Self-Leadership is Self-Love
When we give more to ourselves, we can ask more of ourselves.
Last month I attended Cone Health’s Well-Being Coaching Initiative (WBCI) Kick-Off for cohort #6! Led by the WBCI Master Well-Being Coaches, I proudly witnessed their passion, growth, and application for Self-Leadership in their own lives as they introduced it to the new Champions. I was also reminded how much this work is needed when the Champions shared why they were there.
Here are a few reasons:
- I don’t know how to live my life any more
- I avoid my own health and happiness
- I have lost myself
- I don’t know if I want to be a nurse anymore and I feel so guilty for feeling this way
- I am in a constant state of stress
- I have to learn how to prioritize myself
- I am tired
Sound familiar? Self-Leadership is the foundational skill of your well-being based on the relationship you have with yourself. Practicing self-love supports you to make the best decisions that positively affect your well-being because it helps you feel good about yourself.
You practice self-love when you give yourself:
- Compassion by honoring your capacity instead of shoulding on yourself to give more
- Presence by slowing down instead of speeding up because you can’t keep up
- Recovery by prioritizing your needs instead of questioning them
We have proven statically significant results over and over again that show when you practice self-love to nurture the relationship you have with yourself, you are more engaged, less stressed and less burned out. This is because you feel good about yourself and what you do every day. And everyone benefits, including your patients, family, and most importantly, yourself. Self-love really is the opposite of self-ish.
Loving yourself not only helps you feel better, it actually helps you be more effective. High-performers will be happy to learn Gretchin Rubin, author of several books, including The Happiness Project says, When we give more to ourselves, we can ask more of ourselves.
Do something loving and nurturing for yourself today (and every day) to feel good about yourself and your life. Self-Leadership is Self-Love.