Where Are You Putting Your Energy?
walk the direction of your energy
It has been over a week since I've written. That's the longest lapse I've taken between posts since launching this website, and this week's pace has got me thinking a lot about where I'm putting my energy.
As I mull over how I'm prioritizing the activities in my life, it feels very apropos to pitch the same question to you: where are you putting your energy?
Are you filling yourself up or deflating yourself?
For the sake of argument, let's assume that when you exert yourself, only one of two scenarios can result: you get enthused or you get exhausted.
Think about the last time you got fired up.
What got you there? What life activity gave you a rush? (Caffeine and other drugs excluded, people!)
Is it when you got out of a workout? Or when you got together with a group of friends and told a GREAT story and everybody laughed? Or when you came up with a creative solution to a problem at work? What situations, big or small, fill you up?
Now think about a time you've felt deflated, exhausted, or run down.
What got you there?
Whenever I think about my actions as having a profound effect on my physical well-being, it motivates me to start fine-tuning my priorities a little better. After all, who wants to feel low-energy all the time? Wouldn't you rather be chasing the high? Especially when it's as simple as reorganizing your to-do list?
Lately, I've been pouring a lot of energy into my day job. I enjoy what I do for the most part, but I wouldn’t say it feeds me. When I come home from a long day at the office, I’m exhausted. I get anxious—not excited—thinking about the emails piling up overnight. And I wake up feeling neutral about starting it all over the next day.
If I compare that to other projects on my plate—The Heart of Happy, for instance—there’s a dramatic difference. When I am able to dedicate a full day to writing, I am excited to sit down and get to it. When I’m DONE with a post and finally get a chance to hit that little blue “publish” button, a WAVE of 'good feels' flows through me. I get energized—even after those particularly grueling days filled with writer's block and over-editing. It fills me up! If I get a Heart of Happy-related email, I'm enthralled.
Whenever I think about my actions as having a profound effect on my physical well-being, it motivates me to start fine-tuning my priorities a little better.
So it’s VERY clear to me which line of 'work' feeds me and which doesn't. I’m simultaneously filled with gratitude that I’ve found something I love and bummed that I’m dedicating so much time to the course that wears me down.
The last couple of weeks have been a GIANT red flag for me—not having time to work on the activity that energizes me has been tough, and I'm recognizing that if it means I have to wake up earlier every single morning just to dedicate 10-30 minutes to what I love, it will be worth the effort.
So what can you do to capitalize on what fills you?
Honestly, for the sake of keeping things simple, right now I'd suggest you just take the time to NOTICE how you react to the various activities in your life—we're often in such a rush to change our actions, we forget the most important part: practicing self-awareness.
Make a mental note (or jot in down on your phone) every time something gives you a burst of energy. Do the same for activities that drain you.
Give yourself the space to notice. Later this week you'll feel the payoff when I talk about how to rearrange your day-to-day to include more of what you love and less of what you don't.