Leadership qualities are commonly applied to workplace scenarios. Some of those qualities can also be applied to yourself in ways to improve your health. In the spirit of April Fool’s Day, apply these qualities to help you avoid playing the fool with your health.
A leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves. As your own leader, this is probably the most important quality to have to improve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Self-confidence begins with self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is confidence or a belief in one’s own ability to deal with a situation or achieve a goal without being overwhelmed. Basically it is telling yourself, “yeah, I am capable of this.” Having self-efficacy will ward off inhibitions in any situation. Confidence, then, becomes natural. Yes, some have to work at this more than others, but leading yourself to become more naturally self-confident will make your goals, including healthy behavior, achievable.
Leaders surround themselves with people that know a lot more than they know. Leaders have enough humility to know that they aren’t all-knowing. Information on health and wellness is more available than ever. From self-diagnosing ailments to becoming an expert on any number of health topics is just a mouse click away, right? The information is there, but knowing what is accurate, and more importantly, applicable to your personal situation may require some expertise. Being your own leader requires some humility to seek out help in navigating the health and wellness information. Recruiting outside assistance can help you more efficiently and effectively reach your health goals.
Positive attributes of good leaders have been discussed, but there is another side to the coin. Bad leaders can demoralize a team. This can come in the form of a thankless attitude, emitting a message of reduced value to team members. For yourself, it’s important to recognize your value and avoid self-denigration. The psychological battle of positive thoughts and attitude is more challenging for some than others. As your own leader, making an internal choice to “know who the heck you are” and that you are worth every bit of energy toward a healthy life is an important reminder. For some it may be an occasional reminder. For others this affirmation may be a daily necessity.
A final leadership trait to consider for your health is perseverance. You may have all the confidence in the world, consulted the industry’s finest health and wellness experts, and exude positivity to near annoying (to others) levels, but without perseverance, it is all for naught. You will encounter obstacles in every goal oriented journey. Achieving a healthier lifestyle is loaded with obstacles and challenges. Daily obstacles include how to fit in a workout and choosing that piece of fruit over a bag of chips for a snack. On top of persevering through obstacles as they arise, once you’ve reached your goal, maintaining it is the overall challenge. Leaders are able to effectively communicate their philosophy to the team and achieve success with that philosophy. Leading yourself to successful perseverance is the final step in maintaining your health goals.
Traditionally, the first of the year is the catalyst to action toward better health. This year, use April Fool’s Day to give yourself a shot in the arm toward that goal. Drawing upon leadership qualities is one way to start and keep you on the path.
