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'Nurture'

Jessica Jesse

The following was written by: Renee Moorefield, PhD on October 1, 2020

“What’s nurtured slowly grows well.”—author Haruki Murakami

Wherever you are on our planet, happy November! We’ve traveled a journey together for almost a year, exploring the qualities of effective wellness leadership. When we look back on 2020, we’ll always remember the global pandemic, social unrest, economic strife, climate challenges, and other major issues we’ve faced together.

We’ll also remember this year as the time when we personally and collectively:

In 2020, we’ve alchemized an unprecedented degree of global stress and suffering into new commitments and paths for wellbeing. As we near the year-end, it’s a good time to ask: As wellness leaders, how can we nurture our wellness journey for the long haul?

Nurture (from Latin nutrire) = To Feed or Cherish

When you nurture something, you help it grow in a way that’s sustainable. Nurturing wellness is about inviting people to repeatedly connect with the mindset and behaviors, supportive resources, and inner dimensions of wellbeing that will bring about whole health in body, mind, and spirit. It also means helping people turn their roadblocks to wellness into meaningful insights and innovations. In addition, nurturing wellness means advancing the policies, measurements, processes, and structures that make wellness a genuine value and priority for your family, team members, organization, and society.

Given the amazing amount of distractions and life-changing events that can take you off course, your wellness journey requires an unswerving dedication. When it comes to nurturing wellness, as a wellness leader, you are running a marathon, not a sprint!

Go the Distance with Greater Ease

If you’re not careful, the journey of leading wellness can be wearing. These steps will help you personally go the distance with optimism and ease:

Nurture your wellbeing.

Even when the ground feels like it’s shifting beneath your feet, your inner wellbeing can give you a foundation to thrive, lead effectively, and model wellness for others. Recommit to nurturing self-care actions that help you live and lead with a sense of balance and resilience, such as getting high-quality sleep, nourishing your brain, moving your body throughout the day, or sharing joy with others.

Nurture the feminine.

Reaching your personal or shared Wellness Moonshot doesn’t necessarily mean push, push, push. If you’re exhausted by the enormous energy you’ve put into your wellness goals so far, try tapping into your feminine. How? Step back from a driving pace and notice where progress is unfolding naturally. Rather than applying your rational mind alone, allow intuition to inform your direction ahead. Include care, encouragement, and renewal as part of how you lead. All of us are a blend of active masculine and receptive feminine powers. Harness both to make your wellness journey sustaining.

Nurture compassion.

Your wellness journey has likely experienced twists and turns, with missteps and unexpected challenges along the way. Earlier this year, maybe your family decided to eat a healthy dinner together at least twice a week, but now you barely see each other. Or, your organization’s workplace wellness efforts have stalled. Blaming yourself, others or events you cannot control for setbacks can be derailing.

Remember: The wellness journey isn’t a straight line from points A to B, and it’s rarely quick. Truly learning how to prioritize wellness is messy and gradual. With a heap of compassion, ask: How can you and others use lapses as an opportunity to listen to what’s really going on and grow new perspectives about the best way forward?

Nurture support.

Leaders often think asking for help is a sign of failure; ironically, it can be the wisest thing you do. If your progress or energy is flagging, seek support from others. Perhaps you need a mentor who can offer practical tips and coping strategies for overcoming a wellness leadership challenge or an aspirational coach to help you get re-inspired.

Get clear about the kind of assistance that would serve you best and who can provide it, then request their support. Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness. Amplify this gift by mentoring others to build strong wellness leaders for the future.

As You Nurture, Share!

You and your organization are vital to the growing Wellness Moonshot community, now over 890 wellness leaders impacting close to 7 million people worldwide. Our mutual purpose to create a world free of preventable disease is ambitious, yes, but not unattainable. Together, we have the potential to transform the costs of disease into healthy growth for economies, workforces, and societies globally.

On November 30, this month’s full moon, share your wellness leadership journey on social media with #wellnessmoonshot, and we’ll spread your inspiration to the growing network of wellness leaders worldwide.

Think of each month’s Wellness Moonshot as a guide or “lesson plan” to empower wellness. Plus, invite others to join The Wellness Moonshot! Our next step in this wellness leadership journey highlights how giving thanks supports your wellbeing and that of your team, your family, and your community. 

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