He who has health, has hope.
And he who has hope, has everything.
– Arabian proverb

Beginning a journey toward better health is a process of changing one small habit at a time. Making small and gradual changes will allow you time to practice new ways of doing things without throwing your world into a tailspin. If you do this, you’ll experience a paradigm shift in the way you think about food, life, relationships, and spiritual growth.

What is a habit? It’s the result of combining knowledge (what to do), skill (how to do), and desire (want to do). In his bestselling book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, author Stephen R. Covey revealed how we can all be more effective in business, family, friendships, school, and other aspects of life if we follow his seven habits, which can easily be applied to Health Intelligence as well:

1. Be proactive. Make conscious choices and responses.
2. Begin with the end in mind. Start with a clear understanding of your goal destination so you can better understand where you are now and if you are on the right path to get there.
3. Put first things first. Prioritize, organize, and remain disciplined as you speed toward your goals.
4. Think win/win. Seek mutual learning, mutual influence, and mutual benefits.
5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. You gain knowledge that you can share with others in a credible, understandable way.
6. Synergize. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Work together.
7. Sharpen the saw. Renew the physical, spiritual, mental, and socio-emotional aspects of life.

When we’re thinking of making any form of life change including improving our Health Intelligence, keep the seven habits in mind: they will help propel you forward and will keep you on track to achieve satisfactory results. The seven habits are easy to understand, globally applicable, and keep the focus on multiple working parts that require attention. This kind of structure can be helpful in achieving our personal health goals.

One of the most fundamental aspects of constructive change in the life of an individual is having the ability to create a balance. By balancing the four dimensions of our nature—physical, mental, spiritual, and socio-emotional—we’re able to attain and maintain a more fulfilled life. Covey identified the need for balance in maintaining the four aforementioned areas, and suggested that neglecting one area affects the rest. Similarly, improving in one area can increase one’s abilities in other areas. The four dimensions are interdependent, and can affect one another in drastic ways. We should keep all of these areas fresh, healthy, and alive through a process of renewal. Covey suggested that personal growth is like an upward spiral which requires us to learn, commit, and advance to higher planes of success.

Health Intelligence requires the same kind of process, beginning with knowledge, skill, and desire. If we know what to do, how to do it, and have the desire to achieve, positive results will happen. Yes, we can do it. The bottom line is that with determination we can change. We can become more Health Intelligent. Healthy living can become a habit.