The Real Foundation For Your Side Hustle Business

Most of us, especially busy professionals, have our priorities completely mixed up. We chase goals, build careers, and pour energy into a hundred different things, all while neglecting the one thing that makes it all possible. It’s a lesson Warren Buffett explained perfectly to a group of college students in Omaha.

He told them to imagine that back when they were 16, a genie appeared and offered them the car of their dreams. It would be brand new, waiting outside the next morning with a big red bow on it. Of course, the first question would be, “What’s the catch?”

The genie’s answer is simple: “This is the last car you will ever get in your entire life.”

Think about that for a second. If you knew this one car had to last a lifetime, how would you treat it? You’d probably read the owner’s manual five times over. You’d keep it in the garage, protected from the elements. The moment you saw the tiniest scratch or dent, you’d get it fixed immediately to prevent rust. You would baby that car, because it’s the only one you’ll ever have.

The Only Vehicle You Truly Own

Buffett’s point, of course, wasn’t about cars. It’s about your mind and your body. You only get one of each, and they have to last your entire life. It’s easy to let them coast for years without much thought, but if you don’t take care of them, they’ll be a wreck 40 years from now. What you do today determines how your mind and body will function 10, 20, or 30 years down the road.

For the first 80 percent of my life, I put everything else first—work, relationships, friends, family, my dog, and material things. This went on until I was 27, when the world watched the COVID-19 pandemic sweep across the globe, tragically taking more than six million lives. As a young person, I had always taken my health for granted. To be honest, I didn't care about healthy; I cared about good, like getting a six-pack. Actually prioritizing my well-being was a foreign concept.

The pandemic was a wake-up call. For me, the silver lining in that trauma was the undeniable realization that my health should have been my number one priority all along. Research backed this up, with studies showing that obese individuals who contracted COVID-19 were 113 percent more likely to be hospitalized. The evidence was clear: unhealthy people were at a much greater risk.

The Table and Everything On It

Most of us live as if we’ll never die. We get caught up in petty worries and take unnecessary risks. But facing the reality of death, even from a distance, clarifies what truly matters. It was then that I saw just how poorly I had structured my life. For those of us juggling a demanding career or , health often feels like the first thing to sacrifice.

I started to picture my life this way: My work, my girlfriend, my friends, my dog, and everything I owned were all just items sitting on a fragile table. That table was my health. Life could take any of those items away—and it often does—and I would still have the table and everything else on it. My dog could be gone, and I’d still have the rest. My girlfriend could leave, and I’d still have the others. But if you take away the table, everything crashes to the floor. I’d lose it all.

Everything I valued was dependent on that one foundation. My entire life—every ambition, every relationship, every potential —was contingent on my health.

Building a Stronger Foundation

This realization changed everything. For the past three years, I've made radical shifts in my lifestyle. I cut way down on sugar, processed foods, and refined grains. I started exercising six days a week without fail and dramatically increased how much water, plants, and probiotics I consume.

The result? I’m objectively healthy, which is great. But I also feel incredible, which is even better. The positive ripple effect on every area of my life has been profound. My focus for my sharpened, my productivity soared, my sleep improved, and my relationships, mood, and confidence all got a massive boost. This is why building a solid health foundation is crucial, especially for any trying to get ahead.

As Edward Stanley once said, “Those who think they have no time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.”

Taking care of yourself is the greatest form of gratitude you can practice. Your body is the only vehicle you have to explore the world and the only house you can ever truly call home. Prioritizing it isn't selfish; it's the fundamental law for a great and long life, giving you more time to enjoy all your other priorities.