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Americans work a longer workday than many other nations’ professionals. We take less vacation than most others. Our maternity leave is kind of a joke when held up against what other countries offer. These are just some of the facts that show you we put work above all else, including our wellbeing. But it is sort of a form of putting the cart before the horse. We work hard so that we can build a life for ourselves in which we can relax. That can mean many things like disposable income, a growing retirement account, or homeownership. We want to build stability, but in the process, we can make ourselves quite unstable. What good is a nice home or disposable income if, by the time you have it, you don’t have the physical or mental wellness to enjoy it? It’s the catch-22 of ambitious people around the world.
Some people spend their entire lives ignoring the fact that our physical and mental health are part and parcel of our career health. In fact, many think that your overall wellbeing must be sacrificed for a robust career. That’s not only not true, but the inverse of the truth. You won’t have a robust career if you sacrifice your welfare. In fact, Teneshia Warner, author of The Big Stretch: 90 Days to Expand Your Dreams, Crush Your Goals, and Create Your Own Success, interviewed many highly accomplished individuals for her book and learned one thing they all had in common: a respect for the mind, body, spirit, and career connection. She shares a bit of what she’s learned with us here. We felt this topic was particularly important during a pandemic when being spread thin due to work from home commitments can lead many professionals to neglect themselves.
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Get well before there’s a problem
“Even before you’re in a state of emergency, it’s good to develop those principles that will keep you grounded before things are bad. Even when things are good, I encourage business owners and professionals to be aware of, what does a healthy mind, body, and spirit look like for you? Be self-aware to know what that looks like for you and how you achieve that,” Warner says. “In my book, I shared my journey of leading a dream career for two decades. I had an opportunity to interview around 200 iconic dreamers from the CMO of Procter & Gamble to Magic Johnson to Cathy Hughes, I was able to dissect a blueprint that these dreamers were living by every single day.”
