Somewhere in the rush to do well in your profession, take care of your family, keep up with your friends and colleagues, and not miss out on the latest happenings, did you lose caring for yourself? This time of year it goes into overdrive. Presents, holiday cards, seeing friends in town for a quick minute, plans with family for the most special days. There is so much expected and you can’t let anyone down, right?
Please give yourself the gift of a few minutes to breathe. What would that look like? Sometimes I grab the dog and go for a 10 minute walk if that is all the time I have. It feels like a stolen pleasure. At the office, grab a colleague who wants to talk with you and go out for a walk even if it is around the parking lot. Steve Jobs used to do it. It was said he walked really fast so keeping up and not losing your breathe was a challenge.
Unfortunately, he is not around because he did not take care of his health when it got serious. This is happening a lot these days, too. Sometimes there are no do-overs for bad choices. So as we go into a new year, what choices can you make to care for yourself better? What doctor and dentist appointments do you need to schedule and keep?
Last year, we created accountability partners in my Vistage groups after hearing James Clear on Atomic Habits. We committed to one simple habit that would have a high leverage result. This week, one of the Members announced that she had dropped off mid year but recommitted in the fall and has been consistent ever since working out 3 times a week. She was glowing. It inspired the rest of the group to recommit.
It is not in the knowing, but in the doing. Who could hold you accountable for caring for yourself?
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