The two biggest areas people are in constant search of gratification are in regards to money and looks. For the purpose of this post we’re going to focus on weight and physically fitness in regards to looks. Then for money we are going to looking financial situation or your financial health.
Development
an early age our perceptions of money and health take shape mostly for us. We learn our thoughts and feelings regarding these areas from the major influences in our lives. It might be your parents, teachers, friends, other family members. It could be things you learn or things you can experience. There are numerous ways in which your relationships with money and health grow over the years. The key is to realize that your thoughts and feelings are a learned behavior because of this they can just as easily be unlearned or changed.
Our Society
Today we are a society that is struggling, to say the least, in these two areas. There are people everywhere saddled with debt. They don’t have the savings they need. They become reliant on jobs and the income they provide. To make matters worse, the economy is bad and unemployment is up. Just as we struggle with money we struggle with weight. Obesity in America is out of control. We love what’s not good for us, maybe because it’s easier or maybe because it tastes better. We don’t have time to exercise. We also spend more time sitting than ever. We sit at our job, in our car and in front of our televisions.
Caught in the Middle
Everywhere you look you are bombarded with extremes. You are shown rich or poor, fat or skinny. The in between has essential been buried in our society. What fun are they? They are boring right? Who wants to be boring? So you constantly deal with cognitive dissonance. This creates a sense and feeling of being uncomfortable. These extremes make it very difficult to change. It’s almost as though you have to be one or the other. So then if your are not rich, you must be poor and if you are not skinny you must be fat.
This creates a constant battle, a mountain to climb. How do we respond to this? We don’t have the patience or the time. Some may argue that we are lazy. We struggle with the lack of understanding of exactly what to do or where to start. We seek out the quick fix. We want to be rich and skinny now. Isn’t that what we are suppose to be? Isn’t that what is in the news and the magazines and on tv?
Quick Fixes
There are the diet pills and the lottery. They advertise everywhere. This one pill will make you skinny. You don’t have to be fat, just as the lottery makes you rich. We throw money at these get rich and get skinny schemes. These two sections are in every grocery store across American. The place to buy your lottery tickets and the section that has the diet pills.
Next we are faced with an overwhelming number of ways to get rich and skinny. There is too much information, too many ways to make it work. So we look around in our own worlds. We scratch and claw to find someone who has had a bit of success so we know who to copy or follow. Oh this diet plan or pill or book worked for so-and-so it will work for me. I read about this on the internet or saw it on tv. Maybe there is truth there I will try it. We offset our constant struggles with constant little efforts. It’s as if we just try a bit maybe something will happen to fix everything. Or maybe we’ve come to accept that we are failing in these areas. That would be scary, acceptance?
Last Resort
We are left with our final option, Bankruptcy or Gastric Bypass. They are one in the same aren’t they? Start over with a clean slate. Wipe the fat and debt away. Does it work? It definitely can. What it doesn’t address is the root of the problem. The money issues you were dealing with first and the eating issues are still there. They need to be fixed. What it does is shrink the mountain. Things become less overwhelming when you don’t have to go it alone and figure things out by yourself.
It Doesn’t Have to be This Way
That’s what I’m hear to tell you. There is help. You are the norm. The majority of people our there are struggling with the same money and health issues you are. Just because they don’t put them for you to see doesn’t mean they are not there. There is help for you. There are financial planners and personal trainers. There are bloggers and information everywhere. This can continue to be overwhelming so focus on three. Three great services or people that can help and teach you. You need to take the leap of faith and now that things will get better.
Your Chance to Fix It
Focus on the next 30 days. Go out and follow your 3 things that are going to change your life in the next 30 days. It might be a book, a blog and a personal trainer.. Maybe it’s a friend, a financial planner and/or Financial Samurai. Whatever works for you. Don’t worry about if it’s the best, find something you trust and stick with it for 30 days. Maybe it’s an exercise video from BeachBody or a great book from Amazon or someone you were introduced to. I promise it will make a difference.
Change
We’ve come to talk about how we as a society got here. It’s okay to be here. It is normal to be here. But you don’t have to. You do, however, have to want to change. There is a reason for this. There is a purpose to change. It’s different for everyone. Now is your opportunity. 30 days is all I ask for. So ask yourself two questions…
- Why do I want to change?
- What will be my 3 things for the next 30 days?
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Enjoyed the comparison between health & finances. As you point out, there are MANY similarities. I particularly like “quick fixes” and “last resort”.
But when you think about it in context of our society, maybe it makes sense. Here in the US, we are a people of extremes. Look at how the fitness world has TRANSFORMED. If you chronicled what a fitness “buff” looked like from 1930 to now there’d be stark differences.
It also interesting as it relates to my own article on outsourcing. So many people would rather “outsource” their health & finances (diet pills & get rich quick schemes) than take the time & energy to do it themselves.
.-= FinEngr´s last blog ..Which Way Are You Outsourcing? =-.
@FinEngr
Fitness has definitely changed drastically as has finances. Mutual funds have only become really popular in the last 30 years or so. Now ETFs are trying to take a run at them. Times change. It’s difficult to keep up with everything.
To add on to your comparison, I would add credit cards to the list of quick fixes. People take diet pills regularly for a quick fix and to be able to eat whatever they want. People use credit cards sometimes to buy whatever they want even if they can’t pay for it. Great article!