9 critical lessons for lifelong wellness

Starting down a new path on your health and wellness journey isn’t easy. It’s usually precipitated by a challenging time — either yours or seeing someone else’s.


For me, it was both. My dad got sick and at the same time I was experience serious burnout and discontentment with my life. As I’ve worked to improve my life and health so I can live well not only now but for decades to come, I’ve learned some lessons that keep me in the right frame of mind to keep going, no matter what.

1. Health is THE thing that makes all other things possible. It’s not just ‘another thing to do.’ When you recognize that taking care of your health is a foundational component of your lifestyle rather than an item on a checklist, the mental gymnastics stop and you just do it.
   
   
2. Health and wellness is a lifelong journey. The pursuit never ends. There will never be a time when you don’t need to exercise anymore or get enough sleep or stay involved with your community or eat your vegetables. So when you focus on changing making changes, choose things you actually want to do and can do for a long time because there’s no end point (except death).
   
   
3. You are the expert in your health and life. How many times have you consulted a professional or read a book or asked someone for advice, only to not follow through because it just wouldn’t work for you? I would dare to bet that you have at least 80% of the information you need to radically transform your life right now. Instead of learning more, you need to learn to trust your intuition and harness what you already know.
   
   
4. You have to change your life if you want your life to change. You can wish all you want, but if you don’t do anything about it, nothing is going to happen.
   
   
5. Choosing health means not choosing something else. This may be an unpopular opinion, but you DO have give up some things to enhance your health and well-being. You can’t have it both ways. But I promise you that the sacrifice is worth it because the life and health that’s waiting for you on the other side is so much more expansive than what you’re experiencing right now.
   
   
6. Knowledge does not apply itself. You have to apply it! To keep learning — reading, researching, watching — is a protection mechanism. It’s easier than actually taking action, failing, learning, and trying again. Or best case scenario, you succeed the first time! But knowledge ≠ transformation.
   
   
7. Putting others before yourself is selfish; taking care of yourself is the actual selfless act. Taking care of yourself is more challenging because it is WORK. It’s easier to neglect yourself and just do things for other people all the time than it is to make a commitment to yourself, do the work, and set boundaries with others. I’m not saying you completely give up on other people; I’m saying you take care of yourself first and then give what you have left to others. In the long run, your loved ones will thank you because you’ll be healthier, more independent, and able to keep helping others instead of relying on someone to take care of you.
   
   
8. Waiting for motivation is a waste of time. You have to get into action, and motivation will follow. Have you ever had a project that you procrastinated on because you just didn’t want to do it, but as the deadline approached and you got into it, it wasn’t so bad and you were able to make progress? This can happen with any health behavior that you want to start, except there’s no deadline and thus no motivation to get started so you never get started. If you are sitting on your couch waiting for motivation to strike before you get back to the gym or find a healthy dinner recipe, you’re going to be sitting there for a long time. You have to get yourself to take a step forward, and the motivation will follow.
   
   
9. You are the only one who can do it for you. No one else can or wants to do it for you because everyone has their own stuff to work on. You are the only one who can make the commitment and make the changes necessary to finally experience the life and health you desire. So what are you waiting for?

Which one resonates most with you? Leave a comment below!