Different Problems

When Google had their Initial Public Offering (IPO) many years ago, you could have bought $1000 of shares at a low price which 15 years later would be worth over $30,000.

If you had known that then the decision is pretty easy but since you didn’t know, you may have chosen to go on a vacation instead of spending the money on Google shares.

The decision to buy or not buy the shares isn’t much a problem at the time. But, much later your retirement might not look as rosy although you enjoyed the vacation you chose instead.

So, what’s the difference between the person who chose the vacation versus the person who chose Google?

It’s how they view the future.

If you chose to buy the shares, you have to create a problem now to solve a future problem – retirement. You have to forgo the vacation and invest that money.

The future is always in the now. It’s today. What you choose to do today is your future.

If I told you that you could reduce your risk of dying prematurely by doing a particular thing or things, would you do it?

It’s not expensive, has no serious side effects, can be done almost anywhere.

Spend 30 minutes per day and you greatly reduce your chances of a premature death. (source)

Exercise.

Not very flashy, in fact, kind of boring.

But it’s true and few take the time to do it…to invest in themselves.

Putting something off, especially health related, almost always translates into more dependence and financial hardship at some point in the future.

I understand it. “Oh, it’ll go away” is something I’ve said a few times.

Last November 2021, I was walking our dogs, Roo and Botti. We had a regular route and never had any trouble.

But this time, as we approached the top of a small hill, a stray dog appeared.

I froze while our dogs became more and more excited. They wanted to go meet this dog and probably have a grand time running off through the woods leaving me behind.

The stray dog seemed curious more than afraid or at all aggressive. But I struggled to restrain Roo and Botti, each weighing about 65lbs, from galloping forward.

Roo and Botti dragged me down the other side of the hill a long ways. It really felt like I had 100lbs on my shoulders while doing lunges downhill for several minutes.

And just when I thought I was going to lose our dogs for good, the stray dog looked at me, cocked his head and then turned and trotted off.

I had about a 12 minute walk, if you want to call it that, or more like the walking dead, back to the house.

My right ankle, both knees and hips hurt so much I struggled to put any weight on my right leg at all. I used crutches for 4 days and it took me over a month to get back out walking again.

But I wasn’t without symptoms. I thought, “Yeah, I know what this is and how to handle it. It’ll take a while but I’ll get better”.

But in February 2022, not only was I not much better, I had new areas of symptoms. Both hands were remarkably stiff and painful in the morning and my Achilles’ tendons on each leg felt like it might snap when I stepped on my leg.

“Oh, it’ll get better.” But it didn’t.

So, in May I scheduled a visit with my MD.

I told her the story and the first thing she said was, “Well, we need to rule out an autoimmune disorder”.

When you have enough of an injury, sometimes your immune system can get a bit off kilter. And it turns out she was right. My labs were positive for autoimmune disorder.

In my situation, I did finally choose to invest in myself and I have a new plan, a better one. But had I visited her in December, I would be just that much further ahead now.

I remind myself frequently that today’s choices determine tomorrow’s situations. Who doesn’t want a better tomorrow?

Is there something that keeps you from investing in yourself?

Thanks for reading.

If you like this article, why not share it with a friend? If you’re interested in coaching services, please contact my colleague Laurie Kertz Kelly for a free, 20-minute Strategy Session by, clicking here. To get my Secret Weapon to fight knee, hip & back pain and stiffness, subscribe for free today.

Doug Kelsey has been a physical therapist and human movement expert since 1981. He is formerly Associate Professor and Assistant Dean for Clinical Affairs at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and the author of several books. He has conducted over 250 educational seminars for therapists, trainers, physicians, and the public and has presented lectures at national and internat