Last month, a good friend of mine bought her first car — a Toyota Corolla. On the day of her test driving, she was on cloud nine. When she finally took the car home, she washed it heartily and built a shed for it.

The joy that filled her soul was obvious from how she cleaned it after every drive. A bit inquisitive, I asked her what her first asset ever was. Of course, it was her car. She went to explain how she had literally emptied her account to purchase it, hence, was going to do everything within her power to protect this investment.

It cost her world to have it and she was ready to do anything in this world to make sure it lasted for as long as it could. Like this good friend of mine, immediately our first assets are mentioned, we think about our the first car, laptop, shoes, and land among others.

We remember how costly such was — how we had to sacrifice so much to acquire them. After we had bought them, we did everything possible to maintain them because they cost us an arm and leg.

Tell you what, the house we bought at age 25 was not our first asset. The land we acquired when we got our first job was not the first property we ever had. Our body is our first asset and, by far, the most expensive. Before we bought any other asset, we had a body. It was the first asset we emerged out of the womb.

When a part of your car gets spoilt, you can buy a new one. Your gadgets can always be repaired when they break down. However, it is overly expensive to repair a broken-down body. Oftentimes, it is even impossible. It is better to have a broken-down car than a broken-down body. You can always buy a new car but not a new body.

Your body is expensive. There is no second chance to have a new eye. Life won’t give you another opportunity to own a new liver. You may have many chances to correct your bad decisions but with your body, you will only have one chance all through your life to keep it healthy.

Thus, keep your body well. Strive to be wealthy but, above all, strive to be healthy. Always make your health a priority. Before we build mansions and buy cars, our first-ever asset is our body.

If this first asset is not well maintained, all other assets can’t be well enjoyed. A fat bank account comes to nothing when you are not well. No one buys an expensive car and drives it on roads full of jaw-dropping potholes yet our all expensive bodies are subjected to alcohol, fizzy drinks, and what have you.

When you make fast foods your culture, it is like buying a 100 million Ghana cedis worth apartment and making it the storage place of waste.

Many are dying today because they disregard this first asset without which all other assets are worthless. Without good health, no wealth has meaning. The world’s most expensive luxury car is worthless until it is driven. The latest iPhone is of no use when we don’t have the strength to use them.

Every other asset becomes useful only when the body is in good shape. If we came to the realization of the worth of our body, we would have treated it with a bit more dignity. If we maintained our bodies as much as we did our new cars and houses, they would have lasted a bit more than they will. Your body is your first (and most expensive) asset.

Maintain it!

We buy expensive screen protectors for our phones yet feed our bodies with junk. We change the oil of our cars regularly but exercise our bodies irregularly.

We pay so much attention to the details of our secondary assets but pay no heed to our primary asset — our bodies. What you will do for your gadgets, do even better for your body because it is the most expensive asset you may ever have.

Treat your body as long as you want it to live. Be intentional about what goes into it. Like every asset, how well it is maintained determines how long it lasts. Invest as much effort into caring for your body as you care for your other assets. If you want to live long, first leave lifestyles that will cut your life short.

Exercise as regularly as possible. Eat healthily. Don’t stress yourself. Laziness can kill you and work overly hard can kill you, too. You need to find the balance. You need to rest your body when it gets tired. You need to pamper it as often as you can.

Our bodies will always be the most expensive part of our lives. Like my good friend who gave her a new car all her attention, we should give our bodies all the care it needs.

A sick body means a sick house, no matter how expensive that house is. An unhealthy body means all that we have strived to attain will be sick as well because we can’t enjoy them.

As we work hard, our bodies should be our priority. No matter how much hard we work, life will be hard if our body is not in good shape. Our bodies are the only assets we will bring into this world and take back into our graves. They should be given the utmost attention.

Your body is your first (and most expensive) asset.

Do all you can to protect it.