If you had been with me in April 2015 you would have seen a very different Kelly … for starters I was sitting in the back of a white minivan with my head between my legs wishing I was at home. Instead I was on my way up a rocky mountain in Turkey, and little did I know my life was about to change forever.
When we arrived at our said destination my mom walked around and turned to me with joy and whispered “it is exactly how I imagined” … it certainly wasn’t what I had imagined! But luckily, I was trapped there for the next 7 days …
I had booked a juice retreat for myself and my mother a few weeks before my 30th birthday to thank her for getting me to 30 (it’s easy to forget just how much your parents do) and also a kick start for my next decade, after all, I was about to turn 30.
To say it was humble is an understatement and I have to say I regretted it the moment I got there. Not only was I suffering from flu at the time but I was becoming increasingly aware that I had eaten my last meal for a while and I had nothing but juice ahead of me for the next 7 days.
It turned out to be a life changing trip for so many reasons, a few I will share with you in this article. But without sounding too corny … it revitalised me. Not only did I feel the health benefits but it gave me the space to sit back and really look at health and wealth and how much the two have in common.
For starters …
Efficiency
Anybody who knows me knows I am obsessed with efficiency and making the most of the resources you have. And truth be told, that is what appealed to me about juicing. For some reason I was born without the cooking gene and I have never been somebody who feels even remotely comfortable in the kitchen. I have tried it a few times and often wonder what satisfaction can be gained from spending hours to create something that is consumed in minutes, but then like I say, I was born without that gene. But as I headed into my thirties my lack of knowledge, will and desire was starting to impact me. I had been overweight for as long as I could remember, not massively so but enough that it would probably cause me issues in the future if not dealt with. So I knew I had to do something, but had no idea where to start. And for those that aren’t foodies or even familiar in the kitchen the topic of health can be very confusing with such conflicting advice and SO much to learn, or at least that is how I felt. I know some people feel the same about the topic of wealth which I will get to shortly.
Juicing at first glance looked relatively simple and for me – efficient. I loved the idea of getting all the nutrients, minerals etc that I needed in one place and in a form that required my body to do very little of the work. Instead of spending hours digesting more traditional sources of food I could get it all in in one glass and straight to my cells to deliver that nutrition straight away. Now, I am sure there is a lot more on the topic and I want to make it clear I am not an expert, instead I am sharing my insights and how I viewed and view the topic. The point I am trying to make is juicing felt like the most efficient way to maximise the nutrients and get them to the right place as quickly as possible. And that then hit on a topic I am experienced and very much interested in … money and financial security.
For me juicing was just like property investment. With property investment I take my cash, leverage it where appropriate and create an asset that churns out cash every month. It’s one of the most efficient ways to invest my cash and improve my overall financial health. As soon as that similarity hit me I found it easy to juice, after all, I was doing for my body what I had already been doing for my finances. I was addressing them in the most efficient way and maximising my return for the cash put in or in this case the calories consumed.
I remember once thinking about calories as money. If I only had x amount of calories a day I could consume … would I invest them in foods that gave me a higher return, i.e. more energy, or would I waste them on empty calories that felt good in the moment but would give me limited energy that wouldn’t sustain me. Again, as soon as that nugget hit it helped me use a framework I would normally use in my personal finances to my health. Bingo – I just tricked my brain to take an interest in something I know I should but previously hadn’t.
Anyway, I am getting off topic. Back to the retreat and the second ah ha I had whilst sitting in the sun on the top of a mountain sipping juice …
Taking Time Out
After my initial concern about the sparse surroundings, and by that I mean lack of people, buildings, infrastructure etc – all of it. I mean this really was a retreat in all senses of the world it dawned on me there was limited internet and with that; distractions. Apart from the other 28 or so people on this mountain there was nothing else. I hadn’t quite grasped that when I booked it, like I say, it had me hooked on efficiency so I was perhaps a little light on the research. But as with many things in life it actually ended up being a blessing in disguise.
