or do you belief you are an integral co-creator in your mental and physical health?  The latter belief is necessary for prosperity.

Here are the Symptoms of Poor Mental and Physical Health:

• Low self-esteem
• Fear-based decision-making
• Loss of free will
• Depression and suicide
• Shortened attention spans
• Inability for critical thinking

Look again at that list above.  It’s hard to imagine behaviors and characteristics that would be worse to possess when you’re trying to manifest a happy, prosperous life.  Let’s dig into some of the core beliefs about health that most people get wrong…

Start with their beliefs on the very nature of food.  Most people have come to accept that food is produced in factories, not grown on farms.  Humans are designed to nourish themselves with fruits, vegetables, and nuts. (Vegetarians and meat eaters can argue about the other protein.)  Yet for most of the world now, the vast majority of what they eat and drink comes from a manufacturing facility.  Staples of their diet are things like donuts, chips, pizza, sugar-laden sodas, cookies, cakes, candy, and greasy fried foods.  This counterfeit food has little or no vitamins, minerals, enzymes, protein, antioxidants, and other essentials our bodies need to regenerate healthy cells. (Real food does not have expiration dates several years in the future.)

A big element of prosperity is having the necessary physical energy for the activities you desire to do.  Millions of people affirm statements like “I just don’t have the energy.”   But physical energy isn’t lying around on a shelf waiting to be picked up.  You don’t find energy; you create it.  You create it by the fuel (food and drink) you put into your engine (body and mind).  Bad food decisions steal that ability from you.  Another important element of prosperity is having mental harmony and clear-thinking abilities.  Bad diet choices diminish these as well. This leads to the next one…

The belief that it’s normal to add an extra five to 10 pounds for every decade of your life. Particularly in the West, obesity is an epidemic.  And forgot all of those “body positive” messages meant to placate you for being overweight. This belief will kill you. 

Too many people have bought into the belief that exercise is something you do a few times a week or is only for athletes.  This is another misconception put out by marketers to sell you magic potions. Everyone needs cardiovascular exercise daily and resistance training two or three times a week to maintain good health. 

Another horrible belief is that prescription drugs correct mistakes in living.  Millions of people take more prescriptions than they have fingers.  Drugs were designed as last-ditch efforts to save us from conditions we couldn’t control.  Now there is a multi-billion-dollar industry devoted to selling us drugs to counter-balance other drugs or allow us to keep doing behaviors that are dangerous to our health. 

Here’s what may be the most damaging belief to your health…

Thinking it’s normal to be connected to a screen 24/7, staying hyper alert to an avalanche of news, trends, commentary, snark, and negative programming.  You’re being assaulted with stimuli every waking moment and most of it has negative detrimental effects on you. To get and remain stable, happy, and sane – you’ve got to disconnect from the grid on a regular basis.  Give yourself the gift of some form of meditation to calm your mind and create harmony.  Schedule some alone time and some thinking time every week. Create a workout routine for your brain to keep your cognitive skills sharp. You can solve Sudoku, word games, brainteasers, crossword puzzles, and other exercises to stimulate your mental capacity.    

Once you reprogram your beliefs about health and wellness, you’ll accelerate improvements in all the other areas in your life. Do some critical thinking about the list above and come to terms with the core philosophy you have about health.  No matter what version of prosperity you desire to create, you’re going to need energy, wellness, and mental acuity to get there. 

Next post we’ll explore philosophy number two: relationships and who you spend your life with.  Until then, please check in with your thoughts below. 

Peace,

- RG