Creating Forward Momentum #3
When you think of personal energy or needing something extra to get you going, what comes to mind? You’re probably thinking coffee or caffeine. While these do give us a temporary boost, let’s look under the hood at some hindrances and solutions to our optimal energy.
When you go nonstop from one activity to another without taking a breather, you can carry over negative energy. At the least, your mental focus may get blurry from all of the unresolved craziness. Physically, you can live at such a pace that you go from extreme “on” to total “off,” exhausted to the core. While pressing on and pushing past your limits is admirable in many ways, becoming smart about optimizing your personal energy serves you and others better in the long run.
Experiment with these counterintuitive energizing ideas:
1. As you transition from one activity to the next, stop. Author Brendon Burchard recommends closing your eyes for 1 minute and saying to yourself, “Release tension. Set intention.” In other words, finish or release what you’ve been doing and focus on what is next. The brief pause has a positive effect on your personal energy.
2. Sprinkle re-energizing boosts throughout your day. 10 minute walks, 20 minute naps, 5 minutes of stretching, or daily exercise routines all have the potential to reset your mojo. It may seem that they would take too long or interrupt your productivity, but almost always they serve as a needed renewal.
3. Exercise. Sleep. Nutrition. There really is no substitute for these.You may feel like not exercising or eating a candy bar. In the short run, these seem to feel better. But ultimately, even short exercise routines and healthy snacks fuel our best living.
Stop so you can go. This is the counterintuitive essence of optimizing your personal energy.
Worth Repeating
The world belongs to the energetic.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
