What is your Primary Purpose?

Updated 11/2020

It occurred to me after speaking to some farmers, dietitians, and CEO’s at a meeting recently that we have a very specific health problem happening. People have forgotten that our first and most important job is to – wait for it – take care of ourselves.

This is your primary purpose.

Make money, pay the bills, get the promotion. Those are some of your responsibilities, not your purpose. It’s SOOO much easier to be responsible when you are driven by your purpose.

I used to say I had the most important job (as the only dietitian in the company at the time) because if people weren’t healthy and got sick and incapacitated, there’d be no one to do the work and no one to be the customers/clients. It’s a bit sassy, yes, but isn’t it the truth?

I’m not a doctor or psychologist. I am a dietitian and a trainer. My job is to hear you and help you make a plan to help you in your journey to better health. We’ll do it in a way that honors your culture, beliefs, skills, and whatever else drives your decisions. It’s that simple.

So what do we do?

Start with this incredibly important thought in your head: If you are sick, you aren’t there for your family, friends, or your work.

Then…consider this:

Doing the right thing for ourselves (and others) involves eating nutrient-rich foods at most meals and snacks.

Enjoying nutritious food AND the occasional treat is a good thing.

Activity/exercise needs to take some of the time our 24 hour day. Same with sleeping.

Today is your day, my friends. It’s the day you are going to put a stake in the ground and say that you know what your goal is and focus on the right metrics. It’s the day that no matter what your day job is, you are going to lead by example and encourage your colleagues, peers, bosses, and employees to do the same.

It’s ok not to have every meeting be a video call. (Remember when we used to do a conference call?) You can turn on the video when needed, and turn off so people (including you) can walk around while you think and contribute to a meeting.

It’s ok to excuse yourself to fill your water glass and then take the subsequent bathroom break.

It’s ok to schedule a meeting that starts and ends on time. People who are late or leave early can read the minutes to catch up (i.e., take notes and have an agenda so people know what’s up throughout the scheduled time together).

It’s ok to turn off the computer, set down the phone and unwind before you lay down to sleep.

It’s also ok to say no to some things as long as you provide options to make sure you don’t miss anything truly important.

Refocus and reclaim your vision of your finish line.

Ready. Set. Go.