This is a question I often ask at the start of talks or in coaching sessions with clients.
The response I frequently get, relates to ‘keeping going’ or ‘not quitting’ and sometimes, (admittedly less so these days) it gets confused with things like offering free fruit or subsidised fitness classes. All good, but there’s so much more to wellbeing and resilience than this. Considering not just our energy levels, but how we incorporate longer-term thinking, our motivation, how flexibly we think and adapt and how strong our relationships are, all matter too.
So, if we ‘keep going’ and ‘push forward’, we’ll simply wear ourselves out. There’s no level of sustaining performance, never mind a feeling of thriving.
If we zoom out to consider wellbeing and resilience for our teams, our organisation and the wider world, pushing forward and keeping going suddenly sounds very wrong. Where’s the focus on the longer-term?
If we could instead think of how we feel when we’re at our best, and explore how we can develop that, we might get on a better track. By listening more to ourselves and our teams, considering what’s working for us or where things could be better, we’ll feel more satisfied with what we’re doing, whether that’s at work or in our lives.
How do you consider what resilience and wellbeing mean for you, your team or your organisation?
Do get in touch if you’d like to explore this topic in more detail.
Image: Jon Tyson, unsplash