You are being invited to participate in the adventure of a lifetime. Starting from right where you are, you are about set out on a quest to recover the ultimate treasure sought by Emperors and influencers alike — health. You get to choose your route. No single path can possibly accommodate everyone’s journey. Biochemical individuality alone requires that you experiment to find what is right for your body and mind. You will discover how responsive your body is to small changes in your routines, and so you will become more enthusiastic as your health improves.

Building good health is like building any architectural structure. First you lay a solid foundation. Habits are the foundation of robust health and fitness. Healthy habits provide an infrastructure for building greater strength, stamina, integrity, and self-confidence. Consistency in a few simple habits creates the solid foundation upon which you can create lifelong well being, cultivate a renewed zest for life, and truly enjoy life more.

The Six Pillars of Health are Breathing, Hydration, Nutrition, Exercise, Sleep, and Relationships. Like the pillars of a temple, health-promoting activities should be spaced equally apart all around the day. Once these six pillars are in place, the roof can go up.

The roof of your living well temple is awareness. Awareness means paying attention. Simply paying attention to what you are thinking and doing in the moment — and especially paying attention to how what you are thinking and doing effects on your health. It begins with simply becoming aware of your breathing. Then of consciously hydrating. And on into mindful eating. Thoughtful exercise. Deliberately setting up quality times of rest.

And most of all — being aware that your life is embedded in a social network that is a continuation of the fabric of the cosmos. While you may have deemed yourself insignificant, who you really are is very important to the everyone you know, and what you can contribute will make a huge impact not only on your life, but the lives of countless others.  A healthy person helps others.

Where do you start? You start where you are. Start by assessing your current habits in light of how healthy you would like to be in another decade, then gradually cultivate and refine each new habit that takes you there. When your actions align with your intentions, you will succeed.