Most Americans, unlike many other people throughout the world, have the opportunity and good fortune to live their lives with comfort, convenience, and quality. In fact, most Americans spend the majority of their time and energy in the accumulation of comfort, convenience, and quality.

They work hard so they can live in a comfortable, convenient, and quality home. When that home doesn’t meet their needs anymore, they buy a better comfortable, convenient, and quality home.

They work hard so they can drive comfortable cars, wear nice clothes, and enjoy fun activities and vacations. They surround themselves with a plethora of creature comforts and adult toys. They own the most up-to-date computers and gadgets in the form of televisions, DVD players, sound systems, cellular phones, Ipods, digital cameras, and whatever else strikes their fancy.

Americans are fully aware that in order for them to accumulate the “stuff” that will give them a lifestyle of comfort, convenience, and quality, they must earn and accumulate a certain amount of money to afford the “stuff” and, thereby, creating their ideal lifestyle with that “stuff.”

And there is nothing wrong with that. That’s our gift as Americans: work hard, create your ideal lifestyle.

It’s so easy to understand the principles of earning and saving and accumulation, isn’t it?

To give you one example, in order to save $365.00 in one year, there is no confusion that if you put one dollar every day for one year into a savings account, AND you do not withdraw any dollars from that account, you will, in fact, save the intended $365.00. By continuing this plan, you will save $1825.00 in five years and $7300 in twenty years. Simple principle. We all understand it.

Furthermore, you not only know what you must do in order to accumulate money, you also accept the personal responsibility for your success, or failure, of this endeavor. You know that it is your responsibility to set the goal and to take the necessary action steps to successfully reach that goal.

You know that your daily choices, wise or foolish, will dictate the accomplishment of that goal.

And, if you do not reach your goal, you are fully aware that you are the one and only person responsible for the less than satisfying consequences of your daily choices - a compromised bank account and, therefore, a compromised lifestyle.

On the other hand, if you do meet your goal, you take full credit, just as you deserve, for your personal achievement.

Now don’t we know this? Isn’t it so easy to know how to accumulate a certain amount of money?

What is so fascinating is that as savvy as Americans are about the accumulation of “stuff” and wealth, they often do not see the parallel between the accumulation principles of wealth and health.

Regular, consistent deposits lead to the accumulation of wealth, or health.

Too many withdrawals lead to bankruptcy of wealth, or health.

If you want to attain and maintain a certain level of energy, comfort, activity, and health in the next few weeks, one year, five years, or fifteen years down the road, then you must make regular deposits into your “health/life savings account” - starting today! And this “health/life account” is directly dependent upon the quality and quantity of your daily deposits, and withdrawals, better known as choices.

It is that simple. However, unlike bankruptcy of wealth, which is indeed reversible, bankruptcy of health leads to more drastic and permanent consequences.

And the bottom line is: who is responsible for the growth of your bank account? You are of course. And you know that.

Now who is responsible for the health, fitness, and mobility of your body? You are of course. But sometimes that responsibility is not quite so clear.

No, it is not usually “Lady Luck,” bad genes, or even age that are responsible for the premature conditions, diseases, and early death that so many Americans face.

Rather, as most experts agree, you are responsible for understanding the principles of health and setting health goals for yourself, whether they are immediate goals, or longer term goals for one year, five years, or the rest of your years.

You are responsible for making smart choices and decisions every day that will help you achieve your health goals.

You are responsible for the consequence of these choices and decisions - whether that consequence is an active, full, purposeful life or something less than your ideal life.

To put it simply, self-responsibility is the key to your health and your very life.

And you are worth every bit of your effort.

Consider this question: How much would a nice home, a nice car, nice clothes, a nice lifestyle, and a nice bank account be worth if you lost your health—I mean really lost your health?

Just imagine yourself sick and in bed with the flu for one day. What if you were sick and in bed for the rest of your days? If you don’t know, or can’t imagine, just ask someone who has in fact lost his or her health (and you won’t have far to look) and how has that directly affected his or her life? How has his or her priorities changed? How much value does he or she now place in his or her stuff? Would he or she not exchange every possession and every cent in his or her bank account for the return of his or her health? Without question, absolutely!

If you lose your health, you lose everything. Health comes first, so that you can enjoy everything else that life has to offer. Simple principle: Health first, everything else, second.

Therefore, when I ask you, “What is your greatest asset?” Will you say your home, property, investments, or a bank account? No! Your greatest asset, without a doubt, is your body and your birth right - your health. And it is your responsibility to take care of it!