Microwins

CHAPTER 10Health

Close your eyes and imagine you are lying in a hospital bed. You’ve been told by the doctor that you have three weeks to live. Of the three domains, which one would you do anything to get more of? Would you call your boss and beg for overtime? No, of course not. As our health declines and we get closer to death, we wish for the good health that we previously enjoyed, but likely took for granted, during earlier parts of our life. What wouldn’t you do for lower blood pressure, greater lung capacity, or the ability to hike without knee pain in your elder years? Although every domain is important, health carries a special spillover effect. Better health empowers us with the time, energy, and stamina to improve our work and pour life into our family.

Health, like finance, is one of those life categories that suffers from a phenomenon known as temporal discounting. Think of temporal discounting as the rate at which someone devalues (or minimizes) delayed rewards. I’ll give you an example: When I coached I was around a lot of other coaches who “dipped.” Dipping is shorthand for using chewing tobacco. I picked up the habit. Every time that I would purchase a can, I would read the warning on the front of the can, “This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.” And guess what, I’d open the can, and enjoy the calming effect of letting the nicotine enter my bloodstream.

Now, if you were to stop me and say, “Daron, do you know the use of chewing tobacco ...