WELLBEING
Stephen Cheng (AIA Premier Academy)
via Email Tue 09/27/2011 11:46 AM
Wellbeing is about the combination of our love for our work each day, the pride we take in our contribution to our communities and the quality of our relationships, the vibrancy of our bodily health and the security of our wealth. An intense focus on one area in isolation can actually be detrimental to your overall wellbeing.
Gallup scientists have been exploring the 5 universal elements or demands of a life well-lived for more than 50 years, in partnership with leading economists, psychologists and other scientists. Gallup conducted this study in more than 150 countries, giving us a lens into the wellbeing of more than 98% of the world’s population.
The 5 essential elements are our
· Career Wellbeing,
· Social Wellbeing,
· Community Wellbeing,
· Physical Wellbeing and
· Financial Wellbeing.
When we strengthen our wellbeing in any one of these areas, we will have better days. But we’re not getting the most of our lives unless we’re living effectively in all five.
For many people, spirituality drives them in all these areas. Their faith is the most important facet of their lives and it is the foundation of their daily efforts.
[We may that our Spiritual Wellbeing is the overarching 6th element of a well-lived life because our beliefs and values shape our attitude towards all things in life.]
People report having the highest levels of happiness and interest when they are engaged in leisure and spiritual activities, such as listening to music, playing with children, sports and worship. Because these critical elements are within our control, we have the ability to improve them. With so many options to satisfy ourselves in the moment, it can be difficult to make the right long-term decision.
If we can find short-term incentives that are consistent with our long-term objectives, it is much easier to make the right decisions in the moment.
In other words, when we can see an immediate payoff, we are more likely to change our behavior in the moment. Making even small positive changes to our daily routines can have a major and lasting impact on our wellbeing. For example, just 20 minutes of exercise could improve our mood for several hours after we have worked out.
Career Wellbeing is arguably the most essential of the 5 elements. When we wake up every day, we all need something to do that we look forward to.
When people meet first, they ask each other, “What do you do?” If your answer to that question is something fulfilling, you are likely thriving in Career Wellbeing.
Most people define themselves by what they do and their social roles. Find work you love. It is hard to be happy if you spend half of your waking hours doing something you don’t. If you don’t have the opportunity to regularly do something you enjoy, the odds of your having high wellbeing in other areas diminish rapidly. Chances are that much of your social time is spent worrying or complaining about your lousy job. And this causes stress, taking a toll on your physical health.
People with low engagement and low Career Wellbeing are simply waiting for the workday to end. Those who are actively disengaged in their careers were nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression.
But for those who are engaged in their jobs, happiness and interest throughout the day were significantly higher. They had similar happiness levels on working and non-working days. They love their work so much that it is closely aligned with their personal lives. When they are fully engaged, they go above and beyond what’s required of them because they have a sense of purpose and passion about what they are doing.
On the other hand, a lack of absorbed focus takes a toll on the depth and quality of whatever we do. Purpose is the external expression of what we stand for.
But, one of the major findings of time-use studies in the Gallup research is that the person we least enjoy being around is our boss.
· People under study rated the time they spent with one's boss as being the worst time of the day.
· Time spent with one’s boss was actually rated as lower than time spent doing chores.
· About 75% of the American workforce reports that their immediate supervisor is the most stressful part of their job.
· Over 20 million Americans have left their jobs to flee from workplace bullies, most of whom were bosses.
Bosses who bully are usually unable to handle well 3 common features of their jobs:
1) Position of power,
2) Pressure to perform and
3) Work exhaustion.
Leaders who rely on negative emotions may get the short term results they’re seeking but the costs accrue over time. If you are a bully, you could have developed an attitude that you need to get angry, yell and rant to get what you want, and you might not want to change unless you really want a better life.
Two behaviors are common among managers when their own emotional needs have not been nourished and satisfied.
The first is insistently calling attention to their own value, often through an arbitrary exercise of power. The most obvious manifestations are a high need for control, impatience and poor listening skills. The most universally despised of all qualities among leaders is egocentricity – selfishness and self-absorption.
The second deficit-driven behavior is disparaging others to bolster themselves. This can take the form of relentless criticism of those they oversee. Conventional “transactional” bosses are narrowly concerned with merely reaching performance goals.
· More than 50% of employees worldwide feel they’re treated by their superiors as if they don’t really matter at all.
· Only 38% believe their senior managers are genuinely interested in their wellbeing.
Bosses shape how people spend their days and whether they experience joy or despair, perform well or badly, or are healthy or sick. Those who deemed their managers to be the least competent had a 39% higher risk of a serious heart problem.
Clearly, people looking for a new job should be concerned about who their manager will be as they are about their job title, their benefits, the company’s reputation or even the pay.
Moderately assertive bosses were rated as most effective overall. The best management is sometimes less management. The first rule for an effective manager is to do no harm; to avoid devaluing emotions such as anger, intimidation, disparagement and shame.
Two widely recognized schools of leadership draw explicitly on spiritual energy as a critical element: “Servant leadership” and “Transformational leadership.”
· Servant leadership starts with the natural feeling to be of service to others.
