"Stay Well” is #1 for being Business Fit
It is that time of the year again – time to make our resolutions for 2012. Rarely do our resolutions affect both our personal and professional lives.
In early December at a staff meeting I had the pleasure of listening to Dawn G. Lennon who wrote a book titled 
In her book she outlines 7 Smart moves for success & # 1 really hit home with me – STAY WELL!
Thinking back on when I was 100+ pounds overweight in 2002 I was so focused on always putting my family and career first. I am not sure I would have been ready to hear this message to take care of myself – but I am hoping you are smarter than I was. It took me 15 months to lose 107 pounds & it has clearly changed my life - personally and professionally. Before you can take care of either your family... or your career I totally agreed with # 1 – STAY WELL.
In the book she talks about the relationship between being well & being successful. Here are some of the highlights of this chapter:
- When you don’t feel well, you don’t perform at the top of your game.
- Wellness is the linchpin of success. Managing it is your choice.
- Staying well mentally & emotionally is also the key to success.
- Negative self-talk creates attitudinal “un-wellness”.
I have read and re-read this chapter several times. Not to say the other 6 steps are not important – but GETTING WELL and STAYING WELL are critical to success – any success. In April it will be 8 years that I have kept this weight off. One of my 4 boys sent me a birthday card one year that simply said "Thank You for taking care of yourself: I hope you give yourself this gift of wellness in 2012 & I encourage you to pick up her book.
Staying well is truly a state of mind. There are many things I do on a daily basis that I never used to consider to keep myself physically, mentally, and spiritually well. I believe that our physical health is an early warning system for our Spiritual (psychological) health and effects of stress. 
If my thoughts and attitude go astray, and I take the time to acknowledge how I have been feeling physically, almost always I can see that I had warning symptoms much earlier, that something is/was going wrong.
So, I try to take time every morning to take care of me, my surroundings and provide myself with some quite time to reflect on what I would like to accomplish over the next 8 hours or so.
As a child I was a very undisciplined person. As an adult, although I do not wish to admit it, I still can be undisciplined. For the most part this tendency has very little if any positive components. Discipline, self awareness, willingness to try different things and humility to be open to try new ways are my compass.
Feeling well TRULY is an inside job!!!!
