A long time ago, someone asked me if I viewed my health as an asset or a liability, and honestly I didn't know the answer. I had to think about it because it never even occurred to me to think about my health in that context. But wow, what a great question.
The reason the answer to that question is so important is because your viewpoint affects your attitude about your health which is the world of difference between healing and staying sick. Here's why...
...assets are things that are viewed as valuable, profitable, and beneficial ...
In general, assets are things that are viewed as valuable, profitable, and beneficial. Therefore, having assets can make us feel good, happy, and powerful. We make assets a priority and take very good care of them because the assets will bring us prosperity and benefit. When something starts to affect one of our assets in the negative, we jump on fixing it or protecting it right away because we don't want to lose any of the advantages that asset brings us. For example, your 401K is an asset that will help you in retirement. If anything starts to zap money out of that 401K, you will jump on that issue like someone just lit a match under your seat.
So, if you view your health as an asset, you will do everything in your power to make sure your health is a priority and of utmost importance. If you become sick, you will immediately do what it takes to get well. To prevent future illness, you will create a healthy lifestyle which includes body, mind, and soul because all are intertwined and affect the other. You will view medical professionals as partners in your prosperity, and not people to fear. When you view your health as an asset, you will feel fortunate and powerful.
Now, let's see what happens when you view your health as a liability.
In general, liabilities are things that are viewed as disadvantages, harmful, and painful. Therefore, having liabilities can make us feel helpless, annoyed, and racked with worry. No one likes or wants liabilities. We want liabilities to just go away. Liabilities scare us because they are associated with lack, pain, and misery. Denial, procrastination, and avoidance can easily and quickly dominate us because of that fear. For example, you feel a lump in your breast, and you do nothing because you're afraid of what it is. You hope that it will just go away on it's own. You don't want to go to the hospital because doctors and tests scare you.
...your viewpoint is affecting your health...
So, if you view your health as a liability, you will do things like ignore or avoid the problems, or view any health related issue as a headache or "why did this happen to me?" You feel victimized as your health is the enemy. Your health becomes the "bad guy" whenever you become sick or unwell. You view medical professionals like bill collectors or repo guys, they are there to "take" from you. When you view your health as a liability, you will feel disadvantaged and powerless.
As an exercise to get a peek as to where your viewpoint may lie, take a piece of paper, think about your health, and then write down the first 10 words or phrases that come to you. When you're done with the list, go back to each word and write down whether that word is an "asset" word (beneficial) or a "liability" word (disadvantage). Now look to see what the majority classification is. Here's a sample list:
- important (asset)
- prosperity (asset)
- chore (liability because I see it as a nuisance vs. a joyful task)
- lucky to be alive (asset)
- communication tool (asset)
- money drain (liability because I see health care as a bill vs. an investment)
- out of my control (liability because illness makes me feel powerless)
- beauty (asset)
- peace (asset)
- vibrance (asset)
Overall, this person views their health as an asset because the majority on the list is marked (asset). If your list is marked with a majority (liability), yes, you view your health more as a liability, but that does not make you a bad or weak person. It means that your viewpoint is affecting your health issues in more ways that hinder rather than help. Viewpoints and attitudes can be changed once you are conscious of them.
...Liabilities are not all bad...
This information, even if you are someone who has an overall "asset" view of their health, can help you work on the areas where you see liabilities so that you can be more of a partner in your own healing and well being. For example, from the above list, where the person sees health care as a money drain, they can now work on viewing health care like visits to the doctor, to an acupuncturist, or a therapist as an investment in their long term wellness. Investments are assets because they can bring us prosperity.
Liabilities are not all bad. What is bad could just simply be our viewpoint of them. Something we view as a liability could actually be an asset in disguise. I used to believe that suffering from bulimia was a liability but now I see it as an asset because it has helped me grow as a person, and I now have the ability to help and educate other people who are beginning or are in the middle of their own healing process from this eating disorder.
Take a moment to think about whether you view your health as an asset or a liability. It could mean a world of difference in your well being.
