What do you think of when you think of being as healthy (and effective) as you can be?
Eating well. Exercising regularly.
Getting enough sleep. Drinking enough water.
Reducing stress. Going to the doctor for check-ups.
All important stuff, for sure. But there’s a missing piece…something you’re vaguely aware of but that’s easy to ignore in the rush of day-to-day life.
In fact, it’s often what causes us to rush in the first place…
Work.
The problem with work is this:
If you don’t love your work and you ignore that feeling for too long, you kinda feel like crap…regardless of the other ways you take good care of yourself.
You’re stressed out and tired when you get home, so you don’t exercise or cook healthy meals. You’re cranky, so you pick fights with people you love…which makes you anxious, so you don’t sleep…and then you’re tired and stressed out…you get the idea.
But it’s sometimes tough to get clear on a) how happy or not happy we are in our work and b) what to do about it if we decide it’s time to make a change.
I’ve been there, and so have many of my clients. (You’d be amazed how often “work” comes up in MY work!)
First things first: Is your work REALLY affecting your health?
The simple answer is yes, mostly because work can be a huge source of stress. And chronic stress is linked to more negative health outcomes than I can possibly list here, including weight gain, heart disease, and diabetes. Not cool.
The deeper issue, in my opinion, is one of overall life satisfaction. Given how much time we spend at work, there comes a time when enough is enough if you’re not following your passion…or at least exploring ways to bring it into your life.
But it can sometimes be tricky to figure out if you hate your job or if you’re just having a bad day. I mean, you love some parts of your work and hate other parts, right?
So let’s ask your body. (If “talking to your body” sounds a little out there, just bear with me for a minute. I’m not insane, I promise. 😉
Grab a pen and paper, take a deep breath and settle into your body for sec, and write down what comes up when I ask…
What happens in your body when you think about work?
Do you feel heavy? Tense? Small? Like you’re suffocating? (That’s how I felt at one point in my career…like I couldn’t breathe every time I got on the elevator to head up to my office. Oy!)
Or do you feel light, EXPANSIVE, excited, passionate? Do you feel pumped and open to POSSIBILITIES?
Okay…sit with that for a minute and take another deep breath.
Now that you’ve tuned into how work feels in your body – an incredibly useful decision-making tool, by the way – what’s your bottom line?
It’s not a black and white thing, I know; but for the sake of simplicity let’s break it down into two possibilities…and what do to about each.
Option 1: I love my work; but I’d like to feel a little lighter, more passionate, more excited about it every day.
What to do:
- Get clear on what you love and what you don’t love. Clarity is always the first step…and is incredibly motivating. Just make a list…and be brutally honest with yourself.
- Ask yourself “what would I like to see happen in my work?”. This simple question often uncovers all kinds of juicy things when I ask my clients. One client realized that she wanted share with her co-workers what she’d learned about meditation and how it makes her more productive! She was a little uncomfortable bringing it up, but she did it and opened up a dialogue that not only made her feel more engaged at work but may help her co-workers feel more engaged too.
- Make a list of projects that would add value to your office/team and that would totally turn you on (in a PG sort of way, of course ;). Then, schedule time with your boss to see which projects he/she thinks needs some attention and if there are other priorities that you may not have thought about (that would also be fun for you to work on).
Option 2: I don’t love my work, and I’m ready to do what I love (and make a living doing it).
What to do:
- Create your ideal situation, at least on paper. Brainstorm characteristics of your ideal job/business that fall into these four categories: must have, nice to have, would prefer NOT to have , and must NOT have. Again, clarity is key, especially before you make any kind of move from your existing job.
- Be realistic about how long it will take to get there. Not to be a buzz kill, but making the jump from working for someone else to running your own business – or even just changing careers – is a process. Take it one tiny step at a time. Do you need to get more training? Do you need to save some money? What else do you need to do to lay the groundwork for a change? #1 will help you identify first steps.
- Whatever you do, do NOT go it alone! I tried this for a couple of years when I transitioned from the corporate world to my own business. It wasn’t until I took Marie Forleo’s B-School that I tapped into an amazing community of other entrepreneurs who continue to be my primary support system today. I would have saved a lot of time, energy, and frustration if I’d just asked for support up front. So…don’t be stupid like me: Hire a career or life coach to help you make a plan, set up a free appointment with a mentor at SCORE, or sign up for a program like Marie’s B-School. The path you choose will depend on where you are in your journey, but you’ll need support every step of the way.
Getting clear on what you want (and don’t want) and taking action to improve your situation is the MOST empowering, stress relieving, energy producing, health supportive thing you can do. And while it’s not easy, finding a way to love the work you have or to do work you love creates the foundation you need to be your healthiest and most amazing you.
Now, I want to hear from you. Tell me in the comments:
- Do you love your work? If so, how can you make it even better and more nourishing for your body (and soul)?
- Are you ready for a major change? What’s one thing you can do this week to start you down that path?
And by the way, if you’ve been following Marie Forleo’s amazing (and free) business training videos and are ready to make this the year you finally stop living someone else’s dream, get your butt to this page to learn about the exclusive bonus I’m offering to anyone who signs up for Marie’s B-School through my link.
B-School changed my business and my life, and I’d love for you to have the same experience…with a serious energy-boosting assist from me and my Effortless Eating community. 🙂
P.S. I don’t recommend anything lightly, but I believe so strongly in the B-School mission to help entrepreneurs make a living doing what they love that I’m a proud affiliate partner for the program. I may earn a referral fee if you take the course from my recommendation.
