Key Takeaway
True poverty is a situation. Neglecting your health in the name of poverty is an illusion.
Does poverty cause poor health, or does poor health lead to poverty?
It’s a classic chicken-and-egg question, but something even deeper bothers me—and keeps me curious.
We often hear people say, "I don't have time to take care of myself," or "I don't have money to spend on health and fitness." Yet, those same people manage to find time and money for plenty of other things. On the surface, it’s clearly a matter of priority. But if we set the priority factor aside for a moment, what is really holding us back?
In searching for the answer, it all comes down to a simple truth, one I like to sum up in a quick rule of thumb:
“If you can afford for treatment, afford for improvement”
If you can afford for better treatment, afford for betterment.”
You are going to pay the cost either way.
You will spend money—either on hospital bills or on a healthier lifestyle. You will face pain—either constructively through discipline or destructively through decay. Even entry and exit from this world—birth and death—come with pain.
Ultimately, there are only two ways to stay alive: extending your decay, or living your life to the absolute fullest.
- In your 50s: You can pay for daily pills, or you can pay for a gym membership.
- In your 60s: You can rely on a walking stick for support, or use trekking poles on a mountain trail.
- In your finances: You can pay a lump sum on an emergency hospital admission, or invest monthly in nutrition and fitness.
- In your schedule: You claim you don't have time? You will spend it anyway—either sitting in a wheelchair or spending an hour in your workout gear.
The conclusion is clear: you will eventually pay for whatever you are ignoring today. How you pay is entirely up to your choices.