Working on Your Health Is the Foundation for Reinventing Your Life

13 May 2025 #misc

In 2023, I felt sick to my stomach.

By the end of the year, I burned out. Then in 2024, I was laid off. Perfect combination, right?

For the first time, I had no idea what to do next.

One day, I called a friend to tell him how I felt and get things off my chest. “You always have a plan,” he told me.

But not that time. I only knew what I didn’t want to do. I didn’t want to go back to where I was: stomach sick, burned out, and without a job.

I felt relieved after that layoff.

But it lasted only weeks before I realized I had no paycheck coming. I checked my expenses and bank account to see how long I could last without a paycheck. Relief quickly turned into desperation. More than once.

The quote that changed everything

By chance or fate, I found this quote:

“If you don’t know what to do with your life, start by working on your health”

That’s from James Altucher, one of my favorite writers. It’s from an interview or one of his books, I can’t remember exactly. I’ve been following his work online since then, by the way.

Since last year, after ditching my to-do lists, my only plan has been to take care of my body, mind, and spirit every day.

Prioritizing our health creates forward momentum. It gives clarity, energy, and purpose.

There are days when I miss working on any of the three parts.

But when I miss a couple of days, I can feel it. Frustration, ruminating thoughts, and low energy start to appear. Again. That’s the warning sign to go back to my healthy habits. My body tells me when it needs to be taken care of.

I still don’t know what to do with my life. Probably, I never will. But working on my health has given me so much peace of mind.

One day at a time

Life doesn’t come with an instruction manual. We have to figure things out. We all are figuring life out as we go. Sometimes it’s easy. Sometimes it’s not. Sometimes we know what we want out of life. Sometimes it’s easier to tell what we don’t want to do.

No matter where you are in life, work on your health. That’s the first step to change.