Why Making Money is Good For Your Health

Omar Zenhom argues that financial stress causes chronic illness, damages relationships, and drains the mental energy needed for healthy choices. A Princeton study shows scarcity reduces cognitive bandwidth. He frames making money as a way to buy wellness, freedom, and generosity.
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If you think making money is only about buying the nicer things in life, think again. Because the truth is, making money is good for your health. In fact, not making enough money might be the biggest hidden health risk you are ignoring right now. Today, let's talk about the real cost of staying broke and why making money is one of the most generous things you can do for yourself and the people you love. Let's start with number one, money. Stress literally damages your body. Let's start with some facts. A study published by the American Journal of Epidemiology found that people with high financial strain were 20% more likely to develop chronic health conditions, including heart disease and diabetes. Another report from the apa, the American Psychological association, consistently shows money is the number one source of stress for Americans year after year. Chronic stress is linked to high blood pressure, poor sleep, weakened immune function. How do you think cancer develops? Depression? Anxiety? Digestive issues? That's not just an inconvenience. It's slow cumulative damage. And it's also invisible until it breaks something in your life. Number two, financial pressure destroys relationships. And let's be honest, money problems break people. They break relationships up. A study that was done by Ramsey Solutions found that money fights are the second leading cause of divorce after infidelity. The crazy thing about that study is that they found that couples will more likely stay together after infidelity than consistent money problems. That's a blow. When you're financially stressed, you don't argue about money, right? You argue about everything else because of money. You snap at your partner. You say no to your kids more than you want to. You make small decisions, feel like life or death calls. Listen, I watch my own parents that I absolutely love argue about money a lot. Not because they were bad people, they were really hard working people, but because they were scared. They were consciously and consistently anxious. Number three, being broke makes healthy choices harder. Whew. That is so true. It's the harsh truth. Being broke is actually expensive. It's really hard to stay healthy when you're living paycheck to paycheck. Let's break it down real quick. Here are some things you know are true. Healthy food costs more. Gym memberships aren't free. And if you need guidance and training, trainers are not free. Taking time off to rest and go on holiday and mentally recharge, not an option if you don't have money. Therapy, forget about it. Who's got budget for therapy when you're paycheck to paycheck? Getting eight hours of sleep when you're grinding Two jobs, absolutely unrealistic. You're not lazy, you're exhausted, you're not eating poorly because you don't care. And you don't know that this food is unhealthy. It's because junk food is cheap, it's fast. It fills the gap, it fills the need when you need it. Making money gives you options. It gives you the room to take care of yourself. Let me say that again. Wealth buys you wellness and that's the truth. I don't know anybody who, who is healthy and poor. Seriously, look back at your friends, look at your family who is in top shape and is really struggling financially. If it exists, it's a blip. It's a temporary period. But most people that can afford the time, the energy, the guidance, the resources to be healthy are wealthy. Number four, being poor makes you more likely to make bad decisions. Who here as soon as I said that were like, woo. I know exactly what you're talking about. I can think of 2, 3, 4, 5 different bad decisions I've made in my life because I was under financial pressure. It's the truth. This isn't about intelligence, it's about mental bandwidth. Listen to the study that was done by Princeton University. Being in poverty can reduce cognitive function by the equivalent of 13 IQ points. That's the same thing as pulling an all nighter and being exhausted and you can't think clearly and, and you got to make tough decisions. Why? Because when your brain is constantly occupied with how you're going to pay the bills, it can't think long term. You skip better opportunities because they don't pay immediately. Right? They don't pay, you know, this week or next week. You stay in a toxic work environment because you're scared of what's out there. Out of fear that you're going to miss that next paycheck that you desperately need. You take on debt just to survive. How many of us have been there with credit card and loans? You're stuck in this like reactionary mode, not creation mode. That's not weakness. It's the trap of not having enough money. Number five, you can't recharge if you can't afford to stop. When was the last time you took a real break? A real holiday? I'm not talking about a weekend where you checked your emails every hour or every day even. I'm talking about a total reset. A slow down trip, a breath. Right, Taking a breath. Time to