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Life is as complex as it is interesting—
a mosaic of experiences and fulfillment, as well as challenges and responsibilities.
Many philosophical texts discuss the reality that struggle is an unavoidable part of the human condition.
The advice that follows is typically to learn how to accept this truth and adapt to it as best we can.
If we can’t outrun it, at least we can learn how to better integrate with it.
This is also reflected in our relationship with health.
Health is something we think about often.
A consistent responsibility.
Some yield to that responsibility.
Others take a contrarian path and choose to live in spite of what they view as an additional ‘command.’
And everything in between.
And I get it.
To feel like you must take on another responsibility isn’t just cumbersome—it can be irritating.
To feel like you never had a choice in accepting that responsibility can feel… unfair.
And that’s exactly why we need to discuss it.
Because the reality is, it’s less about commands—and much more about context.
And regardless of our perception… this responsibility continues to matter—whether we’ve assigned it meaning or not.
The good news is that it’s not without return.
Health can sometimes feel like another cost because of the effort it requires.
But if we accept the reality of that effort, we begin to see something else.
It’s one of the greatest opportunities for investment that we have available to us.
More Than Metrics
Health is often reduced to numbers:
- weight
- lab values
- steps
- calories
If you ask people to define health, they often point to outcomes—energy, physical ability, disease prevention, etc.
And these are all important—and correct.
But they are not the purpose.
They are indicators. They are the metrics.
The number on the scale doesn’t matter on its own—
it matters because of what it represents in your ability to live your life.
When we lose sight of that, health becomes easy to misinterpret.
We start chasing numbers…
instead of protecting the life those numbers are meant to support.
Goodhart’s Law states: “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.”
It’s easy to focus on individual pieces.
But it’s just as important to step back and see the full picture—
how those pieces fit into something larger.
Because the bigger picture is this:
Health is something deeper.
It is the medium through which we experience our lives.
What Health Actually Gives You
At its core, health supports three things:
1. Functional Independence
The ability to move through life with agency in pursuit of our own journey and fulfillment.
2. Quality of Life
Energy. Presence. The ability to fully experience each moment.
3. Freedom
The ability to do what matters to you—without your body holding you back.
The Search for Meaning
I believe the meaning of life is to give life meaning.
A life well lived is one characterized by intention, fulfillment, and contribution.
Health provides a foundation for all of this to occur.
It doesn’t define the meaning—
but it shapes our ability to pursue it.
Can we pursue these things without any focus on health? Absolutely.
Is our self-worth defined by our health? Absolutely not.
But any investment in health makes the journey less cumbersome.
Life provides plenty of friction, challenge, and struggle.
But if we can build up the system to better withstand that friction…
we become far less vulnerable to it.
Why It Matters
Over 2,000 years ago, Herophilus said:
“When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless, and intelligence cannot be applied.”
Health doesn’t just sit beside the rest of your life.
It supports it.
Quietly, but constantly.
A Broader Definition
The World Health Organization defines health as:
“A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
Not just avoiding illness—
but having the capacity to live well.
The Part We Don’t Always Acknowledge
Taking care of your health does require effort.
It asks for:
- attention
- consistency
- small, repeated choices
And in a busy world, that can feel like one more thing to manage.
There’s also another layer to this—
Health outcomes are often lagging indicators.
The effort you put in today…
may not show up in a meaningful way for weeks, months, or even years.
Which means you’re often asked to invest in something
before you fully feel the return.
That, too, can feel like a burden.
Reframing the Effort
But perspective matters.
Instead of:
“This is something I have to do”
It becomes:
“This is what allows me to live the life I actually want”
The Deeper Question
Think about the things that matter most to you:
- The people in your life
- The work you care about
- The experiences you want to have
- The interests that fulfill you
Then ask:
Is your health supporting those things… or getting in the way of them?
Because health doesn’t just affect how long you live—
It affects how you show up while you’re here.
Responsibility—Without Pressure
We don’t control everything.
Genetics, environment, and life circumstances all play a role.
But within that, we still have influence.
Not to be perfect—
but to move in a direction that supports the life we want to live.
Health isn’t an all-or-nothing pursuit.
The investment doesn’t have to be perfect—
it just needs to be pointed in the right direction.
Closing Thought
Health isn’t everything.
But it touches everything.
And when you start to see it that way…
It becomes less about obligation—
And more about opportunity.
Bridge Forward
And this leads to an important question:
If health matters this much…
why does it often feel difficult to maintain?
It’s not just a matter of motivation or discipline.
There’s something deeper at play.
And that’s where we go next.
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