The Second Pillar of – 7 Pillars to A Life Well Led – The Complete Life – The Complete Leader
Following along the lines of my first post in this series, the second pillar is emotional well-being. How important is your emotional well-being or mental health to you? Are you genuinely happy – are you doing things that make you happy, hanging around people who are encouraging, seeking help when you need it, or …. , maybe not? Mental health challenges plague this country and the world. People can become so hyper-focused on achieving success that they lose sight of the things that are truly important to having a good life – a life well led.
I mean let’s think about it – when a professional baseball player, at the pinnacle of his career, takes a whole bottle of pills in the dugout, there is a real problem here. When a professional football player, at the top of his game, drives his car off an embankment in an attempt to end his life, you have to ask yourself – is there something wrong here? When a former Division One college athlete/Miss USA/Attorney and Entertainment News Reporter – determines that her life has no meaning and decides to jump off of her building – Houston, we have a problem!
I read these stories and I am like asking – is it the climb to the top or is it something else that causes the fall, an excessive focus on a “why”? Or is it something else altogether? When I think about it, I see that there is most likely a real lack of emotional well being/mental health in the lives of people in general, but this is especially apparent with the people who have dedicated their lives to a solitary mission – like fame and fortune.
The truth is that it doesn’t have to be that way. The truth is that there are people who achieve great success, while having a very strong mental health and are very happy. There are a lot of aspects to this topic that involve all of the pillars, so I won’t belabor those points here – you will have to read the rest of the posts as they come out. What I will say here is that if you find yourself depressed, see a professional therapist and tell them what you are feeling – what you are going through. That is what a counselor is there for. If you are feeling anxiety, grief, dealing with trauma or any mental health challenge or disorder – do not struggle alone – find some help. If you are feeling like ending your life – first of all – don’t do it – it is a permanent and forever tragedy meant to solve a temporary problem. Call 911, a therapist, a friend, suicide and crisis help line – 988 – don’t be alone – get someone by your side immediately! Don’t wait for it to pass – get some help right away! You are worth it and your life is precious! There is a lot more to say here but for now, that’s enough on the topic of suicide.
The bottom-line is that this pillar is critical to your future. There are things you can do to help yourself and there are professionals that will come alongside and assist you in this area. If money is an issue, know that there are many nonprofits that will either charge a sliding scale fee structure or they will charge nothing, if that’s what you need. But do not neglect this part of your life because when it crumbles, everything else crumbles too.
On the flip side of this topic, when we have a strong emotional well-being, we feel invincible. We feel like we can climb tall mountains and overcome any challenge. Our self-esteem is our psychological superpower to a strong emotional wellbeing pillar. Surround yourself with people that will build you up, not tear you down. If you need medication to regulate moods, depression or anxiety – take it as the doctor prescribes – it can help.
I want the best life for you- ever!
Cliff
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