The health Pyramid Level 6- Living Your Best Life

THE TOP

Living Your Best Life

This was the reason for building the pyramid in the first place.

We made it to the top.

And after everything we have talked about, I almost think the most important thing I can tell you here is this:

The top is not another level you have to master.

There isn't another list of supplements to buy, another test to order or another routine you need to perfect. The little triangle at the top of this pyramid represents what all of the work underneath it was supposed to give us the opportunity to do.

Live.

Not simply exist. Not spend every day managing our health. Not become so focused on optimizing ourselves that we forget to enjoy the person and the life we were trying to optimize.

Actually live.

What Does Living Your Best Life Actually Mean?

I think that phrase gets used so often that it can start to sound like a cliché. Living your best life does not mean every day is perfect. It does not mean you wake up happy every morning, have endless energy, love your body every second, never get sick and somehow manage to balance every part of your life.

That isn't real life.

To me, living your best life means creating a life that feels like yours.

It means having enough health, energy, support and self-awareness to participate in your own life instead of constantly feeling like you are just trying to survive it.

And what that looks like will be completely different for every person.

Your Best Life Does Not Have to Look Impressive

This is important, especially in a world where we see everyone else's highlight reel all day long.

Your best life may include travel, big goals, a career you love and experiences you have dreamed about for years.

It may also look like having enough energy to make dinner with your family. Sleeping through the night. Walking without pain. Having coffee with a friend. Feeling comfortable in your own home. Getting outside. Laughing more. Having the strength to say no. Having the courage to say yes.

There is no prize for having a life that looks impressive to everyone else if it does not feel good to you.

From Surviving to Actually Living

There have been seasons of my life when surviving was the goal. Sometimes that is where we are, and getting through the day is enough.

But I also know what it feels like to reach a point where you realize you do not want survival to be your permanent address.

For me, rebuilding my health became connected to rebuilding my life. I wanted more energy. More experiences. More connection. More purpose. More laughter. I wanted to become involved in my community, make new friendships, give back and say yes to opportunities I might once have talked myself out of.

I was grateful for the life I was building, and I wanted to actually be present enough to live it.

That is why this pyramid was never just about health.

Health Is the Vehicle, Not the Destination

I do not want you to spend the rest of your life thinking about your health every minute.

I want your health to support the things you want to think about.

The trip. The dinner. Your children. Your friends. Your work. The hobby you love. The cause you care about. The person you want to become. The experience you have always wanted to have.

We take care of our bodies because they are the vehicles that carry us into those moments.

Health is incredibly important. But health without a life you enjoy living is not the final goal.

Your Version of the Top

If nobody else could see your life, what would make it feel good to you?

• What would you want your mornings to feel like?

• Who would you want around you?

• What would you have enough energy to do?

• What would you stop tolerating?

• What would you make more time for?

• Where would you go?

• What would you learn?

• Who would you help?

• What would make you laugh more?

• What have you been saying 'someday' to?

• What would you say yes to if fear was not making the decision?

Those answers may tell you more about your best life than any wellness score ever will.

The Yes Does Not Always Have to Be Big

I love the idea of saying yes to life, but I also think we sometimes imagine that a yes has to be dramatic.

It doesn't.

Yes can be booking the trip.

Yes can also be taking the walk.

It can be calling someone. Trying something new. Asking for help. Going to the event even though you feel nervous. Resting when your body asks you to. Leaving something that no longer fits. Starting over. Setting a boundary. Making the appointment. Applying for the opportunity. Wearing the dress. Taking the picture. Sitting outside with your coffee and realizing that, for five minutes, you are completely content.

A life is built out of those moments too.

And Sometimes the Answer Needs to Be No

Living your best life is not about saying yes to everything.

Sometimes the most important yes to yourself requires a no to something else.

No to constantly overcommitting. No to relationships that drain you. No to ignoring your body. No to comparing your life with someone else's. No to believing rest has to be earned. No to staying somewhere simply because leaving feels scary.

The goal is not more.

The goal is more of what matters.

Keep Checking In

Even at the top, we keep looking down at the pyramid underneath us.

There will be seasons when your sleep needs attention again. Your nutrition may change. Your hormones may change. Stress may increase. A relationship may shift. Your environment may change. Your body may need something completely different than it did a year ago.

That does not mean you failed.

It means you are paying attention.

Come back to the pyramid. Look around. Ask yourself what is working and what needs a little support. Make the adjustment and keep going.

You do not have to rebuild everything every time one piece changes.

Maybe This Is the Real Definition of Wellness

Maybe wellness is not having perfect labs, perfect sleep, perfect nutrition and a perfectly regulated nervous system.

Maybe it is knowing yourself well enough to notice when something feels off.

Knowing what helps you feel better.

Knowing when to ask for help.

Knowing when to push and when to rest.

Knowing what matters to you.

And building a life that has enough room in it for you to actually experience those things.

My Hope for You

My hope is not that you finish this pyramid and suddenly become a completely different person.

My hope is that you understand yourself a little better.

That you recognize how connected everything in your body and your life really is.

That you identify a few places where you can take better care of yourself.

That you stop believing health has to be all or nothing.

That you become curious instead of critical.

And that, little by little, taking care of yourself gives you more opportunities to participate in the life happening around you.

So What Happens Now?

You live it.

Keep doing the things that are working.

Work on the things that need attention.

Come back to the pyramid when life changes.

Keep learning.

Keep asking questions.

Take care of your body, but do not forget to use it.

Protect your peace, but do not hide from life.

Make plans.

Make memories.

Find your people.

Give back.

Laugh.

Rest.

Try again.

And when life gives you an opportunity that feels right for you, I hope you have built enough health, confidence and trust in yourself to say yes.

Because living your best life was never the reward waiting for you at the top of the pyramid.

It was the reason we built it.

Your Best Life Check-In

• What does living my best life mean to me right now?

• What parts of my life already feel really good?

• What do I want more of?

• What do I want less of?

• What have I been putting off?

• Who do I want to spend more time with?

• What makes me feel most like myself?

• What is one experience I want to say yes to this year?

• What is one thing I need to say no to?

• What is one thing I can do this week that makes my life feel a little more like the life I want?

Your life does not have to be perfect to be beautiful, meaningful or worth saying yes to.