On any given day, you might head into work after a yoga class, ride up the elevator comparing meditation apps with your boss, then settle into your desk to review your day’s schedule while sipping coffee with butter.
Whether or not this is how you start your day, you probably know someone who does. Wellness is in the culture.
Well-being is different. It’s not about fermented vegetables or getting 10,000 steps a day. It is about the quality and meaning of your life. It asks a bigger question: What does it take to feel fully alive, whole, and your best self—and to have the energy to get there?
Well-being is akin to happiness. Martin Seligman, the founder of positive psychology, describes happiness as the integration of purpose, meaning, and pleasure. Edward Diener, a psychologist and happiness researcher, defines well-being as being frequently positive, infrequently negative, and satisfied with life.
Gallup surveyed people in over 150 countries to find five essential elements that make up well-being:
· Career: How much do you like doing what you do?
· Social: How strong are your relationships?
· Financial: How well do you manage your finances?
· Physical: How energized do you feel for your daily tasks?
· Community: How connected and engaged are you in your community?
While 66 percent of those surveyed reported feeling satisfied in one of these five areas, only 7 percent feel like they are flourishing in all five. There is a lot of potential to bridge that gap.
There are obvious reasons that cultivating well-being will make your life more worthwhile and enjoyable. Companies are also paying attention to your well-being, because it matters to them, too. Meditation programs, mental health counseling, flex time, bring your dog to work programs, and student loan assistance programs abound.
Companies are focusing on well-being because it’s a great talent management strategy to attract, retain, and engage talent. They know that psychological factors impact performance.
But companies are also focusing on well-being because it’s the right thing to do. It is aligned to their culture, values, and brand. Companies see the link between individual well-being and organizational well-being.
Since people are one of the biggest assets at most companies, investing in people is investing in a company’s success. Energized, fulfilled, and socially connected employees are more engaged and productive. Raising physical well-being alone can save companies millions of dollars in the cost of healthcare and lost productivity due to absenteeism. Raising all levels of well-being can increase engagement, productivity, and profitability.
As it relates to your career, well-being gives you a sense of purpose and energy, increases your vigilance in achieving your goals despite inevitable obstacles, fosters your internal motivation to show up and give your all, and supports the health of your team.
I propose a working definition of well-being as the positive energy, joy, and sense of belonging you feel while in pursuit of your purpose.
How are you doing?
Let’s cultivate your well-being.
Take out a piece of paper, put the date on top of the page and draw a large circle. Divide the circle into six sections and label the sections joy, positive thinking, energy, community, love, and purpose. On a scale from zero to 10, rate each section by making a dot or other mark within each wedge—with zero being the center of the circle, and 10 being the edge of the circle. Look at it, and ask yourself what makes each section what it is to you.
Pick one question at a time to work on it deeply.
What is your state of joy? What gives you joy? What is one thing that will bring you more joy if you increase it or decrease it?
What is your state of positive thinking? How can you increase your gratitude, appreciation, and positive mindset?
How is your energy on a daily basis? What can you do more of or less of to increase your energy?
What communities do you belong to? How connected to them do you feel? What is one thing you can do to feel more connected?
What is the state of love and relationships in your life? How can you foster a deeper connection or more love?
What is your purpose? What matters to you? What do you believe in? If you aren’t exactly sure what your purpose is, it’s OK. Examine how near or far you are to it.
As a talent management professional, you know that real change happens with action and behavior change. Choose one thing to work on. Incorporate new actions into your daily life as you work on that one thing. Tell someone about it (leave a comment if you wish), talk about it, ask for support, and do it.
Consider using an app to track your any of these six factors. (I love Stigma!)
Cultivating your well-being will have a positive ripple effect on your career, relationships, health, and engagement.
