What bringing your whole self to work really means

I recently heard this term… bring your whole self to work.

And while I like the sentiment, as someone who put her WHOLE identity into her work. It didn’t seem like a sustainable practice in the long run.

So, I thought, there has to be a way we can still be authentic at work, without bringing our whole selves there, right? Like, we should probably leave some of ourselves home, because, honestly, I don’t want to bring my whole self to work.

So, what is a whole self? To me, your whole self encompasses your mind, body, soul, and emotions.

But what if I don’t want my boss, co-workers, clients seeing or knowing all of these parts of me? And worse, what if I don’t feel safe to be my whole self at work?

Totally understandable.

With that in mind, using the below three tools will help you bring your whole self to work, and keep your dignity:

✨ Values

✨ Energy

✨ Intuition

Let’s break it down further…

Values:

Your values make you who are you are to your core. They are beliefs that guide your attitudes, actions, and choices. Your values should be telling you what you are and are not willing to accept. So when you are embodying your values, you are being your true, whole self.

So, think of your values…

If one of your values is peace, but you aren’t able to find peace within yourself during the work day, or are unable to offer it to others, then you technically aren’t bringing your whole self to work.

If one of your values is trust, and you take actions daily to build trust within yourself, your team, and with your community, then you are bringing your whole self to work.

Once you have established your values, you can determine your priorities from there. For example, if you value peace - ask yourself “what brings me peace?” Is it being with your family? Great - Your priority could be creating a healthy work-life balance by spending more time with your family.

And, with the example of trust. If you are a leader, what does building trust mean for you? It could mean being vulnerable and empathetic with your team so they feel seen and heard. So, your priority could be learning and practicing Active Listening every day.

Energy:

When you constantly abandon your values and priorities, your energy will suffer. You become resentful, and will eventually burn out. However, when you are aligned with your values and are consistently taking actions on your priorities, you will feel more energetic.

Additionally, your emotions are energy in motion. So you should honor your energy levels and how you feel every day. If you are feeling tired, sad, mad, happy. Honor that. Know what you need and how you can safely show up in those moments. You are a human with real emotions, so it’s okay to be vulnerable, or take a few minutes to process your emotions if you need to. If you push them down, it could just lead to dis-ease (aka - sickness) by trapping that energy in your body. (But that’s a whole other blog post.)

Intuition:

Your intuition is important as a leader. When you bring your whole self to work (as I’m defining it), your intuition is a big part of that. When you have a healthy mind, body connection, and are taking good care of your energy, you will be more tapped into your intuition.

Your intuition is important for decision making, anticipating needs for your team, clients, or boss, and for emotional intelligence.

Not only in business, remember that you are the only person who lives inside your body and can determine your needs, and your next actions to meet those needs.

If something feels wrong in your gut. Chances are it is.

Listen to your intuition always.

I want to make it very clear, here, that you don’t need to share these with anyone at your work. (Unless you want to.) You can keep these close to your chest and quietly live in your values and priorities, manage your energy accordingly, and take action on your intuition when necessary. If you feel like you are in a safe environment where humanity is recognized, share away. Or not. Up to you.

But just because we are a whole person, doesn’t mean we need to share our whole selves with anyone and everyone. We get to decide. You get to decide.

In conclusion, being your whole self does not mean you have to tell everyone your deepest darkest secrets, or share your wild night out, it means honoring your values and priorities, your energy and your intuition so you can be your best self.

And when you are your best self - everyone benefits!

And I know this is all easier said than done, so if you want support in creating healthy professional boundaries, book your free 20 minute Protect Your Professional Boundaries call below!