The Wellness Poet

The Wellness Poet

By Krissy Regan, The Wellness Poet

Time and time again I hear this question, “Am I doing Enough?” AND I also ask myself the following questions on a regular basis.

  • Am I doing enough to help?
  • Am I working hard enough?
  • Do I engage my children in enough activities?
  • Do I eat well enough?
  • Do I exercise enough?
  • Do I support my children enough with their learning?

Like me you probably bombard yourself with these questions and doubt your commitment to yourself and others.  As humans we want to do enough to feel love and connection in our life, and all of these questions play into this basic human need for love and connection.

Today I want to share an idea with you based on a basic principle of procurement.  It’s called the Price-Cost Iceberg and it looks something like this:

In a business context the Price-Cost Iceberg may vary slightly industry to industry but in real life the elements of Cost, which make up the total Price, are generally the same.  Here’s an example of what I’m talking about;

The reality is that the hidden costs of ‘participating in life’ are much deeper than we all realise, and it’s those hidden or unacknowledged costs that have the biggest impact on us – they can sink our ship!

We often commit ourselves to ‘doing’ things without considering the total price of our efforts.  Understanding the total price of our commitments and considering all the hidden costs will enable us to make healthier decisions for ourselves and our family.

Next time you ask yourself: Am I doing enough? 

Ask yourself a second question: What is the total cost of this to me? 

Once you’ve asked these two questions do a quick scan of the hidden costs and decide wholeheartedly if this is what YOU want, and if the benefits or value you will derive from the activity outweigh the total price.  Any sacrifices we make to our health and wellbeing should be carefully considered for the long-term impact, based on all the hidden costs.  For example;

  • The cost of consistently working long hours affects your physical health and often the health of your relationships with those closest to you.
  • The costs of signing your children up for lots of extra-curricular activities is that you spend all your time running around and then waiting, not to mention the ongoing financial commitment.
  • The cost and long-term impact of poor diet and lack of exercise translates to higher risk of disease, not to mention medical expenses.
  • The cost of living with ongoing sleep deprivation and exhaustion translates to higher risk of disease, burnout, accidents, reduced tolerance and chronic stress.
  • The cost of becoming overwhelmed and burnout means that we cannot function properly for ourselves or our family. Sometimes we then have to give up work, because we just cannot sustain it any longer and we’ve damaged our mental and physical health in the process.

The real cost of ‘doing’ all the time, means we spend less time ‘being’, and it’s when we are in ‘being’ mode as opposed to ‘doing’ mode that we repair, create, connect and feel the most love.

Next time the question of “Am I doing enough?” comes up, or you are considering some new commitments in your life do a quick scan of the hidden costs. Once you’ve made the decision you can go forward with the full knowledge of what you have signed up for, and who is going to benefit or derive value and joy from this commitment.

As Lockdown comes to an end in some parts of the world, we have an opportunity to review and reset our commitments and redefine our ‘doing’.   You may have spent more time ‘being’ lately and that is a great thing for your soul.  Continuing in this state of ‘being’ throughout your life will enable you to be more objective about what serves you and what benefits you, as well as the real costs associated with ‘doing’.

My health has improved immensely since I applied this simple Price-Cost Iceberg Model in my real life which I learnt as part of a Business Diploma in Procurement and Supply Chain Management.  At the time of learning about this concept, with a view to furthering my career prospects, I did not understand the practical implications for everyday life.  A simple shift in my mindset over the past 18 months has enabled me to look at life through a very different lens and I can now apply this concept to all areas of my life.  As a result, I have attained much better balance in all that I do and all that I take on.  I hope you will to!

 

Krissy Regan is The Wellness Poet and Founder of Mindful Mums Queensland.  She is author of the new book Broken to Unbreakable, 12 Steps to an Unbreakable Mind, Body and Spirit.  Krissy studied Exercise Science and Sports Management and has spent the last 20 years managing projects for clients all over the world.  In 2018 she recognised she was in poor health and suffering from Burnout so created her own 12 Step Plan to rebuild her Mind, Body and Spirit.  Krissy wrote Broken to Unbreakable whilst working part-time at home, raising 2 small children and juggling the demands of her household.

You can contact Krissy Regan at mindfulmumsqld@gmail.com or follow Mindful Mums Qld on Facebook and Instagram @mindfulmumsqld

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