Michele Hunter, Trade Marketing Manager at Teva, talks about the importance of financial wellbeing, the benefits of Teva’s development programs for personal wellbeing and why it’s important to celebrate our achievements.

Quite often, I have found that when it comes to wellbeing, people will focus on the importance of having a healthy diet, exercising regularly, taking the right vitamins, and basically making sure your physical self is in top shape. And, while there’s no doubt that this is important, I believe that wellbeing starts with your inner self. Making sure your state of mind is in good shape (not just your body), having clarity, and understanding what your purpose is are just as important.

I start my day with prayer, which provides me with the wholeness and clarity that others get from other practices such as meditation. It helps me center myself, and to be present and in the moment. Then, feeling grounded and inspired, with my feet hitting the floor as I get out of bed in the morning, I am confident that this is going to be a great day.

When you’re present and can say to yourself, “hey, I’m here, I feel free and liberated,” then you can tap into the self-assurance you need to go out there and give it your all. This also impacts my professional wellbeing. Because, when I’m positive, present, and confident that I’m doing my best, then I really am being well, both personally and professionally.

For me, first and foremost, financial wellbeing is about meeting our financial obligations – paying our bills on time, not living beyond our means, making sure that our finances are balanced and structured, and taking care of our family’s needs today while saving for our dreams and long-term goals for tomorrow.

The fact that I do financial forecasting for a living helps me stay focused on how to achieve these main objectives of financial wellbeing. I do the budgeting for my household and always keep top of mind the importance of accurately gauging our financial situation, looking ahead, and being prepared.

As I always tell my kids, an education and studying hard are so important for our future. And in my case for my present as well. So, I wanted to expand my education. The Teva Tuition Reimbursement program is great for that. The way that the program works is that once you have completed a year at the company, and assuming you meet the requirements for eligibility, you just go into the internal portal and sign up. The program even offers consultation on how to identify the field of study that best aligns with your skills and aspirations, and which university or college will be best suited for your scheduling and other needs.

I read once that when Tiger Woods was on his journey to overcoming low self-esteem, his counselor asked him how he responds when he gets a hole in one. Tiger answered that he immediately moves on to the next challenge. But his counselor said that before he moves on, he must stop for a minute to celebrate the win. This resonated very strongly with me. I wholeheartedly agree that we really must celebrate our wins, every single day, however big or small they might be.

I can’t overemphasize enough the importance of giving yourself a big “Yes!” when you do well. We should never pass on the opportunity to give ourselves a well-deserved pat on the back. After all, each and every one of us is so valuable and has so much to offer, for the benefit of those around us and for ourselves.

The Teva Tuition Reimbursement Program and other professional development programs differ from country to country. 

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