Do you remember the song “Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh My!” from The Wizard of OZ? The grown up version of that is “Covid, inflation, recession and cancer! Oh my!” It’s not as fun.
Adversity is one of life’s realities. Some of them, like winter, we can prepare for by chopping wood all summer long. Other forms are unexpected and happen at the absolute worst times. Whether we can see the next one coming or not, it’s coming. How do we act accordingly? How do we prepare and stay ready?
The simple answer is to control your controllables. To make sure you’re doing everything within your power to position yourself for success when bad things happen. Because they’re going to happen.
I like to think about and pay close attention to three key areas; mind, body and money. If I can strengthen those areas, I’m well positioned for whatever adversity is coming next and I want to help you do the same.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
One last thought before getting started; a lot of what’s going on is pretty bleak. But it’s possible to turn things around, and for everyone (especially you) to get on the path to personal success. And that’s what I want to help you do.
Let’s get started.
Having a clear mind
“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone” – Blaise Pascal.
Blaise Pascal died in 1662. Do you think the problem he highlights has gotten better or worse? We’ve lost touch with the value of being alone with our thoughts, thanks to our phones.
Have you ever thought, “There’s not enough hours in the day to get things done?” I know I have. But it’s not true. There’s plenty of time. We just need to start using it better.
Would you believe that your minds wander half the time? If you’re not paying attention to what you’re paying attention to, yours probably does.
Currently, 50% of Americans will be diagnosed with some type of mental health issue in their lifetime. I think that’s wild.
So many of us are struggling with stress, loneliness and depression. About 66% of American adults are currently taking a prescription drug (though not all for mental health).
The average American spends over 7 hours a day looking at screens. Social media, gaming and other crap dominates our attention.
What’s the remedy?
Mental health needs to be addressed with your physician.
For your attention, we all could use a detox. How long could you go without looking at your phone? An hour? Half a day? Give it a try and let me know.
Become a good steward of your attention
Who and what will you give it to, who and what will you not give it to? There are massive companies working around the clock to figure out how to get your attention. It’s big business and you and I need to be conscious of it.
Audit your time
The only way to know how you’re spending your time is to look at how you’re spending your time. Conducting a time audit simply means going back through your time use periodically throughout the day. I know every time I do this, it helps me become more efficient.
Building a strong body
What “strong” means to each of us will be slightly different, so let’s go with “healthy” which is defined as the state of being free from illness or injury.
I want everyone to have a strong body that allows them to do all the things they want. But the starting point is to have a healthy body. Let’s talk about what’s preventing most Americans from having that.
Over 40% of Americans are obese, and we eat an average of 3,600 calories a day. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for everyone. The average American gets less than 7 hours of sleep a night.
What’s the remedy?
Essentially the opposite of what’s going on.
Detox your diet
Average human burns between 1,500 and 3,000 calories a day. When the average American eats 3,600, it’s no surprise most of us are unhealthy. It takes 3,500 calories to put on a pound of fat, so let’s do the math:
Assume a person consumes 3,600 calories a day, and burns 3,000 calories a day, creating an overage of 600, which becomes 18,000 extra calories over 30 days. When all it takes is 3,500 calories to put on a pound of fat, that works out to 5.14 pounds of new fat per month.
We need to stop eating fast food. We need to cut out sugar. We need to start preparing food at home. We need to start paying attention to nutrition.
Start moving
Only 23% of Americans get “enough” exercise. You and your body have specific needs and or limitations, so you’ll need to determine what the right amount and type of exercise is for you. That being said, just get started. Start walking if that’s all you can do.
Get to the root cause
I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with many physicians on the LifeBlood podcast, and a consistent message is this; the doctor of the future is you. You and I need to take ownership of our health care. We need to work to get to the root cause of any problems instead of treating the symptoms.
I know how hard this can be. If you’d like some help, you can connect with one of our Coaches for a no-cost chat.
Doing the right things with your money
I want everyone to become financially successful and to meet and exceed all your monetary desires. But I know that will never happen until we first achieve financial security.
I definitely speak from personal experience on this one, having spent my 20s living paycheck-to-paycheck, never budgeting and not paying attention to my cash flow. Fortunately, I got my act together, so I know others can as well.
Currently, two thirds of Americans are broke, living paycheck-to-paycheck. We’re burdened by credit card debt. Very few of us have enough, or are saving enough money.
What’s the remedy?
First things first, we need to start paying attention. Start monitoring your cash flow on a monthly basis. Create and maintain a household budget. Take an interest in your personal finances.
Pay yourself first
If you’re in the habit of paying everyone else first and waiting till the end of the month to pay yourself, you’ve discovered there’s no money left over for you. Start contributing to your emergency fund, 401(k), or IRA on the first of every month. Make it an automatic contribution. This will change your financial future.
Get out (and stay out) of debt
Credit card debt is crushing us. It prevents us from living the lives we truly want. Stop what you’re doing and put a plan together for breaking free of the vicious cycle you’re trapped in. You can access our Get Out of Debt course for free.
Diversify your investments
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. We get ourselves in trouble when we put too much of our money in a concentrated investment like an individual stock or cryptocurrency. Investing in broadly diversified investments like mutual funds, ETFs or Robo-Advisors is an easy and low-cost way to make this happen.
I know how hard this can be. If you’d like some help, you can connect with one of our Certified Partners for a no-cost chat.
Becoming the CEO of you
Accept ownership of everything. No one ever will (maybe your mom), nor should anyone, ever be more interested in your success and your future than you are. Accepting this role and responsibility is the first step in getting the life you want.
If you’d like to jump start your transformation, check out the Strive Online Bootcamp. It could be just what you’re looking for to detox your mind, body and money.
You’re someone who’s capable of making the necessary changes. Commit and get started.
If you’re ready to take control of your financial life, check out our DIY Financial Plan course.
We’ve got three free courses as well: Our Goals Course, Values Course, and our Get Out of Debt course.
Connect with one of our Certified Partners to get any question answered.
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