What does Health & Wellness have to do with Business?

Are you a journaler?  Is that even a word? I’ve journaled off and on throughout my life, generally more off than on, but I’m trying to do it more consistently because I see the value.  Anyway…on a recent morning one of the journal prompts in my app was “What are the top 4 values you hold most dear in life?”.   The prompt got me thinking about one of my top values – Health and Wellness.

So why is Health and Wellness one of my top 4 values?  Because several years ago I was diagnosed with severe arthritis in my knees, and something the doctor said that day was the catalyst for the health and wellness journey I now find myself on.  

When I asked the doctor if there was anything I could do, he said, “The best thing you can do is not gain weight.  Every pound of extra weight on your body is like 9 pounds of pressure on your knees.”  Holy Crap! Gaining 10 pounds would mean 90 extra pounds of pressure on my knees?  The arthritis wasn’t really bothering me too much at that point, but I could imagine how having more weight would definitely make things a lot worse.  Shortly after, I started working with a personal trainer and learning more about nutrition, and actually dropped almost 20 pounds.

That day in the doctor’s office, a switch turned on in me that has since trickled into every aspect of my life.  I started being way more intentional with my health, and decided to do what I could to stay as active as possible into old age.  I don’t want to be the 75-year-old that can’t go hiking because I didn’t take care of myself.  I know there are a lot of things beyond my control (cancer or arthritis, for example), but I decided I wasn’t going to be the reason I couldn’t do the things I wanted.  I now do a much better job of caring for my mind, body, and spirit, and can see the positive impact it has had on everything in my life and business.

So, what does all of this wellness talk have to do with marketing, operations, or photography?  Directly, probably not anything, but indirectly EVERYTHING!  

The older I get, the more I realize that there is no separation between work and personal life.  In my younger days, I thought there was separation, and actually tried to live that way.   When you approach work and life that way, one is always happening at the expense of the other.  I now do my best to live my life in a way that honors both. My work needs to be a part of my life, and my life needs to be a part of my work. The things I do to take care of myself, the way I eat, the exercise I get, the journaling and self-awareness I have, all factor into the entirety of my life, not just one or the other.

When I was younger, I would read books like the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey with my job in mind – how am I going to be more effective at work, how is this going to help me succeed at work? I knew there were side benefits for my personal life, and found value there as well, but I sought out learning opportunities primarily for the sake of work and business, not my personal life.  Now, I take a much more holistic approach and consider how whatever I am learning applies to my life as a whole. 

I know that work is likely a part of life for you, but that doesn’t mean that everything that happens outside of work hours should just be an afterthought or a byproduct of your work day.  Living your entire life with intention and purpose will help make every aspect of your life better, from work to home, and everything in between.  I believe there is tremendous value in sharing how we bridge the work-life gap – learning from each other can help us avoid mistakes and shorten the runway to a better life.  So THAT’s why I’m talking about this. I realize this might seem a little woo coming from someone who is all about business, but I wholeheartedly believe that if we grow together, we will thrive together.

So I’ll challenge you to answer that same journal prompt for yourself – what are the top 4 values YOU hold most dear in life? Do you know what they are?  Are you living your life in alignment with them?  Are there things you’d like to do differently that would positively impact all areas of your life? Let’s talk about them!  

I’d love to hear what you think about this conversation, and have you share YOUR tips for living your best life. If we grow together, we’ll thrive together!