Over the holiday season I took some space to reflect on 2023 and my most important lesson. The simplicity of my response surprised me; the importance of sleep. I realised I’d over-relied on meditation as a key source of energy, creativity, and adaptability, and under-utilised arguably the most important thing for optimal energy and wellbeing, quality sleep.

Wellbeing is important to explore at this time of year as many press pause on holiday mode and launch back into life’s demands. Whether it be a work project/s ramping up, children starting back at school, juggling commitments, navigating an illness, or simply the feeling (that society has normalised) of needing to be continuously productive, the general sentiment is that the spaciousness felt during the holiday season is rapidly fading.

So, why is the relationship between your wellbeing and your career so important? Without a strong foundation of wellbeing, your appetite for career change and creativity is significantly reduced. When change simply feels too much due to depletion, your growth as an individual becomes blocked or is limited. And why is your personal/professional growth so important? Because without growth, a feeling of fulfilment will remain elusive. Over time, lack of growth also erodes courage and confidence, creating an unhealthy cycle.

Five Wellbeing Questions to help you Create Change and Optimise your Growth during 2024:

1. What habits support your wellbeing that you know you need to prioritise?

2. If you were really honest with yourself, what do you know is not serving your wellbeing and needs to go?

3. What internal dialogue needs to change, to enable you to prioritise your wellbeing this year?

4. What habits or patterns are preventing optimal sleep and opportunity for rejuvenation?

5. What morning and evening routine is most supportive of creating robust energy levels and wellbeing?

Start to create heightened awareness by noting what comes up for you when you ask yourself the above questions. I frequently speak about progress over perfection; don’t let perfection be the enemy of progress. Experiment, tweak, try, and try again. Commit now to prioritising yourself and your wellbeing this year, to create a truly robust foundation for personal and professional growth to flow from.