A short time ago, someone asked me about Energy and their personal Energy levels, and how they could boost their Energy level. They didn’t feel they had “enough in the tank” to get everything done that was important to get done. The demand on their personal Energy was greater than the supply of Energy.
This seems to be a common issue today. Every store you walk into has supplements and energy drinks and herbal remedies and protein drinks and protein foods you can consume, all with the goal of helping us to increase our personal Energy level. There are many reasons why people feel a lack of Energy today. It could be the incredible stress people feel, issues at their place of work, financial pressure, sleeplessness and insomnia, or having children and the challenges associated with raising them. Or a painful combination of all of the above. But whatever the reason, many feel a general lack of Energy and enthusiasm. And this is tragic because, as Tom Peters said: “Nothing good or great can be done in the absence of enthusiasm.” Nothing good or great can be done in the absence of Energy and enthusiasm. The fact is that Energy is Crucial.
Energy:
- Dictates Daily Operations - Energy fuels our daily operations…
- Develops Dreams And Visions - Energy empowers us to fulfill our dreams and visions…
- Decides What Gets Done & What Does Not - It is not often time management that is the real problem, but having the Energy to do what we have planned to do. The greatest planning and goal-setting, devoid of having the appropriate Energy, still means nothing is accomplished.
- Delivers Incredible Productivity - B.C. Forbes said that, “Enthusiasm is the electric current that keeps the engine of life going at top speed. Enthusiasm is the very propeller of progress.” Energy and enthusiasm act as a catalyst of effort, output, and work, making us incredibly productive.
- Displays & Fosters Creativity - Creativity is crucial when it comes to our work and tapping into the fullness of our potential. When we have Energy, it is amazing the kind of creative juices that flow and enrich our work. It reminds me of Walter Chrysler, who said that, “The real secret of success is enthusiasm.” Enthusiasm and Energy are amazing mechanisms for inspiring creativity and imagination in us. If you doubt this, try being creative or imaginative without Energy.
- Dampens Anxiety & Worry - Without Energy, we tend to have more head space to spend on our anxieties and worries, simply because we are not moving very fast. When we have energy, we often simply don’t have a lot of time to spend on our anxieties and worries. Energy has the power to dampen our anxiety and our worry.
- Disables & Dispels Fear - Lacking Energy, the things we fear become a lot bigger than they really are. But when we have Energy, the things we fear are cut down to their proper size.
- Defeats Discouragement - We all get discouraged. It is amazing the impact that our Energy level can have upon discouragement. When we have a healthy amount of Energy, we tend to “bounce back” much quicker from discouragements and defeats.
- De-Rails Depression - Feelings of depression happen to us all at times. Actually, in so many ways, feeling depressed actually feels like a total and complete lack of Energy. But a wealth of Energy gives us a sense of confidence and joy, and de-rails depression.
- Delays Aging - Charles Lamb said this: “Our spirits grow gray before our hair.” An abundance of Energy has the effect of empowering us and even delaying the aging process! People with healthy Energy levels feel younger, look younger, and even act younger!
So we can see the crucial importance of Energy and maintaining a healthy Energy level in our lives.
We cannot always control the people, circumstances, and events that sap our Energy, however, there are some things we can do continually which, properly practiced, will boost your personal Energy level. What are they?
7 Controllables That Boost My Personal Energy Level…
1) Eating & Sleeping Right - Right Fuel = Right Results. We cannot overstate the importance of proper sleep and diet. There can be no doubt that without taking the time to get proper rest and to eat properly, we will lack Energy within our lives. Think of personal Energy levels as a measure of INPUTS and OUTPUTS. Of course, the OUTPUTS are things like meetings, working, various stresses, financial pressures, fears, worries, problems we face, etc. If our OUTPUT exceeds our INPUTS then we feel a lack of Energy. The only way to correct this is to raise our level of INPUTS. The INPUTS primarily are our diet and our sleep…
a) Diet - Foods that fuel include copious amounts of fruits and vegetables, fish, poultry, etc.
b) Sleep - Everyone needs a different amount of sleep to be properly replenished. Find out what you need and respect it.
2) Exercise - Regular maintenance for your “vehicle” – your body! When you feel a lack of Energy, the best thing you can do is expend energy in a healthy way: exercise. There can be no doubt that exercise replenishes our Energy levels, and that it helps us maintain and properly care for our own bodies. Just do it! Start small and work your way up gradually.
3) Effort - Give what you need to get what you need! One of the strange anomalies of this whole Energy conversation is that when you have low levels of Energy, you feel you need to conserve and ration out your Energy. In actuality, when our Energy levels feel low, we need to increase our efforts and put out a little extra. Often, when we engage in that, we will find that we will go to the next level in term of Energy levels.
Give what you need, and you will get what you need!
4) Expectations - People who expect the worst generally feel the worst! One of the most effective keys to boosting our Energy level is to make sure that our expectations are positive. When we expect the worst we will feel low in energy, motivation, and enthusiasm. When our expectations are positive, it is a different story completely! Our Energy is vibrant and abundant! I love this quote by Arnold Toynbee: “Apathy can be overcome by enthusiasm and enthusiasm can be aroused by two things: first, an idea which takes the imagination by storm; and second, a definite, intelligible plan for carrying that idea into action.”
5) Enthusiasm - Energy flows to the area of your enthusiasm! There are some tasks which drain us, and other tasks which fuel us. Often we lack Energy because we are forced to perform in an area that we have no passion for. When we have passion and enthusiasm for something, we have productivity and Energy. Now, realistically cannot simply do what we are passionate and enthusiastic about only all the time. So, we need to make sure we spend only about 1/3 or so of our time on areas outside of our passion. This will keep our Energy level higher.
6) End Negative Thinking - Nothing drains energy like negativity. Part of this process of ending negative thinking is taking time to evaluate and weed out all the negative thinking influences within your life. There is a Chinese proverb that says that, “A single conversation across the table with a wise man is worth a month’s study of books.” Having conversations that are positive, and keeping our own thoughts positive will keep our Energy level high.
7) Eliminate Worry & Stress About Non-Controllables! Cut out “energy sappers”! Why waste valuable mental and emotional Energy, and valuable time, on what you cannot control? Marcus Aurelius said that, “Such as are your habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of your mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts.” If our habitual thoughts are filled with worry and stress, especially about the things we cannot control, this will drain what Energy we do have. Consciously choose to only worry about what you can control! This will preserve valuable Energy for those things we can actually have influence upon!
As we conclude, maintaining high Energy levels is crucial. Edward B. Butler said this: “Every man is enthusiastic at times. One man has enthusiasm for 30 minutes – another has it for 30 days, but it is the person who has it for 30 years who makes a success in life.” When our Energy and enthusiasm level is high, there is no limit on what we can accomplish. These easy keys will help boost our Energy level to a place where we can achieve, and still have something left “in the tank”.
