Paying attention to your personal wellbeing is essential for sustainable success. Despite the demands to do, be and accomplish more in this “always-on” 24\/7 world, wellbeing begins with slowing down enough to pay attention to your own body and mindset. It’s helpful to develop a morning routine to sit quietly and reflect, meditate, or pray. This investment of time at the start of our day centers us so we can calmly plan and prioritize tasks with clarity before the day’s frenzy takes over. Some people find journaling helpful. This brief writing provides perspective as we look back over past days and weeks to see themes and patterns emerging in our wins, challenges and effective strategies that resolved those changes. We might also include a list of what we are grateful for to begin the day with an optimistic and positive mindset.<\/p>\n
In business, beginning the day with intentional presence is essential for team and organizational resilience. If you are a leader, notice those around you. Pause, check in with colleagues and employees and see what emerges, be it concerns or “wins.” Leaders and teams benefit from this check-in because it creates more human connection, trust, and psychological safety. See Patrick Lencioni’s, The Advantage<\/em>\u00a0and Timothy R Clark’s,\u00a0The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety<\/em>\u00a0to learn how trust directly impacts performance and innovation. Just as in personal wellbeing, it is useful for teams to periodically pause to look back and reflect on where they’ve been, what patterns are emerging and what they have earned. This creates a positive organizational mindset and builds momentum.<\/p>\n Both at home and work, we humans need rest. Step away from your desk to get water, meet with or call a colleague rather than email them, and take an actual lunch period. We may protest that we don’t have time; however, like a computer, we need to shut down and reboot our system by stepping away. This reset is especially effective if we can get outside and move. Consider having a meeting outside or in a different venue or, if on Zoom, standing up. In his book,\u00a0The Power of Full Engagement<\/em>, Jim Loehr, known for his work with Olympic athletes and CEOs, studied what makes for superior performance. Unexpectedly, he found that a ritual for disengagement was just as important to success as how one engages in their pursuit of greatness.<\/p>\n So, as summer begins, take some time to reflect on how you and your company value wellbeing. Do a system check: where is stress brewing? In what ways can the pace be altered or better connections made? What rituals can you bring to your morning at home, the start of your workday and your meetings?<\/p>\n