It’s A Mindset Thing

The number of articles that are being printed about developing a proactive or positive mindset is rather large.  One example claims to take 3-minutes.  Being happier makes us more productive and yes even healthier.  If the common phrase is accurate it will make us healthy, wealthy, and wise.  

However, the key to all of these articles is changing behavior to make it a reality.  It is about becoming intrinsically motivated to achieve something that may be less than tangible.  If becoming a happier work place would instantly result in a change to the P&L (Profit and Loss) statement, companies might strive to achieve a certain level of happiness to improve both top and bottom line profits. However, it is elusive. Happiness is hard to measure and more of a capital or cultural expense than an operating quick-fix. 

Happiness is a mindset.  One I currently have and one that was missing for much of my 53 years.  Maybe the shift came with age or more likely it came with numerous practices that improved my disposition and ultimately my productivity.

Much of the research around wellness will point to improving one or all of the wellness dimensions. Successful leaders are getting exercise, intellectually stimulated, spiritually nourished, sleeping the correct amount, surrounding themselves with “good” things and “good” people, and they understand that when an aspect of their life is not aligned, a change must be made. 

Do an assessment of yourself and your wellness mindset:

• What is working?

• What is not working? 

• Are there blind spots where a 360 degree evaluation would help?

The role of a leader is to embrace the behaviors that result in a positive and productive mindset and help those they lead to do the same thing.