reconnect with yourself. Time to realize that hey, life is to be lived. Most people can't Afford that. Vacations aren't just about indulgence. It's about recovery. It's about understanding that business is a lot like a high impact physical sport, like rugby or American football, right? In American football, they only play a game once a week because it's so high impact, they have to recharge and train and rehab so that they can make it next week. Business is much like that. You're going to go through a series of really hard sprints. But because you're working so intensely on whatever you're building, you need intense rest as well. But if money's tight, guilt sets in. How can you justify spending when you barely have enough, Right? So what happens is we buy with money we don't have with credit cards and things like that. And here's the irony. The harder you work, the more you need a break, right? But the less money you have, the less able you are to take it. That's a brutal cycle, a brutal one. Making money gives you the margin to rest, to recover and come back sharper, better than ever. Number six is really just me sharing what I learned watching my own parents. My parents worked incredibly hard. They were immigrants from Egypt, moved to the US and they knew nobody. They had to build their own community. They had to learn a new language. My mom had to do her degree all over again in the U.S. because the employers in the U.S. didn't recognize her degree from Egypt, right? They're like, well, we don't know what this university is, so you got to do your diversity degree all over again. They had to do menial jobs until they got to that level where they can get a decent job. My mom was an elevator operator for a long time. You, you know, she was doing housekeeping in hotels. This is the struggle my parents went through. And they were honest and they gave us love and they gave us everything they could. But life was hard. Bills were late. My mom stretched every dollar that she could at the grocery store. We never had any name brand items in the house. You know, like, we never had like an actual name brand cereal, right? If we ever had cereal in the first place, right? We never had name brand bread or peanut butter. It was always the no frills brand, the store brand, because she was trying to make sure that we had food in the house and that we saved money here and there to make up for other areas. And I remember watching them both age before their time. Not because of bad luck, because of the weight of constant financial strain. I made a decision, like I said early on, never again I'm breaking the cycle. Not just for me, but for them and for everybody around me. And my partner in my life and my extended family. I wanted to make sure that they knew that their sacrifice for me and hard work was not for nothing. Right? That it paid off. Because I don't want to be 60 and stressed out. I want to be 60 and free and enjoying myself and having the health to enjoy my life. And I believe you deserve that too. But you don't just get what you deserve. You have to go after it. You got to work for it and you got to earn it. Number seven. Making money isn't greedy, it's smart. You've been fed a lie, and many of us have that working more is selfish. That wealth is corrupt. That ambition is arrogance. But here's what I believe. Making money is how you protect your peace. Making money is how you serve your family. Making money is how you buy back your time. Making money is how you can afford to be generous. Making money is how you stay healthy mentally and physically. Making money allows you to make an impact at a greater scale. You're not chasing money. You're chasing freedom. You're chasing health. You're chasing better life. You're chasing what money can allow you to do. That's not greed. That's wisdom. Money can't buy you happiness, sure. But let me tell you what it can buy. It could buy you therapy. It could buy you groceries that don't come in a box. Right? It could buy you time with your kids. It can get you a break when you need it. It can give you a soft bed that gives you the best rest you ever had. Quiet mornings. It can give you peace of mind. That's not luxury. That's health. Right? So let's stop apologizing for wanting to make money. Let's stop pretending that staying small and broke is some sort of virtue. No, you're not selfish for wanting more. You're smart. You're protecting your health. And. And that's something worth fighting for. Thanks so much for tuning into this episode. If you made it this far, you're my kind of person, okay? You're a doer. You are somebody who wants to invest in themselves and is a learner. And I believe that I'm in like minded company. So thank you for being here. And if you enjoyed this episode and want more practical, no fluff insights from me, I can do that for you right in your inbox by joining our Three Things newsletter. Every week I'm gonna send you three things. One thing to think about, one thing to do and one thing to learn. Like this episode, right? It's short, it's sharp, and it's actually useful. So sign up over at 100 MBA NET and just sign up for any of our free guides or freebies and you'll be added to our newsletter automatically. I'm confident you'll be glad you did. Thanks so much and I'll check you in the next episode. Take care.










