Having so much to attend to in our daily lives, why should health consume such a significant portion of our time and energy? The truth is that for many people, it just doesn’t. Many of us, especially those who are relatively young and healthy, often take our health for granted. In this post, I will discuss why striving for optimal health is such a worthwhile endeavor. I will show you how to maximize your results by integrating each of the six keys to optimal health one by one, and how, by doing so, every aspect of your life will also improve.
So why should we focus on health, anyway? What difference will it make in the long run? The truth is that without our health, we have very little. Think about it for a moment: how can we enjoy any of our material possessions, our professional accomplishments, or our creative endeavors without one of our greatest assets, our health and well-being? Ask anyone who suffers from illness or injury what he desires most, and with very few exceptions, he will respond that he wishes a return to good health. Baseball legend Mickey Mantle expressed this sentiment exactly while lying on his deathbed. Racked by cirrhosis of the liver and hepatitis C following years of chronic alcohol abuse, he was asked whether he wished he had done things differently in his life. Expressing regret for some of his lifestyle choices, he said he would indeed do things differently if he could do it all over again. Why? Because a life of neglected health is essentially a life of unrealized potential.
The reasons to strive for health seem fairly obvious, as it provides us with many of the personal advantages that we have discussed throughout this blog; yet there are many other, albeit less apparent, reasons for doing so. To begin with, our health affects not only ourselves, but everyone and everything around us. We are not isolated beings. All things in the universe are energy. When we operate at our highest potential, our vibrational patterns change, and this affects the way we interact with all the other energetic forms around us.
This fact is most evident in our daily experiences as well as in our personal relationships. When we are not feeling well, it is much harder to handle stressful situations, express tolerance, or even show love toward other people. And when one is ill for an extended period, it often takes all of one’s energy just to make it through the day. Physiologically speaking, this is because our bodies have to work overtime to maintain balance. Balance in the body is known as homeostasis, and as a living organism, the body does everything it can to maintain this balance. The property of homeostasis is the greatest mechanism a complex living system has to ensure its survival. When we are ill and all our faculties are working overtime to regain balance, we have significantly less energy to carry out our daily functions, let alone be conscious of our actions or express tolerance toward others. We have all experienced illness at one time or another, and we can therefore appreciate how hard it is to maintain awareness of our responsibilities or to have peaceful, courteous interactions with the world around us when we are not feeling well.
Most people feel that there are conditions in the world that need changing. Whether we are consciously aware of it or not, we all have a sense that everything in the universe must evolve. People, however, often desire change in the world without realizing that changes must occur within themselves first, the only area over which they truly have power. Only by focusing on those areas over which we have power can we ever hope to create change in a world where so many things fall outside of our immediate control. Within our personal life, then, are numerous areas where we can exert our control—in our financial practices, in our social life, in our spirituality, in our acquisition of knowledge (learning), in our professional and creative pursuits, and in our family life. However, none is more fundamental or comprehensive than our physical health. True, each one of these areas has profound and direct effects on all the others, but none more so than our health and well-being. Failing to care for one’s physical body will lead to its inevitable breakdown and ultimately hinder all other endeavors. Worse yet, when debilitation results, it usually requires a majority of one’s time and energy just to function in any capacity whatsoever. In my opinion, it is too high a price to pay for neglect, especially when this consequence can be entirely avoided by practicing the six keys to optimal health.
When we focus on our physical health, the changes we create as a result have the potential to improve our lives so significantly that they will inevitably extend well beyond our immediate circle. President John F. Kennedy understood and reflected this sentiment when he said, “Physical fitness is the basis for all other forms of excellence.” We cannot hope to be productive, conscientious, or even ecologically aware if we cannot take care of ourselves first. This is a fundamental principle, yet so many people have lost touch with it. Don’t get me wrong, it is important and, indeed, highly admirable to work toward creating change in the world, whether it be of a political, ecological, or humanitarian nature. However, how can we affect change in the outside world if we can’t even change ourselves?
We can control our immediate environment—our bodies, our homes, our families, and our communities—and there is no more powerful way to do so than through healthy living. In fact, we cannot hope to have a positive impact on our surroundings if we do not first prioritize our own health. If, through our pursuits, we act as a living example for our loved ones, then they too will benefit directly and be encouraged to emulate us. The Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, in his famous letter to his colleagues during the Vietnam War, eloquently expressed the concept of living to positively impact our immediate surroundings.
We talk about social service, service to the people, service to humanity, service for others who are far away, helping to bring peace to the world—but often we forget that it is the very people around us that we must live for first of all. If you cannot serve your wife or your husband or child or parent—how are you going to serve society?
Because our experiences reflect our perceptions, when we improve our internal environment, we cannot help but have an improved outlook on the world. We have discussed that a healthy mind is essential to a healthy body, but it works the other way as well—healthy body, healthy mind! When the frequency of our vibration changes as a result of our attention to wellness, then through the principle of resonance, our experiences will change too. This is such a powerful phenomenon that we must remember to embrace it. When we view the world through the lens of optimal health, we develop a deeper appreciation for everything around us. All things exist interdependently: the planet provides us with the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water that nourishes every cell of our body. Equally important is that every human being plays a vital role in maintaining life on this planet. Farmers, lawyers, doctors, and civil servants all have a vital function in society as well as in the continuation of life itself. This includes you! Your contribution to the world is absolutely essential. Regardless of what you do for a living, you provide an important service to humanity. For this reason, it is crucial that we all care for ourselves to the best of our abilities. When we do, our contributions to the world will be that much greater than if we simply allow ourselves to deteriorate physically.
The most significant legacy we can leave to the world is to adopt values that enhance optimal health and well-being and pass them on to future generations. What we teach our children today will have such wide-reaching consequences tomorrow that we must not minimize the importance of these vital concepts. Our generation can leave its greatest mark on the future by instilling in our children the desire to achieve optimal health, as well as providing them with the necessary tools to do so. Do not take this responsibility lightly. It is up to us, today’s free-thinking society, to pass on the principles of health to future generations. In this way, we can truly make our mark on posterity.
For more tips on healthy living, pick up a copy of The Six Keys to Optimal Health by Dr. Nick Campos here.
