Health Is Wealth, Both For You And The Company
I am proud to report that I have lost four kilograms this year. My goal for the year is five, but considering the amount of times I had to eat out for business reasons, and that I still have a couple more weeks, I am quite happy with my progress!
What I am not happy to admit, is that before this weight loss, I had gained 15 kilograms over the five years prior. When I was a pilot, we were subject to very strict health exams every six months, and if we did not pass, we were grounded from flying. When I flew I was living my dream, and so keeping my body in top physical condition was a given. When I stopped flying in 2010 and no longer having this motivation and forced compliance, I suppose I let myself go.
And losing weight now is tough! Whereas in the past I could exercise and play sports to keep my weight down, not worrying so much about what I ate, I’ve realized that my body no longer works this way. I must carefully watch what I eat. And it’s not just what you eat, it’s how. After all, what good are diet snack bars if you eat five at a time? It’s fascinating how your strategies must change as time goes on.
So why am I telling you this? It’s because of the similarities between my personal life and business life. Before our companies’ bankruptcy in 2010, one could say we Japan Airlines became overweight, trying on our own to trim down, but going about it the wrong way. Ultimately, we were forcefully put on a strict exercise and diet regimen, and had to look hard in the mirror and make some very tough decisions. The next step was looking towards the future, so we established a mid-term plan running from 2012 to 2016, and find ourselves at the cusp of achieving our targets.
Things, quite honestly, are more settled now. But complacency is our greatest enemy. Should we not stay motivated just because our health checks are no longer mandatory, we risk falling into bad habits. The health of our company’s future five years down the road, 10 years, 20 years, must be motivation in of itself, and self-sustained. We will therefore introduce a new mid-term plan, and our strategies will have some similarities but also differences from the current one. After all, our “body” is different now than in years past. Most importantly, for both my company and myself, we must never again rely on (or expect) others to keep us in shape.
As you ponder your new year’s resolutions for your life both personally and professionally, think about the current state of you and your company’s health. What would you say your state of health is? How did you get there? If it’s bad, how will you self-motivate to improve? If it’s good, how will you keep motivated to stay up?
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8 年Would try to set a goal of reducing (as have gained around 8kgs in last three years)..lets see where can I get myself..in achieving the same..!!
I've gained about 15 pounds in the past couple years. I've set my goals on joining another marathon (it will be #17). Training to run 44km will definitely help and while I completed one this year, the weight made the experience all the more challenging than in years past. Therefore, my goal is another marathon, and my motivation is to have an easier run than last year. So far, I've only lost a few pounds but my pants fit better and my runs a tad bit easier. I've got a couple months to go, but I've started down the road of discipline and diet that has worked in the past. Like you, the chance to cheat on those diets are diminishing, and complacency and temptation are difficult during the holidays, but my training runs and training group help keep me focused with my eyes on the finish line.
Director Internacional de RRHH, Servicios Corporativos y Operaciones, buscando nuevas oportunidades profesionales
8 年Ueki-san, as you have realized, a company is a living organism, same as a body (and each department is a vital organ). If you do not care enough, the company also gets sick. Ueki-san, to improve your physical condition you need a motivation, not a goal. Your goal should not be just "losing 5 kilos," but "losing 5 kilos to run a half marathon in 2016," for example. It's like saying "I want to learn Spanish" rather than "I want to learn Spanish to travel to Spain, or to learn Spanish cuisine, or have friends / business in Spain" By the way, have you ever thought about flying again as motivation? (not work again as a pilot, but occasionally fly in a small plane, ultralight, autogyro, etc). Or find a hobby related to flying: learning to fly a helicopter, drones, etc? Maybe it would help.