Celebrating Unsung Heroes – Body Vibes
What’s your favorite body part? No not on you. Your favourite part?
This is a leadership series on the four dimensions of successful servant leaders I wrote and published with Youth Action Northern Ireland.
Four Dimensions of Inspired Leaders
Successful leaders engage four dimensions in holistic attempts to be their best and bring their best in everything they do in the pursuit of excellence. The four dimensions explore the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of everyone’s life as we pursue health, well-being and success.
1. Physical Dimension of Leadership
Do you every find your self to busy driving to stop or gas? Physical dimension is about personal self-care and honors the physical body as a harmonious electrical organism that requires charging and tuning. As a leader you cannot lead with a drained battery. You can’t start the car and doesn’t go anywhere if the batter is dead. Think of the car as your organization think of you as the battery and that current jump start currently gets things going make things happen. Your commitment and dedication to supporting your physical dimension of energy will keep your personal health in order for you to do good it work day after day.
“It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out; but the grain of sand in your shoe.” – Robert Service
There are three main areas of challenge that hard-working leaders often neglect during their demanding days.
A. Diet: It is well known that the quality of the food and liquids you consume has profound effect on your bodies capacity to thrive and function at an optimal level of energy. Eat as fresh and as local as you can and hydrate the body with good water and use common sense. For more complex considerations consult a health care practitioner or nutritionist for professional advice and remember dark chocolate is good for you!
B. Exercise: The simple rule is “move it or lose it.” Movement stimulates natural chemicals in the body called endorphins that give you a feel sense of well-being and help reduce stress. You can get this natural high by committing to some form of exercise at the style and level of challenge that’s best for your body and personality. Spend between a minimum of an hour each day dancing, walking, riding, laughing, swimming, or other creative ways to get moving.
C. Sleep: Many people talk about life balance and think of balancing work versus home life. Unfortunately many people forget about one the greatest balance relationships. This is the balance between giving energy during the day and restoring energy at night through rest and sleep. Don’t under estimate the importance of sleep. The average persons spends 26 years of their life in bed so do the best you can to make what ever is left the best sleep possible.
William Shakespeare underscores the value of deep restoring slumber, “Sleep that knits up the ravell’d sleeve of care, the death of each day’s life, sore labor’s bath, balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course, chief nourisher in life’s feast.”