topic: 202111281850- Health and Wealth alias: tags:#permanent-note
My writing (250-300 words)
The common factor between growing wealth and practicing health
This week is one my own writing.
Someone shared with me a podcast with Morgan Housel, the author of The Psychology of Money. I couldn’t help but see the parallels between building health and developing the mindset for lifelong health.
I wrote this Twitter post on how this applies to ex-athletes. And the response was very positive from a lot of other people too.
So here’s a more generalized version of the ideas I wrote about.
#1 We overlook the benefits of the compounding effect
The classic story here is the one of the chessboard and the doubling grain of rice. I’ve heard this many times. I studied Mathematics in college. I know it’s true, and it still feels counterintuitive.
I think the paradigm shift here is not thinking of it in terms of losses or gains, but in terms of making your base bigger. If you make your goal a 1% increase, that feels like very little. (see also: James Clear on 1% better). But the trick is in how much you start with.
If you start at 10, 1% of that is 1,
but 1% of 100 is 10,
1% of 1000 is 100…
You get the idea.
If you’re starting out at 1, that’s great. Gain 1% slowly and steadily, and before you know it, you’re working with such a big base that health growth becomes easier and steadier.
#2 We compare ourselves to others too much
I’m guilty of this myself.
As an ex-athlete, I’m always trying to compete with other people. We see other people who look further along than us, and it feels discouraging. We don’t even want to start our own journeys.
Morgan Housel writes about Internal and External Benchmarks.
If you’re measuring yourself against other people (External Benchmarks) you’ll always find someone who seems more healthier, stronger, and further along their health journey.
Instead focus on Internal Benchmarks. Understand what your values are, and what makes you happy. That can be the measure of your progress
#3 Avoid extremes and seek balance
In order the get the benefits of the compounding effect, you have to be consistent.
We have this tendency to be all or nothing. We set big goals, push hard for a while and then stop abandon them when things get hard.
Instead, plan around the highs and lows. When things are good, take advantage, and brace yourself for challenging times. When things are challenging, do the minimums, get through, and be ready for when things lighten up.
The trick is to be consistent, and never hit pause on your practices.