The Major Misconception About Energy
It can be really frustrating when you have a long list of things to do, that you’re genuinely inspired by and excited about, but for whatever reason you don’t have the energy to show up for it...
This could cause you to be less productive at work and it affects your output, less present with the people in your life and you feel like you’re missing key moments, or less motivated to take care of yourself and your health suffers.
Unanimously I think we’d all agree that it’d be nice to have a little more energy throughout the day. And the truth is, you’ve probably been thinking about your energy the wrong way and it has been costing you. So let’s unravel the most major misconception about energy so that you can experience life with more presence, enthusiasm, and vitality.
When people think about getting more energized, they think about rest and recovery. We’ve been taught that energy is a finite resource and we must reserve it for the times when we really need it. This is even engrained deeply into our evolutionary past as humans were optimized to expend a little energy as possible and abide by the 'law of least effort' to survive. After all, the more energy you save, the better your chances for being able to escape a threat.
But that’s a scarce way of thinking and it’s not representative of how energy actually works, especially as it relates to our emotional experience of feeling energized today. What we really need is a fresh wave of motivation, inspiration, and enthusiasm throughout the day, not a bank of energy ready to go in case we need to escape in some massive burst.
So let’s correct the misconception. Yes, rest and recovery is fundamental to refilling your stores…
But the energy it provides is better spent adding to the quality of the moments in your life rather than just sitting there in storage! So instead of reverting to being lazy and inactive all day, we must redefine our relationship with energy. And what I propose is an underrated truth about energy…
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It takes energy to make energy.
When you’re feeling tired, the best thing you can do is get moving and get active. While you may not feel like doing it in the moment, what this does is it opens the door to using that stockpile of energy that is being held in reserve. Your energy is not scarce, it is abundant, you have more than enough of it and you’re only accessing a fraction of it on a daily basis.
As your perception of energy starts to deplete, the first thing that gets turned off is your higher level thinking. When this happens you become more reactive, more emotional, and more impulsive as your subconscious mind takes over. This causes you to feel lazy, make excuses, and do the things you’re not proud of but feel good in the moment.
But if you want to live a more engaged, connected, disciplined, and fulfilled life, you need to stay alert, awake, and aware. Although it’s energetically demanding, you need to get your conscious mind back online because that’s what enables you to have a much richer life experience.
So commit to creating more energy throughout the day by being more active. Briefly stop what you’re doing and use movement to get your blood pumping. It will allow you to show up that much more for your life, and you’ll look back at the end of the day when it’s time to get some rest and feel that you were truly alive.
I hope that helped! My mission is to help you feel on fire more often so that you can go out and change the world in the way how only you know how! That’s what this is all about, and I’m here with you every step of the way!
Director of Development, The Arc of Bartholomew County
1yGreat tips. Networking/afternoon zoom calls always energizes me! Thanks Brian!
Nonprofit Marketing Coach | Messaging For Social Impact | Helping Nonprofits Get The Word Out, Get Funding, and Grow 🧙🏽
1yEnergy follows energy. I find afternoons are impossible without a lunchtime walk.