Wellness Is Completely Optional

“I know I was born, and I know that I’ll die. The in-between is mine.”
—I Am Mine by Pearl Jam

Each week, on average, I have conversations with three people interested in personal wellness coaching. On average, two of them come on board as my clients. Of those who don’t, for about half of them, it’s not a good fit. They could use something different. For the other half who don’t come on board, it’s another story.

They proactively reach out to me about personal wellness coaching, and they make time for a conversation with me.

During our conversation, they express a sincere need to make lifestyle improvements, and they express their sincere confidence in me.

They often say something like, “I’ve been following you for a while. And this conversation has been very helpful. I know you’re the guy to help me with this.”

We talk money, and they say it sounds fair and is affordable to them.

I ask them when they’d like to start.

They say something like, “Let me give this some more thought before I commit.”

I tell them that sounds great to me.

I follow through with them a few times over a few weeks. Their replies are meager and sparse—and they fade away.

As a student of human nature, I’ve reflected on this phenomenon quite a bit, and I’ve come to an important conclusion:

Wellness is completely optional.

If these people discovered their cars were failing, they’d have functional cars very soon. Maybe new cars. Maybe used cars. Maybe dream cars. Maybe clunkers. But one thing is certain: They’d have cars very soon. To most people, a car isn’t optional.

If these people had kids in high school, they’d be applying for student loans, talking with their financial advisors, and doing everything they needed to do to make sure their kids were on track to start college on time. This would be one of their nonnegotiable highest priorities until it was done. To most people, a college education isn’t optional.

If these people were going to be attending weddings soon and didn’t have gifts yet, they’d be scrambling to get gifts. They’d be shopping before work, after work, and during work. One way or another, they’re arriving with beautiful gifts, beautifully wrapped. To most people, a wedding gift isn’t optional.

But:

Wellness is completely optional.

Each and every one of us, each and every day, gets to decide what’s essential and what’s optional.

Some of the people who don’t come on board with me even when it’s a good fit are probably experiencing fear of failure. Others are probably experiencing fear of success. All kinds of things could be going on.

Regardless of what’s going on with each person, the play in the system is created by the fact that:

Wellness is completely optional.

As such, at the foundation of any successful wellness journey is the firm decision that wellness is no longer optional for you.

When it comes to your well-being, at some point, you have to stop deliberating, and you have to give it a go.

“As you go the way of life, you will see a great chasm. Jump. It’s not as wide as you think.”
—Joseph Campbell

About Jason Gootman
Jason Gootman is a Mayo Clinic Certified Wellness Coach and National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach as well as a certified nutritionist and certified exercise physiologist. Jason helps people reverse and prevent type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other ailments with evidence-based approaches to nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, holistic wellness, and, most importantly, lasting behavior improvement and positive habit formation. As part of this work, Jason often helps people lose weight and keep it off, in part by helping them overcome the common challenges of yo-yo dieting and emotional eating. Jason helps people go from knowing what to do and having good intentions to consistently taking great care of themselves in ways that help them add years to their lives and life to their years.