Recently I had a fantastic conversation with Michael O’Brien, host of the Whole Again
podcast. We talked about many things related to individual and organizational
wellbeing. Take a listen (clip below), and you’ll notice that one of the first things we
talked about was the importance of choice.
Individuals crave choice and autonomy. For many of us, when we define what
wellbeing looks like in our lives, this decision is quite personal. For some of us this
could be a combination of physical activities, spiritual practices, and social
engagements that make us feel fulfilled and satisfied in our lives. For others, this
could be ensuring our schedules allow for mental recovery, budgets enable
financial security, and relationships support emotional connection. Regardless,
wellbeing is personal and our needs change throughout our lives.
In my early twenties, my focus was on physical, social, and occupational wellbeing –
running was my passion, my friends were my epicenter, and I was discovering my
career path.
When I was raising young children, my big areas of focus shifted to emotional,
physical, and financial needs – the bonds with my three children redefined my
purpose, my physical strength was tested as a working mom with long days, and
finances were a priority to support my family.
As my children have grown into adulthood, my areas of focus are now spiritual,
mental, and physical – my faith has been tested as I have experienced loss, my
mental strength has enabled me to juggle priorities, and my physical health will
ensure top functioning later in life as I look ahead.
It is not that each area of wellbeing is not important to me, but rather there are
seasons of life that require a greater focus on some areas vs others to maintain
health, happiness and fulfillment.
Great employers recognize this personal journey and find that employees’ greatest
potential is unleashed when they are:
Empowered to define their own wellbeing, based on their individual needs
Provided with evidence-based, high-quality services, and benefits
Supported by leaders through systems, processes and policies
If you are leader, know that wellbeing is personal for each individual and
empowering choice is critical to ensure workforce wellbeing fuels performance.
If you are an individual going through a new season in life, take the time to consider
which wellbeing area is worth your time and focus – a shift may be just what you
need to continue to reach your greatest potential.
To listen to my full conversation with Michael Obrien – the full episode can be found HERE