PERSONAL ENERGY: HOW TO GET MORE OF IT
PERSONAL ENERGY: HOW TO GET MORE OF IT
A Message From Sylvia
The Manager’s Coach
You and I live in an age where the demands upon us often exceed our energy level. It’s not unusual for us to feel dried up, weary, exhausted, and spent. Actually, many of us feel like this day in and day out. It’s sad, isn’t it? Life is short. We deserve to fill our energy tank to the max and then make conscious decisions about how to use that energy. The truth is that energy is the soul of who we are. That said, we get to decide what our soul looks like. We get to decide whether we are vibrant human beings or creatures simply marking time. It really is a choice.
Interested in boosting your energy but have no idea how to do it? Don’t feel badly. Many people fit into this category. They know something needs to change. They just don’t know where to start. Increasing one’s energy—and sustaining it-- requires more than eating nutritious foods, losing unwanted pounds, and getting more hours of sleep. Truly raising one’s energy level means looking deeper than those “surface fixes”. I discovered this when I was young, and I’ve rediscovered it over the last few years. It’s a lesson I keep on learning.
My feature article offers ten strategies for increasing YOUR personal energy. December is typically a low energy month for lots of folks. I’ve been hearing that from a number of my coaching clients. It’s the end of the calendar year, it may be the end of your business fiscal year, and, of course, there are the holidays. Many different reasons for feeling drained, right? I invite you to implement even one of my strategies below and observe what happens. Remember: in addition to December being a month of obligations, it is also a season of miracles.
Feature Article
Boost your energy by choosing even just one of the following strategies and implementing it TODAY. Better yet, commit to practicing several of them. The more of these strategies you regularly put into action, the more energy you will have on an ongoing basis. This is not rocket science. But it works! And results are what you desire most.
Live in the present, not the past.
Trying to live in the past zaps your energy. The past is over. You cannot change it. Give it up. Invest energy into learning from the past and then using that knowledge to create a meaningful present.
Establish a grounding ritual.
Make time each day to center yourself emotionally and spiritually. This is beneficial especially in the early morning. Meditation, yoga, prayer, devotions, inspirational reading, and deep breathing can increase your energy because they bring you peace.
Create nurturing physical environments.
Pay attention to color, fabric, textures, wall art, plants, objects, and lighting. Wherever possible, design office space and other rooms so that they feed your soul. Your physical surroundings can build energy.
Reduce clutter.
Physical, emotional, and mental clutter drains your energy. File that stack of papers. End abusive friendships. Manage your worries.
The less clutter you have in all aspects of your life, the more energy you will have.
Focus on your strengths.
Unless a particular weakness interferes with your ability to do your job or move forward in other ways, avoid giving it power. Instead, identify your strengths and maximize them. Focusing on what you do exceptionally well and seeing how those things serve other people fuels your energy level.
Receive graciously.
While there is great value in giving, there is also much value in learning to receive gifts, compliments, and opportunities. Life is a cycle of giving and receiving. It’s meant to be that way. Interrupting or blocking that natural cycle diminishes your energy.
Deal with unresolved grief.
One of the biggest energy sappers is grief that has not been resolved. This may be grief over a deceased loved one, a divorce, a job termination, abuse, loss of confidence, or shattered dreams. Whatever the reason for your grief, do what you need to do to work through it and move to the other side. Once you accomplish this, you’ll be amazed at how energetic you feel.
Acquire positive thinking skills.
The human brain is wired to latch onto negative thoughts. Try shifting from the negative realm to the positive multiple times per day. This takes a conscious decision and rigorous effort. Positive thoughts and responses uplift us whereas negative ones tear us down.
Embrace continuous learning.
An attitude of learning brings with it an air of expectancy and joy. When you wake in the morning, tell yourself that you will learn something every hour. Set the stage for this. Look forward to it. Learning fuels energy in a way that allows us to grow.
Recognize and reward your successes.
This strategy is contrary to what most of us do. We spend so much time beating up on ourselves for our failures, poor judgments, and inadequacies. Why not flip this around and pat yourself on the back each evening for the things you did well, the contributions you offered, and the differences you made in others’ lives? If you practice this personal recognition daily, you’ll have more energy than you know what to do with!
Resources
Treat yourself over the holidays to M. Scott Peck, M.D.’s gem entitled The Road Less Traveled if you’ve not already read it. First written in1978 and a bestseller for over thirty years, it stands the test of time. In short, it is a comprehensive spiritual journey. It is a guide to confronting and solving life’s problems—one you cannot afford to miss. This is the resource for December, because it can bring you the peace you seek. Once you have that deep peace, you are positioned to increase your energy in ways you never imagined.
Tip
Examine where you spend your energy: the circumstances, tasks, relationships, activities, obligations, and “stuff”. Identify your primary energy burner, your #1 energy zapper. What can you do to eliminate it from your life or at least reduce its draining impact? Require yourself to actually answer this question during the month of December. Going into a brand new year with the same burden means 2012 will look a lot like 2011. Do you honestly want that?
Where in the World is Sylvia?
This is indeed a festive season and Sylvia is enjoying the opportunity to network at a number of gala events. Just as important, she looks forward to balancing the time out and about with some special time in her own home and with her family. Enjoying both of these settings is part of her plan for entering the new year re-energized and ready for the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Sylvia enjoyed decorating the tree in her family room.
Sylvia’s house, The Ledge, on a snowy Christmas Eve past.
About this Ezine
This Ezine is 1) to provide readers with valuable FREE content which contributes to both personal and professional growth and 2) to invite them to take next steps toward working directly with Sylvia.
Back issues are available here. Send email by clicking here to manage your free subscription. Sharing content with attribution is encouraged
Launching Lives Ezine is dedicated, above all, to “building people…building businesses.” ©2010, 2011
About Sylvia
Sylvia Hepler, Owner and President of Launching Lives, LLC, is an executive coach based in South Central PA. Her mission is to support corporate and nonprofit executives and business owners as they solve problems, develop leadership skills, and increase balance in their lives. Her background includes: nonprofit executive management/leadership, public speaking, business and freelance writing, teaching, and retail sales.
A certified executive coach through The Rescue Institute in Colorado and a participant in extensive continuing education, Sylvia is a platinum level expert author on ezinearticles.com. She has produced an audio CD entitled, “Making Change”, two special reports for persons in management positions, and an e-book entitled, No Surprises: A Business Guide for Starting Your Coaching Practice.
More information is available at her Launching Lives Website.
Launching Lives is an executive coaching company located in South Central PA. Its mission is to support managers and executives to solve their most pressing problems, develop leadership skills, and increase balance in their lives utilizing a holistic approach. Launching Lives focuses on BUILDING PEOPLE through individual, private coaching, group coaching, specialized products, speeches, and retreats. Most coaching takes place by phone.
Often people don’t really know HOW they might benefit from coaching. Quite simply, ask yourself these questions: “What can’t I seem to resolve on my own? What is keeping me awake at night? What am I missing when I look at a certain situation? How can I get to the next professional level? How can I learn certain skills quickly? How can I narrow my professional gaps? How can I motivate my staff? How can I communicate more effectively so I serve myself and others better? How can I reduce my work-related frustration? How can I develop a viable plan of action for myself and/or my organization? How can I obtain greater job satisfaction? Coaching is the SOLUTION to any of these issues.