· Transformational leadership is value-driven and is attentive to the needs of followers: supporting, mentoring and celebrating.
The best bosses are both competent and benevolent; balancing performance with humanity and getting things done in ways that enhance dignity and pride.
They protect their people and do everything possible to help people do great work. The best bosses frame what their people do as a series of manageable steps that can be completed without great difficulty. This leads to better decisions, sustains motivation and helps people experience less distress.
The best bosses think and act like they are running a marathon, not a sprint. A workplace culture characterized by appreciation and high regard for employees undeniably drives higher engagement and loyalty.
Career Wellbeing is one of the major differentiators that help us live into our 90s. Loving what we do each day matters! So, use your strengths every day. Spend more time with people you enjoy being around at work. Employees who have a best friend at work are 7 times as likely to be engaged in their jobs and produce higher quality work. Idle chit-chat might actually be valuable to productivity.
People with thriving Social Wellbeing average about 6 hours of social time in a day. You’ll notice that the most memorable and best moments in your life– and also the most agonizing ones – occur at the intersection with other people.
Relationships shape our expectations, desires and goals. Ultimate fulfillment in life is having the basic desires of our heart met, in particular our desires for love, acceptance and significance. Emotions spread quickly from one person to another.
Our social connections also influence our habits, behaviors and health. Marital strain actually accelerates the decline in our physical health as we age. If a friend of yours becomes obese, it increases your chance of becoming obese by 57%. If your best friend is very active, it triples your chance of having high levels of physical activity.
Relationships serve as a buffer during tough times, which in turn improves our cardiovascular functioning and decreases stress levels. So, spend 6 hours a day socializing with friends and family. Mix social time with physical activity, such as taking long walks with a friend so that you can motivate each other to be healthy.
Community Wellbeing starts with the basics, such as the quality of water you drink or the air you breathe every day. Feeling safe walking alone at night in your neighborhood and having confidence that you won’t be harmed is another necessity.
The next level is living in an area that is a good fit for your personality, family, interests and other pursuits. One important factor is aesthetics which includes beautiful parks and playgrounds. Another important factor is the general openness of the residents to all types of people, regardless of race, heritage or age.
At the highest level of Community Wellbeing is giving back to society. People who are engaged in their careers are 30% more likely to give back to their community. Nearly everyone gets an emotional boost from doing kind things for other people. When we do things for others, we see how we can make a difference and this gives us confidence in our ability to create change. Creating sustainable change is likely to happen in the context of community. Most people who quit smoking quit because it was no longer socially acceptable to smoke. As smokers were pushed to the outer edges of their communities, they finally kicked the habit. So, identify how you can contribute to your community and join a community group.
People with thriving Physical Wellbeing effectively manage their health. They exercise regularly and feel better throughout the day. They make good dietary choices which keep their energy high throughout the day. They get enough sleep to wake up feeling well rested and to get a good start each day.
To make major lifestyle changes, we need to understand how a certain diet or a type of lifestyle affects us today. A lack of energy often results from inactivity, not age. Many critical signaling genes that promote inflammation, autoimmune and allergic responses were markedly reduced in just 5 weeks due to dietary changes.
The key is opting for healthier foods at each turn, such as red, green and blue fruits and vegetables. They curb our hunger for a longer period of time while boosting our energy levels in the process. So, load up on natural foods, get at least 20 minutes of physical activity each day and sleep enough to feel well-rested.
People with thriving Financial Wellbeing are satisfied with their overall standard of living. They manage their personal finances well to create financial security. They spend their money wisely. People with thriving Financial Wellbeing normally have enough money to meet their needs and they rarely have to endure the stress of worrying about not being able to pay their bills.
Money is important because it buys food for people and their families and puts a roof over their heads. And having the money to pay for basic healthcare can improve wellbeing through the alleviation of bodily pain.
Beyond these, people who have a lot of money can also do what they want when they want to. They buy experiences that provide them with memories, such as travels and interesting activities. They have the financial freedom to spend even more time with the people whose company they enjoy most. They give to others. Focusing solely on the goal of wealth accumulation can even reduce our wellbeing.
When any wealth accumulation strategy creates daily stress, it’s not worth the potential return. There are many people who make a lot of money but don’t feel financially secure. They worry about money regularly.
Financial security is possible for people across a wide range of income levels so long as they live within their means, and establish financial management system that automate payments and savings to create future income-generating assets and lessen the daily worry about money.
Because all of our actions are fueled by feelings, a logical starting point for defining our purpose is to ask, “What do I most love doing?”
We each bring the most energy to the activities we most enjoy, and the enjoyment we derive sustains our energy. Think about the time when you truly felt alive, when you felt so immersed in what you were doing that you lost track of time.
Our daily experiences accumulate and shape our lives. You can take actionable steps to increase your overall wellbeing throughout the course of your lifetime.
Inaction is also an important step! We need downtimes when our desires are silent and we just flow with the moment. There are times when we need to just let go of our expectations, allow the moment to just be, and feel the peace and contentment in life.
So, go on and make a life!
Wellbeing – The 5 Essential Elements, by Tom Rath & Jim Harter and Good Boss, Bad Boss, by Robert Sutton (edited)
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