The Compound Interest of Health

Hello!

I previously wrote on the theme of "The Compound Interest of Memories," and today I would like to write about "The Compound Interest of Health" as a continuation of that.

I have experienced taking leave and returning to work three times due to depression. It has been over three years since I returned to work, and I truly feel the value of health deep in my bones. No matter what you do, whether or not you are healthy makes your life completely different. That is what I want to talk about today.

What is compound interest?

First, let me briefly clarify the term "compound interest."

Compound interest is a mechanism where interest is added to the increased principal, and then interest is added to that interest as well. It is often used in the world of investment, with the image of a snowball growing larger as it rolls.

For example, if your assets increase by 10% every year,
in the first year, it is 10% of the principal,
in the second year, it is 10% of the "principal + the increase from the first year,"
and so on; as time passes, your assets will grow larger and larger.

I believe this effect of continuous growth also applies to health.

When you are healthy, the amount of joy you get from the same event increases

Now, this is the main point. Why do you think health is important?
"Because I can move around energetically"
"Because I can work"
Of course, that is true. However, that is not all.

I believe that the healthier you are, the greater the amount of "joy" you can receive from life is. Isn't this the benefit that health brings?

To make it easier to visualize, imagine watching a movie. Suppose there is a movie with a happy ending. If a person who is physically and mentally healthy watches it, they can receive happy feelings, thinking, "Oh, that was moving" or "That was great!"

But what if your mind is tired or you are in a state of depression? Even if you watch the same movie, you might not be able to be moved by it, or "watching the movie itself is painful," and the content might not sink in at all...

Yes, that was me while on leave.

This is not limited to movies. In every event in life, the amount of positive emotion you can derive from it is completely different depending on whether or not you have the foundation of health.

Health is not just a physical state; it is also a device that enhances your "capacity to receive happiness." That is why I believe it is important to first keep your own condition in check in order to maximize the total amount of joy you can receive in life.

Health also has a compound effect on good "decisions" and "actions"

Health affects not only your physical condition but also your decision-making, judgment, actions, productivity... everything in life.

When you are in a healthy state, your mind is clear, allowing you to make positive decisions and increase your performance. In other words, the results of your actions are more likely to land in the positive. Conversely, when you are in an unhealthy state, your judgment becomes dull, you might make negative decisions, and the results are more likely to land in the negative.

What happens if you repeat this?

For healthy people, positive actions lead to more positive outcomes, moving them in an increasingly better direction. On the other hand, for unhealthy people, negative results continue to pile up. As time passes, this gap widens significantly. This is precisely the "compound interest of health."

Health begins to collapse the moment you stop maintaining it

The most troublesome thing about health management is that you must constantly maintain it. If you neglect maintenance, things immediately start to spiral in a negative direction.

Even if the human body is pushed to the point where health is trending negatively, you can manage for a short period through sheer willpower. However, as you all know, you cannot keep this up for a long time. If you notice that you really should be resting but keep putting off maintenance because you think, 'I can still move,' one day, suddenly, you will become unable to move, as if a string has snapped.

Once this happens, it takes many times longer to fix the broken parts than the time you spent pushing yourself. If you neglect maintenance saying you have no time to rest, only to end up needing long-term medical care later, it defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

That is why it is important to take care of your mind and body diligently while you are still okay. You might feel like you don't have time for daily maintenance, but considering the risk of carrying a huge negative burden in the future, I think it is a wise investment that pays off handsomely.

In the era of the 100-year life, health is the ultimate asset

Finally, let me talk a little about money and health. Working hard to earn money to live and improve your life is very important. But what happens if you sacrifice your health for that?

Even if you manage to get money, if you become ill afterward, you will lose the energy to use that money to travel or eat delicious food. Furthermore, the money you earned might just disappear into medical expenses. It is too sad to think, 'I sacrificed my health to gain money, but now I don't have the healthy body to use that money.'

We live in what is called the '100-year life era.' Life is long, and we have to keep living until we die. Since we are going to live a long time anyway, we want to extend our 'healthy life expectancy'—the period where we can be as energetic as possible, walk on our own two feet, and enjoy delicious meals.

If you maintain your health through proper daily care, you might be able to reduce future medical expenses. If you need less money, you might not have to work long hours by pushing yourself. Thinking about it this way, spending time on your health is the most efficient investment with the highest return.

Summary: Health is the ultimate asset

This time, I have put into words my thoughts on health, which I have painfully realized firsthand as someone living with depression.

Health affects every area of life—decision-making, judgment, actions, productivity, the amount of happiness, time, money...—with compound interest.

That is why small daily maintenance is important. It is a troublesome thing that collapses as soon as you neglect it, but if you continue, it will surely lead your life in a better direction.

If you are currently undergoing treatment, please focus on your recovery first. That is the first step to regaining the 'compound interest of health.' And for those who have returned to work or are currently healthy, let's start taking care of ourselves little by little starting today. I believe there will come a day when you will be grateful for those efforts.

That is all for today!

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