Take the step and stop living an unhealthy lifestyle! “Being healthy” doesn’t solely mean that someone is fit or in shape it means that an entire body is in sync. Physical health is one of many parts included in health and wellness such as the emotional and spiritual factors. I believe it takes one specific skill for one to push themselves to achieve all the factors of health -- willpower.

​At first thought, physical wellness is one of the main factors of being healthy. Yes, staying in shape is good and takes dedication to stick to a workout plan however, it is not necessarily the only thing that someone should focus on to enhance their health. In addition to physical wellness, emotional wellness plays a significant role in someone’s health as well. You have to be able to adapt to your feelings when there are obstacles that pop up in life. Also monitoring your reactions when you are overwhelmed will ultimately lead to self-acceptance as well as self-confidence. These skills take so much willpower and self control to be able to execute properly. I can say that I am not always healthy in my life and need to work on many skills like these. Finding myself in a state of learning and revising and comparing and wondering seems to keep my mind healthy. With an active mind comes control of yourself and your state of mind. And the same goes for being spiritually committed. Having a community of friends who share your religious beliefs and goals can provide self-motivation. For me, I believe all these types of health combine to create the statement of being healthy. The real question is who will have enough courage to put themselves out there and experiment socially, physically, spiritually, intellectually even if it mean sacrificing their norms? Together these factors will increase a person's health without a doubt. “Butter, sugar, flour, and other ingredients are crucial in creating a delectable treat, but they aren’t the treat by themselves” says writer Tanya J. Peterson. This is also true for the “ingredients for one’s health, as a unit they will create a life filled with positivity and health.

Building off that, surrounding yourself in a positive upbeat environment is crucial to achieve a healthy lifestyle. Everyday walking through the halls and seeing happy, smiling faces is the difference between an interesting day or a depressing day. When I have the chance to talk and laugh with my friends every day, it provides that release of pressure just like a reset button if you will.​ Joking with friends creates that ear to ear smile stretched across your face as if nothing can bring you down. Simple things like this can make or break an individual’s health. If you are like me and lack in creating conversation, you need to take the step outside your comfort zone and talk to others; a friend can change your whole perspective on life. It all just takes the strength to sacrifice your norms.

On a personal level, planning daily workouts keep my body fit and my mind focussed. Exercise is a gateway for me. If there is any commotion in my life, then I can forget about that stress through small workouts: going for a jog, go out to play soccer etc. I am not saying lifting a thousand pounds at the gym everyday, but more of a get moving around and let your mind loose. I try to stay as active as possible because I know it keeps my mind sharp and motivates me to work harder and harder each day. On the other hand, my emotional wellness is affected everyday by the stress level my classes and work provide me with. The everyday checking people’s instagram and snapchat posts of societal pressures/norms build to my stress level. I believe I handle both of these dimensions well for the amount of commitments I have day to day. Staying emotionally stable and being socially active everyday is important to me. For example, if I wake up in the morning and no one is up to talk with me and interact with face to face, then that day I seem to lug around and not be dialed in at school. The social interactions in my life keep me thinking right and maintain my emotional health.

This complicated life has required me to create a wellness plan. The importance of creating a personal plan is to maintain good health without being distracted by life’s curveballs. I try to work out a couple days a week to stay active and healthy for the rest of my life. One day I want to show my kids the importance of taking care of yourself. I want to keep going to church every Sunday to keep me and my family focused on what is important to us in life. Ultimately I want to find a job that I like to keep me interested and passionate about something I truly care about. I believe if I am passionate about my job that I will always work my hardest. I find that if the people around me are happy it becomes contagious and this is something I want to support. As I get older I want to keep relationships with close friends, as well as make new friends that I will often run see. I want to learn to cook healthy and delicious meals for my family so I can show them eating healthy is essential to a healthy lifestyle. I will always maintain my hygiene to feel clean and look my best.  Most importantly, I want to be the best father and husband I can possibly be for my family, I believe this is a very important lesson for my kids, they need to know how to respect others and care for each other. These are the most important qualities, goals and rules I want to have throughout my life. This is from 16 years of making mistakes and learning from every single one. This list will continue to grow throughout my life and one day when I’m old I will be full of advice to share with others. For me to execute this list I need to show I have the willpower to resist all norms and to achieve all my goals.

​In sum, “being healthy” should be an ultimate goal for everyone. I have realized how important health and wellness is in my life because this will lead to happiness as long as you have the courage and willpower to rise up.