Seeking Energy in a Busy World of Multi-Tasking

Seeking Energy in a Busy World of Multi-Tasking

"Love is, above all, the gift of oneself." * -- Jean Anouilh

"People will exercise great effort and creativity to make our plan work, and sometimes expend just as much effort and creativity to make your plan fail." *-- Bob Klas

"Action is worry's worst enemy." *-- American proverb

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These days in our stress filled culture of deadlines, traffic, hyper-tasking, multi-tasking, family and work responsibilities, global conflict and a difficult economy, it is harder than ever to reenergize. Many of us have been conditioned to find “more time” in our stress filled lives by logging onto palm pilots, day planners, organizing systems, and computer calendars. The problem is that we usually then fill this found time with more priorities to compound the stress even more.

Instead, we should be focused on finding ways to rejuvenate and reenergize ourselves. Stress takes its toll on our physical, mental and spiritual health. Obesity is now an epidemic in our country, more people than ever are on high blood pressure and depression medication. Women are now at great risk for heart attacks and stroke. If you are trying to live a healthy, joy filled life then you should be focused on finding your energy.

A wise friend of mine used to remind me during a painful divorce that we are only given so many energy chits for each day when we wake up. Spend yours wisely. If you use up all of your energy on someone else’s misery, in negative self talk, conflict or other non positive directions, you will have little left to focus on the positive things in your life that bring you joy and satisfaction.

Below are five tips to follow to find more energy in your life.

Five Tips for Finding Your Energy

1. Living a life on purpose with passion.

Much has been written about the power of purpose in our lives. Purpose is our internal source of energy and direction and the way we make meaning of our lives. Purpose is the inner guide that we can judge our responses to all choices we are facing.

Finding your passion is another critical component to finding more energy. Passion has the power to both uplift and inspire you. Passion is unique to each individual and is usually seen when someone’s eyes light up when they are talking about something that excites and energizes them. Passion releases energy and allows us to do things we never dreamed possible. If you are doing or talking about something that you are passion about, you will be energized!

Many of us can look back and identify times in our lives when we felt trapped, bored and cynical. These were periods of our lives when we were NOT living on purpose with our passions. If you haven’t spent time recently thinking about your purpose, consider the following questions to help you illuminate your purpose. Thinking about these questions takes reflection time but should energize you.

Ø What is your deepest calling?

Ø What is your vision or dream?

Ø Why are you here?

Ø What is your level of commitment?

Ø What do you want your legacy to be?

Ø Can your purpose be spoken in a clear sentence?

Ø What do you value?

Ø What truly matters to you?

Ø What are your priorities?

Ø What do you believe in?

Questions to iIluminate passion

Ø What excites and energizes you?

Ø What are your special gifts and talents?

Ø What brings you joy?

Ø Where does your passion for work lie?

Ø When do you feel the rapture of being alive?

Ø If you could teach three things to others about what excites you in your world, what three things would you teach?

Ø What, when you talk about, do you eyes light up about?

Ø What section do you go to first in a bookstore?

After determining your purpose with passion, surround yourself with reminders. Surround yourself with people, places and things that feed and support your passions. Engage in those activities that are consistent with both your purpose and passions. Let your purpose and passions inform your decisions and actions, energy will be yours!

2. Laugh often and frequently

Laughter is the best medicine to reenergize! Laughter actually shifts the body chemistry significantly, reducing the effects of stress and increasing virus-killer cells. Endorphins, natural body energizers, are released with laughter. Without the physical effects of laughter to counteract the negative stress in our lives, we might all be dead or seriously depressed!

Find more ways in your life to expose yourself to comedy. Here are a few ideas to get your sides aching from the energy you will soon be releasing:

Ø Humor section at your local bookstore

Ø The Comedy Channel

Ø Nightly Comedians

Ø Political Humorists

Ø Funny websites

Ø Funny friends and colleagues

Ø Comedy Clubs

Ø Funny movies

3. Finding Flow

Finding “flow” is about the joy of being engaged. In this state, energy comes naturally. Athletes define flow as “being in the zone”. Flow most often occurs when someone faces a clear set of goals. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, author of the book Finding Flow, says, “Flow tends to occur when a person’s skills are fully involved in overcoming a challenge that is just about manageable”. People who experience “flow” report an altered sense of time loss, fully focused concentration, loss of awareness of everyday frustrations and a feeling of being in control. Optimal flow occurs, when both challenges and skill levels are high.

