Written by Darcel Osei
Are you a high achiever who is extremely focused and productive? Do you do whatever it takes to get the job done? Do you go above and beyond when you are accountable to others? I bet you are really great at your job. Your company depends on you. You are the go-to person, super dependable, always delivering. And this is awesome. But do you apply all of this gusto to being accountable to you?
It is easier for us to hold ourselves to a really high standard when we are accountable to others. But when it comes to being accountable to ourselves and our well being- well, let’s just say, it tends to be the first thing that gets sacrificed for the sake of everything else. We don’t apply the ‘do-whatever-it-takes’ mindset when it comes to making sure we are healthy- physically, mentally and spiritually.
Career success and status are often used as ‘the’ measure of success in one’s life. But let’s peel that back and see what lies underneath. We show up at our jobs with that go-getter mindset, ready to crush the daily goals of our workday. But we sacrificed that good nourishing breakfast because we wanted to get a head start on that project. We sacrificed the morning workout because we ‘had’ to respond to those emails. We cancelled lunch with our bestie because we just had to crunch those numbers. We don’t give the same degree of attention and focus to ourselves- our nutrition, our fitness, our time to connect with others, our downtime.
Then we take stock at the end of each week to see what we have achieved. And we feel good for a moment about those work/career goals we smashed. But then we feel this niggle of something missing. Our energy levels are low, we feel disconnected from our loved ones; we are not getting good sleep, our motivation dwindles and then, ugh… it’s flu season, and we’re sick… again!
The reality is that all of these seemingly unimportant areas that we are sacrificing in the long run will do us more harm than good. Our health will deteriorate- physically, mentally and spiritually. And then eventually, we won’t be able to show up in our professional life the way we want to. Our energy, motivation, and productivity will take a hit.
If we take a step back and prioritize our well being, the knock on effect of that will be improved sleep and so improved energy and focus. We won’t be chugging caffeine like there is no tomorrow. Because we are more energized and focused, our productivity will increase and so when we commit to having lunch with our bestie, or going for a lunchtime walk, we can honor that. So at the end of the week, when we take stock, we would have smashed our career goals and have this wonderful sense of fulfilment and joy.
So give it a go. Try starting your day with a power hour (or half hour, or quarter hour- whatever you can manage). Move, meditate, do some deep breathing, read, journal- any or all of these will do. Fuel your body with a nutritious breakfast and eat it mindfully with no distractions. Try this for a month and see what changes. I challenge you- no; I empower you!! And while you do all that, I also empower you to redefine your definition of success. Is it all about what you achieve at work? Or does it also include achieving and sustaining a healthy, energized, and powerful you? You decide.
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