My mother wanted me to be a medical doctor. The inner me drew me closer to humanities because of the excitement I get when I play with words. I chose to be a banker because of my love for neck ties. I told this story in an article I titled “Follow Your Dreams” in my first book.
This post is not about me, please pay attention. As a banker, I have had the privilege to see fat bank accounts outlive their owners when death is least expected. In the face of abundant resources, I have seen educational, career and family goals disrupted or outrightly truncated because of insufficient attention to health and wellness.
I’m not a health practitioner but using the power of letters, allow me to be your health advisor today. If there is one thing no one likes to talk about, it is the death of self or a loved one. The brutal reality is that we are all going to die but at different times. This post is not about prevention of death. None of us is the owner of life. This post is about life and wellness.
Wellness is more than physical well being. It includes spiritual, emotional, social and mental health. Sometimes, the answer to the treatment we seek is in our approach to life and not in the hand of any medical practitioner or any pill we are made to chew to reclaim what we lost by the choices we make.
To wait until you are unwell in your body before checking how well you are is endangering your wellness. You plan for war when there is abundant peace, not when war has broken out already. Knowing your health status empowers you to take proactive steps before you begin to deal with an emergency.
Most times, the things that leave us with little time to answer the necessary questions about our wellness lack respect when life is threatened. I have seen people make money, a fraction of which they don’t have enough time to spend until they part with the money, to be spent after them without their consent.
The goals you set for yourself have direct relationship with your wellness. Goals not tied to your happiness can drain your energy and weaken your inner strength. How about relational health? Believe it or not, the health of your social relationships with people impacts your emotional wellbeing, hence your total wellness.
The dreaded truth is that we are all going to die but why aid your own death? How much of your time and resources go into your wellness? Are you in charge of your goals or your goals are on the driver’s seat of your life? Your goals should shape you and not break you.
The fortune you seek to put a smile on your face should not take your smile away. Think about it.
Thank God it’s Monday.
©️ Akin Oluwadare Jnr
22 September 2025
