Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

In this blog, we talk a lot about checking the pulse of your business and your company, but what about your own well-being? What is your body alerting you to right now that could be a potential disaster sooner rather than later? And if you are not present in your business because of issues that could have been avoided, what does that say about you as a leader?

As October 10th is World Mental Health Day, we are going to spend a little time talking about the internal you, both the physical and mental. Why? Because it’s the one place only YOU can go. You are the expert on you and to achieve the success you are hoping to achieve, it’s time to start listening to that internal voice.

So, what is that voice saying? Let’s start by figuring out how to actually slow down and listen to that voice. We know that this is, by far, the hardest part of the process of self-diagnosis. So, what can you do to slow down, pause, listen and assess what it might be telling you?

Find Time
Do you have a routine? Do you exercise in the morning or the evening? Are you worried about getting the kids out the door for school and then diving right into your email? Where are you carving out space for you?

The only way to start listening to your internal voice is to find a place in your routine to carve out 10 – 20 minutes a day. Is it right when you wake up or after your workout or once the kids are down for the evening? Every person is different and our routines are all unique, so find that 10 – 20 minutes and schedule a date with yourself in your calendar.

Meditate
Yes, meditate. And by meditation we mean take a few minutes and just breath. We love both The Breathing and Headspace apps for your phone. Start with one minute and see if it makes a difference. In the beginning, you might not be able to shut off your to do list from swirling around your mind, and that’s ok.

Give it some time and start to push that list out of your mind and focus on what your body is telling you. The key takeaway here is to just listen and assess.

Morning Pages
We assure you that this next tip is the pot calling the kettle black, but we promise it works, when you (read we) do it! Once you have carved out the time in your schedule to listen to yourself, then actually listen to yourself by meditating, the next logical step is to write down what you heard. It’s that simple.

See what pours out of you into that space and then take action, if there is action to be taken. Sometimes, it’s just about writing it down and emptying out your mind so that you can find the space to keep moving forward.

P.S. We can’t take credit for this awesome idea and need to give a shout out to our friend, Erika Delgado, for the suggestion!

This all may sound a little "out there" in terms of business or etiquette advice, but look around you. The most successful people in the room are the ones who are in touch with themselves and use that connection to propel their goals and mission forward!