Finding Yourself Running on Empty Lately?

Operating on an empty tank, no juice left?

Did you know one of the most common problems for women in leadership is they are smashed, burnt out and so drained from being all things to everyone else?

They’re pretty awesome at giving out all their energy to others, looking after team, family, friends, relatives….. yet, the one person they’re not taking enough care of?

Themselves.

Is that you?

Life is busy, there are lots to do and our attentions are being pulled in all directions.

It’s very easy to prioritise everyone else first, particularly when you’re all about family, connection, teamwork, achievement…. Likely the value that is missing off your list is HEALTH.

And it needs to come first.

For you, your body and mind, as well as business and life.

When you’re taking care of HEALTH, it encapsulates so much:

  • A healthy diet
  • A healthy lifestyle
  • A healthy relationship
  • A healthy bank balance
  • A healthy home
  • A healthy family
  • A healthy business

You can keep going with this list, can’t you!

Health is not just about doing your morning walk or getting to the gym. It’s about being healthy in all aspects and areas of life.

Here’s how to put HEALTH back on to your list of priorities.

  1. Firstly decide WHY

Ask yourself “Why does it really matter how healthy I am or not?

So you don’t fall over and can go the distance – whether that’s to get through the week or to make it to 90+. Be clear on why for you. When you know how vital those yoga classes are, or drinking one wine/one water…. You’re more likely to have a vested interest, commitment and willpower.

For me – HEALTH became solely about being able to play sport with my kids. I was struggling to chase after the cricket balls and the thought chasing the soccer ball …. Aargh. Nowadays – playing in my own soccer team, coaching the U8’s and spent hours over summer at the cricket nets.

Why because being with my kids and doing the things they love together is REALLY important.

And a recent win was getting my oldest – Henry now 9, out on an awesome bush run. When he said, Mummy, I never realised how fun this would be”. Well, that just made my year.

I really want my kids growing up realising that their health is NO. 1 PRIORITY.

So here’s how we implement it.  We do the family walks, cricket and soccer practice together… we allocate the time, but as well, I know…. The food & supplementation that makes my body function and be at it’s best is vital – so I limit the crap, get to bed on time.

All of these things that we do (our how of living a healthy life) make the difference. Yes, we can let our hair down occasionally, but MOSTLY – we have to stay focused.

If you’re still doing a few things (habits) that aren’t serving you and are sabotaging your efforts, then you aren’t yet attached enough to health as a priority, as a REALLY important value in your life.

2. You need to decide, how much it matters.

On a scale out of 1-10, with 10 being the most important and 1 being the least.

Ask yourself “How much does HEALTH really matter to me?  ________/ 10

Insert your number here.

Trust your instinct – if it says HEALTH is a 4, then you’re not there yet, and it’s no wonder everyone else is getting all the love and energy and not you.

If you’re a 6, 7, then tweak your focus and a few little things that will help you get it to an 8,9 or 10.

3. Take a look at a few of these ideas on HOW to implement HEALTHY:

Ask yourself “What little changes do I need to make, what improvements and tweaks – remember it’s the little things that make a difference

  • A healthy diet – take a healthy salad to lunch – pre-pack yummy snacks – do a weekly cook-up. What are your little changes?
  • A healthy lifestyle – what movement do you need to do, or do more of. Is it upping the yoga from once to 3x per week, because you know how much it keeps you feeling great? Is it a long bushwalk on the weekend, that gets you into nature and unwinding from the week.
  • A healthy relationship – have you stopped smooching your other half – do daily smooches, not just pecks, do you book in a date night, do you book in some action? Yes, seriously – lock it in, Eddy!
  • A healthy bank balance – are you watching where the $ are going, do you operate on a budget, do you catch up with your financial advisor regularly, are you paying yourself, asking for a pay rise, considering other income opportunities?
  • A healthy home – have you outsourced the cleaner? Yes, again seriously, there are some jobs that you can consider getting help on, asking for help, delegating to your other half, or outsource to someone. You must consider how much is too much. If you’re working all week and cleaning all weekend…. Seriously it is no wonder there is no petrol left in the tank. Maybe you need to be getting family to step up and take action for themselves, rather than you doing it all too?
  • A healthy family – are you all speaking kindly to each other, are you making time to sit at the dinner table together, are you all disconnected watching your own thing on your own device, when was the last time you did something fun together as a family?
  • A healthy business – do you have a high performing team or are you struggling by yourself, do you have some low performers on the team that are bringing down everyone else, are there systems in the business that are letting you down, because they’re non-existent or broken, are you articulate, succinct and clear when you’re speaking with team, customers and clients or are your business leadership capabilities a little unhealthy – a reflection of your body and mind?

Make sure health is your number 1 priority.

You’ll think differently now, the next time you go grab that 3rd coffee for the day, or finish the bottle or say no to a play in the backyard.

Remember smooch, not a peck.

More water than wine.

Refuel, recharge and reset that beautiful body and brain of yours.

Genevieve “Prioritising Health” Matthews

 

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