The Real Reason Your Belly Grows and Your Wallet Shrinks

1) Purpose decides success in business and in dieting

Altruistic value and intrinsic enjoyment create a virtuous cycle
To succeed in business, at work or at losing weight, you first have to change your purpose. As psychology research has shown, if you run a business wanting to help people, money tends to follow. If all you think is "I need to sell fast," you burn out or go under more easily. Exercise is the same. Force yourself to work out just to lose weight or look good and you'll quickly tire, and your gym membership ends up for sale online. But exercise for your health, in a way you genuinely enjoy, and your body gradually improves.

2) Motivation and staying power in the life of faith

Beyond the need for recognition: realizing grace and giving yourself
Faith is the same. Serve at church to be recognized and it won't last. You'll be disappointed, thinking, "I did all this, so why isn't anything coming back?" or give up your faith when the person you like stops coming. But if you first realize God's love and grace and then serve, consistency comes naturally and unexpected blessings follow as a bonus.

3) Elon Musk and the importance of purpose

Creative challenge and goals for humanity beyond financial reward
In the end, whether it's business, exercise or faith, you have to fix your purpose. If Elon Musk had worked only with the goal "I'll become a trillionaire," he probably wouldn't have succeeded like he has. He already has enough to never work again, yet he seems to enjoy creating and taking on challenges for humanity.

4) The right order brings the rewards

Health, money and blessing follow when you focus on what matters
In conclusion: truly enjoy being healthy and your belly fat goes away as a bonus; enjoy work in a spirit of service and money comes in; act out of love for God and unexpected blessings follow.

Conclusion: the biological stress of a reversed purpose

When the order is flipped, hormones and health suffer
When this order is reversed, stress piles up over petty things like wedding gifts or splitting the bill, cortisol rises, and your body burns through resources like vitamin C, which can end up affecting your health.