Health, Wealth and Wisdom #3

Without your health, nothing else matters. Remember that. The money in your bank, houses, cars, boats or private jets. None of it will mean anything if you don't have your health. You can have it all, and in an instant, when that doctor walks into the room with that diagnosis, none of it will no longer matter. Those who fail to take their health and well-being seriously are destined to lose it.

So with that in mind, let's get right to this week's tips for your health, wealth and wisdom.

Health: Tumeric

Growing up my mother cooked with Tumeric every single day. Turmeric is the spice that gives curry its yellow color. Recently, I've added Tumeric back into my daily diet and I can feel the difference on many fronts. 

Tumeric has been used in India for thousands of years as both a spice and medicinal herb. Recently, science has started to back up traditional claims that turmeric contains compounds with medicinal properties. These compounds are called curcuminoids. The most important one is curcumin.

Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. It has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant.

Oxidative damage is believed to be one of the mechanisms behind aging and many diseases. It involves free radicals, highly reactive molecules with unpaired electrons. Free radicals tend to react with important organic substances, such as fatty acids, proteins or DNA. The main reason antioxidants are so beneficial is that they protect your body from free radicals.

Curcumin is a potent antioxidant that can neutralize free radicals due to its chemical structure. In addition, animal and cellular studies suggest that curcumin may block the action of free radicals and may stimulate the action of other antioxidants.

Turmeric, and especially curcumin, have many scientifically proven health benefits, such as the potential to improve heart health and prevent against Alzheimer’s and cancer. It’s a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. It may also help improve symptoms of depression and arthritis. (Healthline)

Start adding about a teaspoon of Tumeric into your daily nutrition. You won't regret it. 

Wealth: Become a creditor and send a collection notice to yourself every month.

This is something you've surely heard before but are not doing. You've most likely heard it in the terms of "pay yourself first." Reality it, most people don't pay themselves; they get paid and then they pay their bills. So, create a new bill.

I've shared this method with so many people over the years and everyone responds the same way; "Wow, that actually works." I personally started doing it while I was in college as a way to get myself out of credit card debt. Here's how it works. 

Step 1: Open an investment account. There are hundreds to choose from online. Your bank most likely even has one. Don't worry, you're not gonna invest for now. Just open the account. 

Step 2: Set up an automatic reminder for the 15th of the month to make your payment to the account.

Step 3: Make a payment to the account for the same amount it would cost for you to purchase that thing you want. Whatever it might be; new car, jet ski, boat, etc. Go to bankrate.com and enter in the price and interest rate and it will calculate a payment for you. If there's nothing on your wish list (smart move) and you simply want to save more money, make the payment equivalent to 10-20% of your monthly take-home salary. Minimum 10%. If you can do more, do it. If you can swing 30% you're a rockstar. Do it. 

Step 4: Go to your bank (on line) and set up the automatic payment from the account that your pay check gets deposited into to your investment account. Set the payment for the amount you calculated in Step 3 and set the payment to go out for the 15th of every month. 

Step 5: Forget the investment account even exists. Don't look at it. Don't think about it. Don't even log in to check the balance for 12 months. Then, log in and take a look at it. For most of you, the amount sitting in there will shock you. 

If at any point you find yourself wanting to stop the monthly payment to this account, don't. Don't break. Don't be weak. Unless it is a TRUE emergency, forget that account even exists. The money in this account is solely for growth; not Christmas gifts. Not to pay a shopping bill. Not to repay your mom. This money will serve a very specific and important role in the future. Don't blow it unless you want to remain broke for life. Remember, banks don't give loans to old people so they can buy groceries or prescriptions. Act accordingly.

Wisdom: 12 Rules For Life by Jordan B. Peterson

After being told by at least a dozen people that I need to read this book, I finally broke down and got it.

This book is a stern, story-based, and entertaining self-help manual for people that lays out a set of simple principles that can help us become more disciplined, better behaved, act with integrity, and balance our lives while enjoying life as much possible. 

Truth be told, I wasn't as "amazed" by it like many of my friends were. However, the book does provide some very powerful insights that I think everyone can benefit from, in one form or another. It really makes you think and put things into perspective. Whether you like the author or not is not the point here. This book is about making you a better, stronger human being in the world we live in. If that is of no interest to you, then skip this one. But I'll tell you this; you'd be making a mistake. 

Parents, there are some especially critical points and lessons in this book that you will 100% benefit from. 

Here are the 12 Rules. He goes over each in depth in the book, of course. But be warned; don't let the title of the rules affect your thinking. They're not all what you think they might be. Trust me.

1. STAND UP STRAIGHT WITH YOUR SHOULDERS BACK.

2. TREAT YOURSELF LIKE SOMEONE YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR HELPING.

3. MAKE FRIENDS WITH PEOPLE WHO WANT THE BEST FOR YOU.

4. COMPARE YOURSELF TO WHO YOU WERE YESTERDAY, NOT TO WHO SOMEONE ELSE IS TODAY.

5. DO NOT LET YOUR CHILDREN DO ANYTHING THAT MAKES YOU DISLIKE THEM.

6. SET YOUR HOUSE IN PERFECT ORDER BEFORE YOU CRITICIZE THE WORLD.

7. PURSUE WHAT IS MEANINGFUL ( NOT WHAT IS EXPEDIENT).

8. TELL THE TRUTH - OR AT LEAST, DON'T LIE.

9. ASSUME THAT THE PERSON YOU ARE LISTENING TO MIGHT KNOW SOMETHING YOU DON'T.

10. BE PRECISE IN YOUR SPEECH.

11. DO NOT BOTHER CHILDREN WHEN THEY ARE SKATEBOARDING.

12. PET A CAT WHEN YOU ENCOUNTER ONE ON THE STREET.

Once again, looks are deceiving. Don't look at the titles of these chapters and think you know what they're about. You don't. Trust me. However, there are two types of people: those who will look at this and say, "I don't need to read this." And those who will read it and become a better, wiser, more powerful human being for having done so. Choose wisely.