I’ve been writing about stress management quite often over the past few months. There’s a reason for it — we’re stressed out! I don’t know about you, but between pandemic worries and the uncertainty of the future along with constant changes to our day-to-day lives...we’re living in stressful, stressful times, my friends.
We all know but now that I’m a health and wellness guy. Part of my goal here is to impart some wisdom and advice not only in terms of finance and leadership but in what makes life good. For us as professionals, as men, as fathers and husbands, there’s more to life, more to fulfillment, than a good career.
As the U.S. digs deeper into an economic recession due to COVID-19, it’s more important than ever to have financial savvy. While not all of us are fearful of job or monetary loss during these times, it’s no less important to adjust your strategy to deal with both the known and unknown risks involved in a recession.
The world seems more divided than it’s ever been. It might be an exaggeration — after all, we only know our lifetime and its context. Even so, conflict seems to be everywhere we turn. In part, we can blame it on social media. Not only does the Internet afford us some level of anonymity and distance from the people we disagree with, emboldening some to be particularly vitriolic, but social media means that we simply see more of it. We’re more connected, more in-the-know.
There’s no doubt about it — stress levels are at an all-time high for many of us. We’re combating daily economic fears alongside very real health concerns brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our schedules and ways of life have been turned upside down over the past few months. And, unsurprisingly, we’re paying for it.
I think some leaders are fearful that vulnerability is perceived as weakness. This isn’t surprising, given the very definition of vulnerable is “susceptible to attack or harm.” As leaders, we want to demonstrate strength, conviction, and confidence. In a way, we want to seem impervious to the challenges and trials that come our way.
There are so many valuable qualities that shape the effectiveness of a leader. I’ve talked about many of them at length. I think now, in 2020, as we face increasingly divisive rhetoric and action on all levels of society, the unifying nature of leadership is more valuable than ever. Now, I’m not here to get into politics or discuss sweeping social issues.
2020 has turned out to be more than a little interesting. The stress of it all has undoubtedly led to some poor eating habits, even when we couldn’t go to our favorite restaurants. While eating healthy at home is one goal to strive for, we also must be conscious of what we’re really eating when we go out-to-eat.
I have five kids. As we’ve just seen Father’s Day come and go, I can’t help but think about them. Specifically, I think about the kind of people they are growing up to be and how I, as their father, play a role in that future. One of the biggest fears we dads have is that we’ll “screw up” our kids. We fear that we’ll give them something less than the best, that our actions will hurt their futures.
I’m no stranger to the competitive spirit. As I navigate my life and work, that sense of competition has driven me to sharpen my skills, pay attention to the details, and provide the best I have to offer to my colleagues and clients alike. Even in my hobbies, I see my competitive spirit thriving — as an endurance runner, I’m always pushing for peak performance.
Over the past several months, those of us who enjoy our exercise have faced a handful of unique challenges. Gyms were among the first businesses to go into lockdown, and understandably so. Regardless, many people who retreat to the gym during the hotter months were stuck without a cool environment in which to do their cardio. And believe me, it’s already been pretty toasty in Memphis!
Statistics show that the work-from-home model has only grown in accessibility and desirability in the past decade. In the months that we have battled the COVID-19 pandemic, many employers have shifted their workforce to a telework model, if only temporarily. Some businesses, however, are seeing the benefit of making work-from-home a permanent arrangement for some employees.
Chances are, COVID-19 has meant gaining the COVID-15! During this time of self-quarantine, a lot of us have turned to junk food to cope — on top of gyms being closed for business. Our way of life has been shaken and turned upside down. We’re out of our regular routines. For some of us, sure, there have been positive changes. For others, we’re struggling. Your diet is in the trash and your usual avenue for exercise has been gone for a least three months.
As so many of us have transitioned to working from home due to the COVID-19 crisis, you have no doubt heard the term “brain fog” more than once. Brain fog is not a scientific term, but rather refers to general symptoms of mental fatigue, trouble concentrating, and cognitive dysfunction. The catch-all term “brain fog” is apt. I know that for me, it is that feeling of wading through water. Everything is slower, more difficult, and weighed down.
When we think of the characteristics that make a great leader, we don’t tend to think of listening skills immediately. However, you will find in leadership that it is the more humble, the more unseen skills that really push leaders from good to great. You can be a charismatic speaker, you can have magnetic charm, you can have incredible and innovative ideas — but if you don’t know how to listen well, your success in leadership will be temporary at best.
Whether you’re ready for it or not, retirement is coming. Statistics show that Americans are woefully unprepared for retirement — at least in the financial sense. Americans ages 55-64 have only saved 12 percentof what they need for retirement, on average. It’s suggested that young people squirrel away at least two decades worth of income, given the 18-year average for retirement. The number one worry of working-aged Americans is that they won’t have enough saved.
