W.I.N. Wednesday: What are your self-care rituals?
In the two-day Dare to Be Great Leadership workshops I ask people to write down their self-care rituals. I explain that rituals are intentional and non-negotiable and self-care rituals are the nonnegotiable elements in their life focused on their physical and mental health and overall wellness. I recently heard sport and performance psychologist Jim Loehr describe a ritual as, “An intentionally acquired habit that serves the mission.” The mission, in this context, is to look after your own health and wellness so you can be most effective in leading others.
In every class there are people who would be writing for 20 minutes if I gave them that much time for the exercise. Others are done after 30 to 60 seconds and some never write anything down. For those who do write something down their lists include:
· Exercise
· Nutrition
· Sleep
· Time in nature
· Time with family
· Time with friends
· Hobbies
· Prayer
· Meditation
· Quiet time for themselves
· Reading
After we discuss what is on their lists, I share the following quote from Katie Reed: “Self-Care means giving the world the best of you, instead of what’s left of you.” The purpose behind the exercise and subsequent conversation is to remind them that while we often talk about the concept that leadership is not about you, it is about the people you have the privilege to lead, coach and mentor, leadership always starts with you. For you to best be of service to others, you need to bring your best self to the table and that requires that you have self-care rituals.
Too often people in leadership positions who are striving to look after their people, neglect themselves. I share my personal example from the last 8 ½ years with the Calgary Police Service. I was committed to looking after the highly committed and extremely hard-working people in my unit, while also striving to be a good husband and father, and as a result often neglected myself. I worked thousands of hours of unpaid overtime and when I retired, I was fat and exhausted and not performing to my best in any of the roles in my life. I share this story not as a badge of honor, but as a lingering regret that I failed to understand the importance of self-care and its role in effective leadership. My hope is that they will not make the same mistakes I made.
What are your self-care rituals?
What’s Important Now? Invest in your self-care so you can give the world the best of you.
Take care.
Brian Willis
www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com
ONE QUESTION BRINGING FOCUS AND CLARITY IN THE CHAOS AND COMPLEXITY OF TODAY'S WORLD.
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