Out of all my portfolio competencies, well-being has been my area of greatest increased awareness and effort over my time as being a Leadership Consultant. While the idea of well-being is not new to me, the intentional focus on a holistic approach to well being was new to me when I started working with LEAD. Before my time at LEAD, I considered well-being to be a general part of life that was a collection of many different forms of well-being, such as physical, emotional, spiritual well-being. I believed that well-being mostly meant being active, staying in-shape, eating well, focusing on school, and the like. During my time at LEAD, I learned that well-being also includes the willingness to know when you are under a lot of stress and acting to do something about it. This includes being willing to say no to over scheduling and the practice of self-empathy, allowing for personal time off when it is needed.
Well-being can be practiced in making time for the little things that make you happy. In my life, I know that includes having something exciting to look forward to and work towards. My favorite ways to practice well-being include being outside to hike or sail, spending time with my friends, game nights, playing sports, and taking road trips. As a college student and soon to be young professional, I expect my time and work to give me fewer opportunities to participate in the activities that I enjoy. Going forward it will be important to remember the lessons in well-being that I have learned at LEAD. Additionally, I can look for the type work that I enjoy doing and using it as a form of practicing well-being. While it may be more challenging in the future, practicing well-being is an important element of taking care of myself that enables me to pursue my goals while avoiding burnout.