Sometimes you have to take a step back to move forward
Erika Taylor
The mountain gave me space, it gave me time to reflect, it gave me time to really get clear on the one topic we all had in common; health. It was a much needed pause that changed my outlook for life. Back home I had fallen into the trap of moaning about getting older and here I was surrounded by many people more than twice my age with more energy than I could muster … perhaps I should look at this in more detail, what are they doing that I am not? The space allowed me to ask and answer some of those questions. As I say, it changed my outlook for life. The key is though, I had to step right back and allow myself the space to really reflect, and in that space I had to lean on the experts to help me figure out a better plan. Again, it wasn’t lost on me how similar this had been to my property journey …
After all, it was a ‘forced’ break that instigated my journey into property investment and financial security. When I was made redundant I had to really look at where my income was coming from and how secure it was … the answers to those questions were quite frightening but they allowed me to get clear, take stock and put a plan in place to make sure I had financial security no matter if I was working or not. That ‘break’ also changed my life for the better and it is the reason I have the level of comfort I have today.
Like my time at the retreat if you never get off the hamster wheel of life it is very difficult to know if you are heading the right direction. Clarity is key and taking time out, even if short bursts, is essential to getting that clarity. Even now, I take regular meetings where I sit back and assess the numbers, is it on track? Do I like the direction of travel? If I continue down this path will it get me to where I want to go?
Valid questions that will help you both in your health and wealth journey. In fact, that level of clarity and perspective is so important I start there with my clients.
Once you have clarity and a sense of purpose and direction it can often reignite your fire, and that week away certainly did for me. It also reminded me of another valuable lesson that also relates to financial planning…
Work now, reap the rewards later
In all honesty I decided to take a closer look at my health for purely selfish reasons. I had a niggling feeling that my youth would no longer protect me and I may need to start taking a pro-active effort in my health. As the famous quote goes ….
“If you don’t make time for your wellness you will be forced to make time for your illness.”
Joyce Sunada
However, there was a bigger reason for me; I had spent the last few years building up a property investment portfolio that generated cash every month and the assets were growing in value. But here’s the thing, I had done the hard work. I had spent the time learning what I needed to know and gaining experience, I had acquired the assets and set them all up and I was now reaping the rewards. Obviously you can’t control when you will die or suffer major illnesses but the thought of losing out on the benefits of the hard work I had already invested got my attention. After all, the longer I live the more cashflow I get and the more capital growth I benefit from. Yet in reality (at that time in my life) I was working hard to build my wealth with very little care or regard for my health – it occurred to me it made no sense.
And it is a bit like health, and I know nothing is guaranteed but the more time, effort and attention you put in up-front the better chance you have of good health and high energy levels later on. For me, that realisation was it. In fact, it gave me a strong WHY to get into good shape and treat my body with more respect. And I can honestly say that as I pack my bags in the next few weeks to go out again and keep health at the top of my priority list it is not lost on me how the investment in my health over the last decade has helped solidify my future and will hopefully allow me to enjoy my assets longer.
For me I see my money and my body as an asset, but only if used correctly. I want to extract the maximum return for the effort invested. I can see how the two work alongside each other. I would agree that without your health you have nothing, although with good health and longer life expectancy you better have a plan to pay for that lifestyle as it would be a shame to waste good health on mediocre living.
Both of these essential parts of my life are constantly reviewed and I often take the time to step back and look at both. Do you?
If you want to get some clarity on your wealth and look ahead to see how the track you are on will impact the you a decade or so on then I offer a complimentary session that will help you get clear on where you are and build a plan for where you want to go. For both my wealth and health journey I have looked at those that are further down the path or experts in the area and leveraged their knowledge. Learning from others is a gift and an efficient use of time. As a thank you for investing the time to read this article I am happy to offer you that gift. At the very least do the exercise for yourself, honestly, you will thank yourself for it one day. I have some resources on my website (www.kellylemon.com) that will really help you with this process.
Kelly Lemon
