How Does Good Health Contribute To Career Success?

Are you passionate about career achievement? Everybody wants to be successful in their career. So is you, and I am sure that you want to grow professionally and enjoy better opportunities in your work area. But did you know that living a healthy lifestyle or being healthy can also boost your career? In fact, there’s clear evidence that good health and well-being contribute to career success.

Many other things go into seeing your career soar than just your talent. Is good health the key to career success career? What’s it worth, and what initiatives can you take to stay healthy and set yourself up for career success?

Keep reading to learn why good health matters in building a career path, what defines a healthy person in the workplace, and steps that you can take to improve your health for developing your career.

What Defines Good Health In Workplace?

Good health is defined by a combination of physical, mental, and emotional well-being, which allows us to enjoy life, maintain high standards of living, and have the ability to remain productive. Good health in the workplace is usually examined through the aspects that affect a person’s ability to perform in the workplace. These aspects comprise the physical, social, cognitive, emotional, and spiritual well-being of an individual.

Most people would consider a healthy person to be the one who does not suffer from any disease. However, if you think about it a bit more, it is not enough to be free of serious illnesses not to hamper your professional activity. A healthy person in the workplace can be described as a person who has a positive attitude towards work and generally manages to participate in any work activities and perform tasks effectively.

The Importance of Good Health: How Can A Healthy Mind And Body Help Flourish Your Career?

Career success requires the best of your abilities, the peak performance of your talents, and whatever might be required for success must be done. So it says a lot about your health when you thrive in your career or gives clues about your health when it hinders your career from flourishing.

According to a recent survey on occupational health, 90% of illnesses that make people miss work are preventable. Your health determines every single thing you do in life and for work. You will never be successful as you could have been if your health was not good.

It’s no wonder that anyone can tell you the importance of health in life and how being healthy impacts productivity, creativity, and good judgment. But few people actually think about the importance of being healthy specifically for your career success.

Healthy living has numerous benefits for your career. It is a proven fact that healthier people are more productive in their job as well as overall happiness. Having good health gives you a sense of purpose, self-esteem, and security.

That said, there are a lot of ways to work on your health. I will start by providing you with some reasons why you should put good health as your priority in order to flourish your career in the upcoming section. But first, let me tell you how poor health issues and problems can hinder your success and, worst of all, jeopardize your career! Knowing this will help you understand why it is important to strive for personal well-being and good health.

How Does Poor Health Affect And Health Problems That May Hamper Your Career Advancement?

Health problems can be career killers. One study showed that six months after a heart attack, only 15% of patients resumed full-time work. This compares to 68% of non-heart attack sufferers who returned to the same workplace after less than ten days of absence.

Poor health can inhibit your career in several ways. First of all, you may have to take sick days or even disability leave. If you’re out for more than a few days, the rest of your team is going to get antsy and start wondering why you haven’t fixed whatever is wrong with you. That’s not a good way to build up your status and authority in the organization.

There are other major health problems that can affect your career advancement in one way or another. Even little health problems that you do not think much of can affect your career. Your career choice involves making long-term plans for your future and waiting for an opportunity you are interested in before seizing it. If you have any previous health problems, any minor illness now or later might hamper the chances of your future success.

Do Healthier People Enjoy Better Career Accomplishments Than Less Healthy Individuals?

The fact that “health can be a competitive advantage,” according to research by the faculty member Michael L. Rieche, in which he conducted a study to prove that “Employees with good health are likely to be more productive and profitable than those who aren’t,” is enough of an incentive to live your life as healthy as possible. The University of Chicago Press Journals has also published experimental evidence suggesting the same.

Do you know what Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Warren Buffet, and Jeff Bezos have in common? They are all super successful and wealthy people who attribute their success partially to good health. More so than anyone else in history, these super achievers not only had an unstoppable drive to achieve the impossible, but they also pursued it while maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

How is this possible? Keep reading to learn the qualities of good health that contribute to a successful career.

Why Are Healthy People More Successful In Gaining Professional Accomplishments?

Here’re the ten reasons why healthy people are more successful in their careers and the essential qualities of good health contributing to their success in the workplace.

  1. Healthy people are more productive.
  2. They are more energetic and active at work.
  3. They are more efficient in handling job-related stress.
  4. They have better memory and learning skills.
  5. Healthy people make better decisions and make fewer mistakes.
  6. They are more confident, focused, and disciplined.
  7. They are usually happy and more optimistic than others.
  8. They have better relationships with their co-workers and supervisors; this results in increased opportunities for promotions and raises.
  9. They are less likely to need or take work leave and are more punctual.
  10. People with healthy minds are better positioned to compete in the workplace.

