The Mindful Networker
August 9, 2017
5 Beliefs Holding You Back From Living Your Best Self
August 21, 2017
Everyone in this world wants to perform at his or her best. Of course performance can be related to your career, work-life, family-life, personal life, or everything in between.
But what truly makes a person “successful.” How does someone stand out from the crowd or get the competitive advantage to get ahead in this already competitive world?
Successful Definition:
Having the correct or desired result. Having gotten or achieved wealth, respect, or fame.
Typically when it comes to having more success, people start with professional development events, learning courses, work conferences, or new skill-set training.
But who really wants to add more to their plate or work even harder or longer? We are all short on time as it is and we all have work- life obligations that pull us in many different directions. We have things to do, people to see, and families to support.
So how do we really get the competitive advantage to get ahead in this world? How do we perform better and live a more successful life?
At On Target Living we believe it starts with one important thing.
Health.
There is no doubt that health is directly related to performance and performance is directly related to success. Think about it.
I think we can all say that the better we eat, the better we feel, and the more energy and stamina we have to perform at our highest level. Plus, research suggests that a healthier body means a healthier brain. And better brain health contributes to better focus, concentration, memory, and mood.
And when we perform better we have more confidence. When we have more confidence we gain more purpose. More purpose creates more internal drive.
Stats & Facts
- Employees who eat healthy are 25% more likely to have higher job performance.
- Employees are 14% more engaged when provided time off to recharge, 10% more engaged when provided healthy food options, and 18% more engaged when provided time for healthy activities.
- Employees who exercise for at least 30 minutes, three times a week are 15% more likely to have higher job performance.
- Overweight employees cost their employers $73.1 billion a year and file twice the number of workers’ compensation claims.
- 93% of companies believe that healthier employees are more productive, yet very few are measuring the impact of productivity on employees’ absenteeism.
- 86% of organizations believe that wellness opportunities should be introduced to their workforce for better performance.
- Studies show that a healthier and happier workforce will be a more engaged and more productive workforce.
According to the Harvard Business Review, the number one reason employees leave their job is because they are unhappy. But is it truly because they are unhappy, or is it because they are unhealthy? Think about this. Imagine you go to work feeling like crap from eating out night after night. You have no energy, you’re exhausted, and on top of that, you have a huge workload of things to do. Plus, your boss just gave you a major deadline to get a project done and your chatty co-worker won’t stop talking. Now, how would you rate your job satisfaction and overall happiness? Probably not very high right?
Now imagine you have been cooking healthy most nights of the week, spending time with your family around the dinner table, and fitting in time before work to hit the gym. You arrive to work after one of your morning workouts, eat your Oatmeal On The Run at your desk and start your workday with purpose and clarity. Shortly into your workday, your boss gives you a major deadline, and your chatty co-worker won’t stop talking. How are you better able to adapt to these demands? Do you have more stamina to perform at your highest level?
The Mental Health Foundation reports that when working long hours, 27% of employees feel depressed, 34% feel anxious and 58% feel irritable. So instead of working harder, longer hours, try working more efficiently with better health.
So ask yourself this. What if you woke up one morning with a sense of ease and overall well-being? You felt good, your energy was high and your mood was positive. Would you recognize this as success?
In my line of work, the toughest part of the “sale” is convincing a company, organization, association, group, or individual how their health directly relates to their performance in all aspects of life.
But why is it so hard for people to connect the dots from health to performance. Isn’t it obvious? If we live better won’t our life be better in every way?
Think about how your ability to perform, lead, and grow would change if you lived better. After all, if you don’t have your health, what does anything else matter? And if you don’t have a body, where are you going to live and how will you be successful? Health truly is our greatest asset.
Research suggests that human capacity (lifespan) is about 90 years old. Unfortunately, life expectancy in the United States is about 78 years old, which is usually caused by disease, cancer, and diabetes. Imagine how much more we could do in this world if we add more time—one of our most precious commodities.
“It’s not the years of your life that count, it’s the life in your years.”
How do you get your workforce healthier? Do you talk to your employees about health and how it directly relates to performance, productivity and engagement?
Well, that’s what I do! Contact me to learn more about how you can make your workplace healthier and higher performing.
Kristen Johnson Brogan is a Dietitian and Professional Speaker at On Target Living. Kristen speaks to many organizations on mindful living and happiness or to any group struggling with engagement, retention issues, performance or difficulty finding their purpose. Kristen’s main mission is to energize and motivate her audiences to live a healthier and more powerful life without making sacrifices.
