The 4 Keys to Managing Your Career! Purpose, Energy, Relationships, Mindfulness
If there are any positive after-effect from the pandemic (which is now 4 years old!), it’s that many people are putting their well-being FIRST! Everyone is rethinking purpose and what “lights them up” and organizations are now realizing leadership development needs a shift as well in order to attract, retain, and engage top talent.
After years of research, purpose, energy (sleep, nutrition, exercise, hydration), relationships, and mindfulness continue to be the keys to well-being at work…and at home! My personal mantra is that if you aren’t hitting on all cylinders at work, you won’t be fully engaged at home. And on the other hand, if things on the home front aren’t in alignment, you won’t be optimal at work.
Purpose - There is a Japanese word called “Ikigai''. Its meaning is “to have a reason to wake up''. There is no word in the Japanese dictionary for “retirement”. They go through life with meaning and daily engagement and many past 100 years of age. Over 30 years ago, Dr. George Land was asked by NASA to create a test to produce the best and brightest astronauts. This test was designed to find everyone’s “Genius”. However, Dr. Lands did something very interesting. He gave this test to 1600 preschoolers. To everyone’s amazement, they scored 98% on this assessment. He then waited until these pre-schoolers were 15 and gave them the same assessment…they now scored 12%. By the time they were in their early 30’s they scored a dismal 2%. What happened along the way? Why did they quit dancing in the moment as they did in preschool? Part of the theory is that they conformed. They lost their Ikigai and reason to wake up. For that reason, I’m a big believer in various assessments that help individuals and teams find their Ikigai otherwise known as their “swim lanes”. We all enjoy life more and are exponentially creative and effective when we know our purpose.
Physical Energy - While the pandemic played havoc on mental and physical wellbeing (i.e., 90M Americans suffer from level 1 and 2 PTS), everyone had more time to create good (and bad) habits eventually realizing that getting more sleep, cooking at home, taking walks and exercising were making a big difference in their energy levels.
For example, the consequences of poor sleep (less than 7 hours for adults) are higher blood pressure, diabetes/obesity, heart disease, and slow physical recovery. Having a consistent time going to bed and rising, better routines 2-3 hours before going to bed (i.e., no food/alcohol 3 hours before bed, shutdown work related activities 2 hours before and no technology 1 hour before sleep) will make a huge difference in your productivity the following day.
Nutrition - There are five key activities that break down our immune system and cause sickness and disease. Good Nutrition however is far and away the leader in protecting our immune system and staying healthy. While I don’t prescribe specific nutrition plans, the science around intermittent fasting and diets with modified proteins, vegetables/fruits, and healthy fats will play a huge role in protecting your heart and feeding the brain. As Hippocrates said in 460 BC, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”.
Exercise and movement are another key routine if you want higher amounts of energy. Exercise lowers cortisol (the hormone which causes fear), activates the amygdala (focus/emotion/behavior), increases the neuro-transmitter serotonin and dopamine (happiness/drive), and stimulates a tiny hair like substance on our chromosomes called telomeres which delays aging.
Relationships - While sleep, nutrition, and exercise can lower mortality by 25%, science is showing that happy and effective relationships can improve your mortality by 65%! Having happy and committed relationships, romance, close friendships, volunteering and caring for others, kindness, and optimism are all forms of healthy relationships. In addition to improving our mortality, healthy relationships lower cortisol (fear), stress/inflammation, and improve our memory. In fact, Gallup studies have shown that “those who [have a best friend at work] are seven times as likely to be engaged in their jobs, are better at engaging customers, produce higher quality work, have higher well-being, and are less likely to be injured on the job.
Mindfulness, or slowing down the brain in order to bring a sense of calm and clarity, is essential in today’s stress filled society where mental illness is becoming another major concern in society. The ability to take time to meditate, learn breathing techniques, visualization, journaling, and yoga is critical for wellbeing. When our brain waves are out of balance, there will be corresponding problems in both our emotional or neuro-physical health. Overarousal in certain brain areas is linked to anxiety disorders, sleep problems, nightmares, behavior issues, anger, aggression, and agitated depression. So, take the time to journal in the morning or before bedtime. Take some deep breaths in and out through the nose which releases nitric oxide to the lungs before that big presentation. Carve out certain times during the day to let mindfulness bring you greater clarity and wellbeing.
Summary
The pandemic seemed to have created a tipping point for most to re-think what it means to live a rich and intentional life. Science is teaching us that purpose, sleep, nutrition, exercise, healthy relationships, and mindfulness make us more effective at work and at home. I firmly believe that culture in all companies can and will be improved as leaders and managers are educated on the benefits of mental and physical well being. This greatly impacts individual and team engagement while retaining their greatest asset…YOU.