What Role Does Emotional And Mental Health Play In Career Success?

Career success is commonly measured by career advancement. Better physical fitness gives one energy and can make one more productive at work. But there’s more to it.

With all the talk about physical health, we can sometimes forget that your mental and emotional state also plays a vital role in your overall wellbeing. So, if you thought good health was only as important as not catching a nasty disease, think again. Both your physical and mental health plays a major role in shaping your overall career success.

When it comes to a career, mental health can directly impact the rate at which you succeed in your career. In the United States alone, over 45 million people are affected by mental illness, and 67% of our nation’s disabilities are caused by psychiatric disorders. Additionally, over 70% of school suspensions, expulsions, and work-related injuries include symptoms of mental disorders. [The Stat.]

Without emotional and mental health and stability, you can’t make much progress in your career. It’s easy to understand why. If you aren’t feeling great, you won’t be able to perform at your best. If you are suffering from depression or anxiety, it would be difficult to succeed in your career.

So whatever your career, it’s important to be in a good emotional state of mind. It can improve productivity and result in more positive interactions, disposition, and planning, among other things.

We all know that success in any aspect of life starts with a comprehensive understanding of self. But what we don’t often consider is the role our emotional health plays in the success of our careers. So how do you ensure that you’re always topping both your mental and emotional game? Here are some ideas.

How Can You Improve Mental Health For Career Success?

Here are five useful tips that will help you in improving your mental health to achieve your career success.

  1. Take A Moment And Reflect: Sometimes, we forget about mental health in our passion for success. We work at slaving away day and night, neglecting our health until we finally collapse from physical exhaustion. This is why it’s important to take a minute away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and see how well you’re doing mentally.
  2. Train Your Body And Brain To Work Together: Consider meditation 5 minutes a day. Consider doing something different and challenge yourself to get outside of your comfort zone at least once a day.
  3. Take Strategies To Increase Your Mental Clarity: Being more mentally clear will help you succeed in your job and career. You can take some strategies to improve your mental clarity and focus. For instance, try being consistent with a healthy morning routine. Also, set your priorities. Ask yourself what matters most and enjoy doing that. It is also a good idea to limit negative conversations.
  4. Understand The Importance Of Your Mental Health: The sooner you realize the importance of mental health, the sooner you will be able to achieve mental clarity and focus. You must understand that your mental health is important not only for your career success rather also affects your physical health.
  5. Be Aware Of Your Stress Levels: Honestly, reflect on your stress and anxiety. The sooner you realize that stress does not aid in mental clarity, the sooner you will be able to develop a stronger mentality. Make a list of stressors, and eliminate them (sleep more, drink water, meditate) -Ask for help when you need it.

Conclusion & The Key Takeaway:

If you want to do well at work and set your career off on the right foot focusing on your health is just as important as focusing on your career. The formula is simple. Mental focus + physical fitness = success in everything, including your career! Maintaining good health not only improves your outlook on life but can also improve your quality of life. After all, a healthy you is a happy you, and being happy is the key to a flourishing career. And finally, there’s one phrase I want to share with you: A healthy mind and body produce fruits for our brain.

Sources

  1.    American Heart Association. “One in four people leave work a year after a heart attack.” ScienceDaily. (Accessed at www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171004084945.htm)
  2. The University of Chicago Press Journals. “Happiness and Productivity. Andrew J. Oswald, Eugenio Proto, and Daniel Sgroi.” (Accessed at https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/suppl/10.1086/681096)
  3. Career Success. Wikipedia. (Accessed at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Career#Career_succes)
  4. Career development. Wikipedia. (Accessed at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Career_development)
  5. Mental Health Disorder Statistics. John Hopkins Medicine. (Accessed at https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/mental-health-disorder-statistics)
Marzia Khan
Marzia Khan

Marzia Khan is the director of content and operations at RobustAlive. She contributes to content strategy and process management across product initiatives, RND, and the editorial. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Frontline, and the PBS. Before joining RobustAlive, she also co-authored award-winning research on health and wellness and participated in various initiatives to increase awareness about healthy living and chronic disease prevention. She acts as the co-editor for RobustAlive and brings an expansive network of connections to the table while managing activity execution where required.

Robustalive
Logo