Taking Control of Your Energy
If you are aiming to be your most exceptional self in 2018, you will need to manage your energy. I hear so many people today who have challenges with their energy. It is good to break down your energy to all the parts of you, because there is a difference. If like me, you have challenges with physical energy due to a biological break down, there is still mental and emotional energy. So if you were to be intentional about taking care of your energy, what would it look like?
As you know for yourself, mental and emotional states don’t endure over time all on their own. It some ways this is great, in others, I sometimes think it would be nice to get stuck in a positive emotion over time. But fortunately, we can increase these parts of us with knowledge of what works. But not taking care of your energy not only hurts your ability to be your best self but Brendon Burchard’s research shows that not taking care of your energy correlates with lower overall happiness, lower enthusiasm for taking on challenges, a lower perception of your own success compared to your peers, lower confidence in the face of adversity, a lower degree of influence and a lower likelihood that you will eat well or exercise. Positive energy is also correlated to educational attainment, creativity and assertiveness. It is also true that marriage is good for your energy as well as many studies that show marriage increases your longevity. Energy is also significantly related to productivity. So clearly, our level of energy has a big impact on all the parts of our lives.
What are the 3 main habits that can increase your energy as found in Brendon’s book, “High Performance Habits”. I will talk about the first habit here. This habit is related to the transitions we experience in life. Right from children on to adulthood, transitions can be challenging and places where we lose our momentum and energy as we move from one role to another and one activity to another. The activity that Brendon recommends to combat your flagging energy in transitions is to release the tension in your body and set an intention for what you want to feel (such as joy in the activity) and what you want to achieve (what do you want to bring to the activity to make it better?). I have taken on the challenge of writing 50,000 words in November and I find myself flagging at certain points in time. Sometimes I have difficulty in sleeping as the words and ideas swirl around. Doing the release meditation and setting a new intention really works for me. Give it a try!
