Thriving in the Fast Lane: Essential Healthy Habits for Young Professionals to Boost Energy, Productivity, and Wellbeing

The hustle and grind culture is widespread, especially in the United States, and while you do need to work to get ahead, a constant go-go-go schedule isn’t healthy for anyone. In the long run, no matter how good you are at what you do, the exhaustion from constantly living in the fast lane will eventually slow you down. This is why young professionals can have a hugely positive impact on the long-term trajectory of their career, when they embrace the essential healthy habits to boost energy, productivity, and well-being.

How can I be physically, mentally and emotionally healthy?

Personal and professional success requires attention to the physical, mental and emotional realms. We can’t be our best when we are tired, drained or emotionally compromised…and all of those things affect our ability to process information and make great decisions, which in turn, impacts our ability to achieve our goals and create the success we desire. 

This is why each one of us needs to understand:

• How much sleep we need,
• The types of exercise that support our bodies and minds,
• What we need to do to navigate our emotions,
• The level of mental stimulation necessary to optimize our flow and productivity,
• The things that help settle our minds, like journaling, mindfulness or meditation,
• Which foods make us feel good,
• And when we need to reach out for support from others.

We all require different things to reach peak performance. Some people can work well on six hours sleep but others require eight or more. Certain people will need to meditate every day to regulate themselves and others can settle their mind while they run or spend time learning a new skill. In the same way that we all have different life experiences, natural abilities and skills, we also have different physical, mental and emotional needs. 

Learning what you need to reach your highest levels of productivity, with the least amount of mental, physical and emotional impact, will help you, as a young professional, evolve in your career, and it will serve you well as you navigate thriving in the fast lane.  

How do you survive hustle culture?

Almost all of us have had those times when we could work happily around the clock on something that really matters to us. Conversely, we’ve also had those times when it’s felt like the clock stopped because what we were working on wasn’t that interesting or we really wished we were somewhere else. Understanding what motivates you will help you survive the hustle culture as a young professional.

To do that you need to:

1. Create a clear vision of what you want to accomplish. No matter where you are in your career, your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing improves when you are making progress toward something that matters to you.  For example, the job you have right now might be a steppingstone on the path toward your bigger vision, but knowing how it fits into that vision will help you stay focused on the progress you are making, even if it’s not quite where you want to be yet.
2. Define your values to help you make better decisions. Your values should act like your north star, especially when it comes to your decisions. If something doesn’t align with them, you can quickly and easily say no and move on. That will save you a lot of time and wasted effort, and by making decisions that support your values, it will resonate mentally, physically and emotionally. 
3. Align your actions with your vision. In the fast lane, it’s really easy to waste a lot of time and energy on things that don’t support your bigger vision because you are busy being busy. To avoid that, setting goals that are aligned with your vision is key. Do that by working your way back from the end result you want, to where you are now. That will make it easier to break the goals down into smaller stages and steps to keep you focused and on track. 
4. Protect your time. We all have a finite number of hours in a day. Making sure you use your time doing things that are important to you is a very healthy habit to develop. Your personal life is just as important for your emotional wellbeing as your professional success is. Schedule time for hobbies, as well as with friends and family, and make it sacred time. Then adjust your work hours accordingly.
5. Engage coaches and mentors. You can reach your goals so much faster when you work with someone who has walked the path ahead of you. By avoiding challenges and obstacles based on the guidance of your mentor, you can quickly develop strategies to achieve success, along with some tried, true and healthy habits that can boost your energy, productivity, and wellbeing.

When you include the factors we covered above, you can build a personalize strategy for thriving in the fast lane, incorporating the essential healthy habits every young professional needs to boost energy, productivity, and wellbeing.

While there are very few shortcuts in life that will help you create the success you want, getting a mentor is one that will help you reach your goals faster, when you engage with the right one. 

If you’d like a Master Mentor to help you accelerate your results, I invite you to apply for my Master Mentor Program. Not only do I use my personal experience as a financial literacy expert who has built multiple successful global brands, I also call on the lessons I’ve learned with my own mentors, to help support my clients as they reach higher levels of success through our work together.

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