Since works usually takes up a third of time available for living, it is important for people to find work that is challenging and requires high skills to feel energized. Too often we make the mistake of assuming that external conditions at work determine how much work contributes to someone’s satisfaction in life. It is how one works and the experience one has while working that determines quality of work life. Finding flow in your work will reenergize you.

4. Focus on possibilities and what is right

Focusing on what is right instead of what is wrong releases positive energy. When we pay attention to what is broken or wrong, we go looking for problems and genuinely find them. The “what is wrong” approach then becomes our filter with which we view the world. If I say, ”don’t think of pink elephants”, what happens? You immediately think of pink elephants. Sports coaches utilize this power of vision with athletes. Golf coaches who use phrases like “don’t hit this shot into the pond!” almost guarantee the student will hit the water because his brain hears, “hit the shot into the water. “ Coaching the athlete to “see” the perfect performance, he would instead have the student visualize hitting the ball straight down the fairway, which often results in an improved game. Visualize where you want to be. You must first know where you are going if you ever have any hope of getting there!

Benjamin and Rosamund Zander, authors of “The Art of Possibility” tell the story of a shoe factory that sent two marketing scouts to a region of Africa to study the prospects for expanding business. One sends back a telegram saying, SITUATION HOPELESS STOP NO ONE WEARS SHOES, the other writes back triumphantly, GLORIOUS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY STOP THEY HAVE NO SHOES. The Zander’s philosophy is one of seeing the possibilities rather than the scarcity or fatalistic outlook. Scarcity thinking is an attitude and one that you have the power to change. Doing so will release energy.

Benjamin Zander is a professor of music who always starts his classes by giving his students an A. He then requires students to write him a letter at the end of the course, telling him, “I got my A because…” He gives the A so that his students have an A as something to live into not up to. Giving yourself an A is not about showing off or increasing self-esteem. It is to free you from the confines of living in a world of measurement of success and failure. To get rid of that persistent voice in so many of our heads that measures your success. It is a framework that instead, allows you to see all that you are and can be.

There is great energy released by visualization and a focus on what you have that is working well in your life. Give yourself an A and ask yourself questions like:

Ø Describe the most energizing moment in your professional life? What made it possible?

Ø Describe what you value most about yourself.

Ø Describe your three wishes for your future and a plan to get you there.

5. Choose how to spend your energy.

What we focus on becomes our reality. You have the power. No one can take that from you! We always have the power of choice in how and what we choose to spend our time and attention on. Controlling where your attention goes will ultimately determine the quality of your life and how much energy you have for it. Attention acts like a filter between what goes on outside of us and our experience. How much stress we have in our day-to-day lives is directly determined by what we choose to pay our attention on. The more energy we spend and invest in a painful event or unhappy news, the more real it becomes and the more it sucks us into a negative energy vortex which can assume a life of its own. I am not advocating that we should deny or repress painful experiences. However, to allow the event to keep smoldering and growing within our conscious selves will ultimately drain you of your positive energy. Consider the analogy of fire; it can be used to warm a house or to burn the house down. Choose to focus on positive experiences and what is good, joyful and affirming in your life.

Surround yourself with people who give you energy instead of energy sucking vampires! Have you ever had that experience with a friend or colleague when after you were done talking with them, you were left with little or no energy or you were now downright depressed? You were the victim of an energy-sucking vampire! Look out for these people! They live among us and their negative energy is fed by draining you of your positive energy. You know these people; they are forever complaining, whining and hostile about everyone and everything around them. They are always hunting for others to share in their misery. They thrive on being in a state of chaos or upset and they want you there to share their ride! They want you to be miserable with them because after all – misery does love company.

Instead, be conscious about who you spend your time with. Choose to spend time with positive people who can make you laugh and who make you feel good about yourself and them. Start paying attention to how you leave encounters with others. Do you leave them lifted and more energized than before you spoke? If so, this is someone who GIVES you energy. However, if you begin to notice that all of your encounters with someone are energy draining, you need to reevaluate the relationship for your energy sake!

Ultimately your quality of life- your actions and how you feel about them- will be determined by your thoughts and emotions. Choose where to focus your attention and spend your energy wisely. Find ways to find enough “energy” for your day!