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By: Carolyn Lawrence
(March 3, 2014 in Preview)

Among all of the incredibly inspiring stories I hear of women’s rise to the top, there are also always a few shared from women who’ve hit the wall.  From one brilliant woman who described nearly breaking her neck from hitting the glass ceiling, to real life disease and depression that has stopped leaders, role models and executives in their tracks.

In the triathlon world we call this “bonking”.   When you literally can’t put one foot in front of the other, you’re depleted of every resource, and you toss your entire plan in exchange for survival.

This is also what happens when we’re asked to do too much, by our employees, clients, friends, children and partner.  It often feels like we say yes to everyone, but run out of time to take care of ourselves.  We bonk.

Arianna Huffington speaks to this when even she, a beacon of hard work, influence and super human-like talents, fell into the trap of putting herself last.  Her convincing speech got us thinking, and the audience buzzing.  As I looked around and then continued to hear feedback for days, weeks and months later, I was struck by the looks of recognition on faces of senior executive women in our circle, who knew they too weren’t putting themselves first.  And yet, not ready to turn it all around.

What happens when we don’t put ourselves first? We feel burned out, out of shape, tired and overwhelmed. But there’s something bigger to worry about.

Dementia.  Dementia before we should be getting dementia.  Why?  Because when we have chronic stress, we:

  • don’t eat right
  • don’t sleep
  • don’t de-stress
  • don’t take care of our own health

All this – speeds up the process of aging, which affects our brains.  What could be a scarier thought for ambitious A-type personalities than losing your mind, before your time?

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I am a believer in a few things; women want to spend their time doing something that has value.  It’s a wonderful trait that unites us as a gender ready to improve quality of life in our communities and country.

In honour of International Women’s Day, let’s choose to do something valuable, let’s put ourselves first.