You might think that you know yourself very well and maybe you do, but how do you use that information or do you even pay attention to it? I mostly find when working with clients that they try to force themselves to do things with the result that they are not making the most of their energy and they feel drained most of the time and don’t accomplish as much as they want to or think they should.
I have found that when you understand yourself and what works well for you, and what doesn’t and you use your energy in the right way for YOU, not only do you feel more energized, you accomplish more. It becomes more effortless and you enjoy life more. So rather than continuing to struggle and force the issue, just go with your own natural energy flows and let life be easier (and more enjoyable).
Here are a few ways to tap in to your natural energy flow:
When is your energy highest and lowest?
Are you a morning person or a late night person? Understanding when your energy is highest and when it’s low and working with it rather than against makes life so much easier. Use your natural energy rhythms wisely making the most of your times of high energy. So, for example, if your energy is highest in the morning, that should be the time when you do tasks that require the most energy or mental focus. If your energy is lower in the afternoon, perhaps that’s when you make calls or do administrative tasks.
If you experience a real energy dip at a certain time of the day, see if you can schedule your day so that you do something to relax and renew at that time. For example, I know that my energy is good starting at around 8am, through until about noon. During that time I can schedule meetings, use the time to write or do creative tasks. Around 1pm or 2pm my energy dips considerably. I will usually take time to meditate during that part of the day. After that, I’m usually ready to make calls, do tele-seminars, etc., afternoons and evenings are a good time for me to connect with people.
You may, like me, wake up early but need time for your energy to gradually build – in which case early morning meetings are not for you. When you go with the natural flows of your energy and use them in this way life is so much easier and less stressful. Stop forcing yourself to do things when you don’t have the energy for them. It’s too stressful.
What are your gifts, skills, talents?
Knowing what you’re good at and focusing on those things energizes you. When you try to do things that are not your natural strengths, you won’t enjoy them, you’ll struggle and drain your energy very quickly. For example, if you have your own business and you hate doing the books – hire a bookkeeper. Don’t try to do it yourself in an attempt to save money – the time and energy you waste will not be worth it. Get help with those things that are not your natural gifts, skills and talents rather than forcing yourself to do them.
What are you passionate about?
Often this is something that people have lost touch with. You must identify what you’re passionate about in life, what really excites you and do it. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to work in a business, job or field that you’re passionate about. But even if you are not able to do that, you can still incorporate your passion outside of your working life. Perhaps your passion is music, but you don’t feel you can make a living as a musician – well then your ‘day job’ may be a means of funding your passion for music, so that you do it outside of work.
How do you take care of yourself?
You have to take care of yourself: physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. That means doing things that are good for you, things that you enjoy. That can include everything from making sure you eat the right foods, and that you’re active, to taking time to relax and pamper yourself. Do things for fun, make time for friends and social activities. For example, even if you love working on the computer, you don’t want to do that all the time, you need to do other things.
Do you pay attention to your body and what it’s telling you?
Your body is giving you messages and signals all the time. Do you pay attention to it or do you ignore the messages? If you get frequent headaches, it’s a sign that something is wrong. Just taking painkillers and carrying on with your day will not get rid of the problem. It will simply push it away until it manifests in a different way. If you feel uncomfortable about something or anxious, your body is telling you something. If you stop and tune into the feeling, you can understand what it is telling you – perhaps that you need to avoid a certain person or situaiton or that you need to work on some limiting beliefs or fears that are holding you back.
How is your environment affecting you?
This is something that is often ignored, but your environment has a major impact on you and how you feel – even on how successful you are. How do you feel when you walk into your office? Does it inspire you? Do you feel creative, successful and focused in your office? Does it look and feel like the office of someone who is successful and does it represent what you do? Or is it cluttered and overwhelming, not representing who you are and what you do well at all?
The same applies to your home. If that feels cluttered and overwhelming or you are surrounded by things that you don’t love or that don’t represent who you are. It will drain your energy and, more than that, will energetically stop you from moving forward. Pay attention to your environment, making sure the energy there feels good and represents you.
It’s so easy to get caught up in what needs to be done or what you should be doing, that you often push past the fact that you’re tired or that what you’re doing doesn’t feel so good. Then you wonder why you feel stressed, why you don’t have the energy that you used to have or why things aren’t going the way you’d like them to. I have learned that when you pay attention to your energy and go with your natural energy flow, rather than against it, things just start to fall into place naturally – and you feel much better. Why would you want to do it any other way?
TweetTags: Life Balance, Life energy, Life force energy
Leave a Reply