A couple of months ago, I was on an airplane watching the flight attendant go through the pantomime of safety instructions and reading the accompanying illustrated safety card when something captured my thoughts. They instruct you to put your own oxygen mask on before you go on to help anyone else. This is an extreme example, but what better way to point out that you cannot care for anyone else effectively if you don’t care for yourself first and foremost.

As someone who is very much a caretaker, this way of thinking was very counter-intuitive to me. This turned my thoughts to consider this question, “Are there other areas in my life that would require me to put myself first before being able to properly care for others?”

The answer I came up with is an astounding… all areas!

Turning this point of view onto the workplace, consider how when you feel healthy and well rested, you feel like you can take on the world. This affects your mood, your interactions with people, your ability to think and work more effectively, and so on. Now consider those days when you show up to work not feeling great, tired, or with emotional baggage weighing you down. It’s hard to focus, and your interactions with co-workers and customers are unfulfilling and not as productive. Your output and your focus are low!

There is no way to prevent bad days, but if you tend to put others first, maybe take a closer look at that behavior. Who does it really benefit if you run yourself into the ground? Are your attempts to take-on everything in spite of yourself really helping anyone effectively?

Maybe upon a closer look, you will realize there is always room for improvement, like I did. Maybe you will learn that through improving yourself, you’re actually improving things around you too.

 
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