3 Shocking Facts about How Illness Blocks Success

If you’re like most people, you want to be sure you don’t miss a connection to your next big challenge.

According to a 2018 LinkedIn study of American workers, 65% reported that they fear missing out on an opportunity to succeed if they don’t keep their options open.

Even if your employer isn’t telling you to work more, the fear of missing out (FOMO) on a new career opportunity is real. The only way to beat this FOMO is to stay connected — keep your eyes open for new challenges both in and outside of your current work and keep your network active.

Here are some shocking facts about stress-related illness in the U.S.:

Shocking Fact #1: Growing numbers of talented professionals are working themselves into illness instead of success

A 2018 Rising Risk study by technology platform Health Mine found the 25% of U.S. employees who work with an executive who severe illness is affecting the company’s business. The study acknowledges that often the executives are working long hours and may not even be aware of their illnesses until they get sick.

Shocking Fact #2: Neglecting your health while chasing your business goals has a real cost.

According to the Centers for Disease Control in the US, about half of all adults have one or more chronic illnesses, that’s around 117 million people. 86% of US healthcare costs are spent on chronic (often preventable) illnesses.

Shocking Fact #3: Top companies are planning both employee wellness programs and contingency plans for key leaders when they fall ill from stress-related illnesses

Thanks right, if you don’t make time for self-care today, you may be forced to stop everything from a major issue down the road. Since employers need to manage business risk, they are also updating succession planning to include unexpected illness from critical (often young) leaders and executives.

Many employers value their employee’s well-being and bring in resources to help employees get and stay healthy — chair massages, health fairs, fitness incentives, on-site yoga, paid time off for volunteering, weight loss, and smoking cessation programs.

Why is it so hard to stay on track with Success and Self-Care?

In my experience, most leaders don’t directly say to their team “Cancel on your family, friends and all you hold dear. You need to work on this now!” But somehow we all get the message to send the “sorry working late” text to our dear ones and muscle forward.

Letting go of self-care activities doesn’t happen overnight, but when I’ve consistently dropped my self-care activities, I have felt the consequences.

Stopped going to the gym after work, I feel it. Stopped meeting fun friends for happy hour because you’re “swamped.”

You get grumpy from lack of stress-busting belly laughs. Grumpier if you pause from your spreadsheets and check out Instagram or Facebook photos.

The good news is that the same brilliance you bring to your career is available for you to craft a rewarding personal life. You just need a little practice and support to build and implement your self-care plan. Your success just might depend on it.