What does wellbeing mean as a core value?
Wellbeing as a core value means looking after how you are as a whole person: body, mind, relationships and pace of life, so that doing well in one area never quietly costs another.
How are you, really? When wellbeing is one of your core values, that question deserves an honest answer. It’s the overall sense of being all right in yourself: rested, reasonably at ease, connected to people and able to cope with what’s coming. You care about the whole picture. A strong body with a frazzled mind, or a successful career with no friends in it, wouldn’t count as doing well.
What does wellbeing look like in practice?
- You say no to a commitment because your week is already full, even when it’s a good one.
- You check in with yourself before saying “fine” when a friend asks how you are.
- You protect time with the people who leave you feeling better about life.
- You notice when work is making you unhappy and change something early.
- You encourage your team to take their full holiday, and you take yours too.
When is wellbeing overplayed?
Wellbeing, pursued anxiously, becomes one more thing to get right. Routines, apps and self-care plans multiply, and a bad week feels like failure. You might also avoid discomfort that would be good for you: the difficult conversation, the demanding role, the hard training that brings growth. A more forgiving approach accepts that feeling rough sometimes is part of a good life. A gentler rhythm might be to check in monthly, and judge your wellbeing over the longer run.
Often confused with
Wellbeing vs Health
Health is the condition of body and mind. Wellbeing is how you feel living in them, which depends on relationships, purpose and circumstances too.
Wellbeing vs Contentment
Contentment is being satisfied with what you have. Wellbeing is broader, and you can be content with your life while running yourself into the ground.
Wellbeing vs Balance
Balance is dividing your time and attention sensibly. It often supports wellbeing, which is the result you’re after: balance is one way of arranging things to get there.
Questions to sit with
- When someone asks how you are, what is the honest answer you usually don’t give?
- Which part of your life is quietly paying for the success of another part?
- What would you stop doing if your wellbeing came first for a month?
More values in Health
Looking after your body, mind and energy.
About the author
Matt Rutherford is a Career and Leadership Coach. The Values Finder is the same exercise he uses with his coaching clients. He also writes Stuff that MattRs, a weekly newsletter with practical ideas to help you think clearer and work better.
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