Skip to main content

Energy and Enthusiasm

Image
By
Every year I choose two “themes for the year”... and I find it ironic that this year my two themes were Energy and Enthusiasm!

I gotta tell you, seven months in and this year has not been filled with either energy or enthusiasm - more like hang-on-for-dear-life and don’t lose hope....

Thankfully Brian Tracy came to the rescue in his e-Newsletter just in the nick of time! He reminded me “why” these two traits are important for all of us right now, and how to re-connect with and even increase them!


Most successful people can be characterized as having very high levels of energy. Since energy is the fuel with which everything is achieved, there seems to be a direct relationship between energy levels and levels of accomplishment.

Physical Energy is Basic
We have been led to believe that there is basically one kind of energy. We supposedly replenish this energy by sleeping at night, and during the day, we use it up again. It is as though we are machines powered by batteries, and each night we recharge our batteries for seven or eight hours. However, there are some problems with this view of energy. The biggest problem is that it does not deal with the fact that there are actually three different kinds of energy, each of which is necessary for maximum performance.

The three main forms are physical energy, emotional energy, and mental energy. Each of these energies is different, but they are interrelated, and they depend on each other.

The Sweat of Your Brow (physical)
Physical energy is raw energy, coarse energy, bulk energy, what we call "meat-and-potatoes" energy. Your physical energy is what you use to do physical labor. It is the primary energy applied by men and women who earn their livings by the sweat of their
brow.

The Source of Enthusiasm (emotional)
The second form of energy is emotional energy. This is the energy of enthusiasm and excitement. This is the energy that lends sparkle to the life of an individual. This is the energy that is necessary for feeling love, happiness, and joy. Largely, it is your emotional energy that makes life enjoyable for you. In fact, almost everything you say and do is determined in some way by an emotion, either positive or negative.

The Requirement for Creativity (mental)
Mental energy is the energy of creativity, of problem solving and decision making. You use mental energy to make sales, write reports and proposals, plan your day and your week, and learn new subjects. Your level of mental energy is a major determinant of the quality of your life.

Conserve Your Best Energies
The reason why most people fail to realize their potential in life and work is because they burn up their energy at the emotional level, or the physical level; therefore, they have very little energy left over for mental activities.

Most people burn up their emotional energy through the expression of negative emotions. Negative emotions are like a fire that burns up their energy so quickly that they have very little left with which to think positively and constructively. In fact, one five-minute uncontrolled outburst of anger can burn up as much energy as an average person would use in eight hours of work.

Your job is to think continually about how you can stay calm and positive, and work smoothly and efficient, so you can have more mental energy to do the things that are most important to you in life.

*** Action Exercises
Here are three things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action:

1) Take time to identify the different ways that you either use up or deplete your levels of physical, emotional and mental energy. How could you improve in each area?

2) Be sure to get plenty of healthful, nutritious food so you can keep your physical energy at high levels. This is the key to all other energies.

3) look for ways to conserve your emotional energies by being more relaxed and optimistic in the face of daily problems and disappointments.

The more energy you have, the happier and more productive you will be.
If you have any tips or tricks that help you refocus or maintain your energy and enthusiasm, please share!



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Perfect Comfort Food - Pumpkin Apple Bread

By
A perfect comfort food, especially when spread with cream cheese, Pumpkin Apple Bread has become a tradition of mine every autumn – Enjoy!   Pumpkin Apple Bread from Celebrate the Rain - Seattle Junior League 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking soda 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground nutmeg (can use freshly grated) 1 tsp ground cloves ¾ tsp salt ¼ tsp ground allspice   2 cups (16 ounces) pure pumpkin puree (I use fresh / steamed and pureed pumpkin – you may also use canned) 2 ¼ cup sugar 4 eggs, lightly beaten ¾ cup vegetable oil 1 large or 2 medium Granny Smith apples: peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch dices Cinnamon Sugar Topping 5 Tbs sugar 1 Tbs all-purpose flour 1 Tbs butter at room temperature 1 (heaping) tsp cinnamon For the topping – Combine sugar, flour, butter and cinnamon. Blend with fork to an even, crumbly texture. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9- by 5-inch loaf pans. Sift together the flour, baking s...
6 comments
Read more

Focus on Beauty

By
There will be days when we must force ourselves to focus. There are so many distractions, and it's easy to be pulled this way or that. And as we're pulled, it's easy to get more and more uptight. I've found one way to heighten one's focus throughout the day is to be aware of the sometimes-small details, and the beauty around us. I typically use my early morning walks to make myself look past the obvious and focus on the details. Examples: the morning sun streaming through the window and creating shadows across the room the richness of evening light a clear reflection of a building in a street puddle the colors of the sky, the clouds, etc. a mother walking hand in hand with her child Then in the evening, I write down five of the things that stood out to me during the day. Some days, my list may include more obvious objects of beauty. Other days, the list might include small glimpses of something in passing, sights I may have previously walked right on ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Benefits of Lemon

By
About six months ago, I started a new daily habit - first thing in the morning I drink a cup of warm water with a slice of fresh lemon in it. I'd heard rumors that this was supposed to be good for you, and because I wanted to cut back on my tea with cream and sugar habit, it seemed like a good fit.  I'm kind of amazed to admit, I've noticed a big difference in how I feel. Instead of my normal somewhat sluggish/bloated feeling after my morning cup of tea - I now feel energized and ready to face the day. "Lighter" would probably be a good way to describe it... and lighter is always good! Below is a bit more information... Here are a few reasons for adding morning lemon water to your daily routine. *List originally published by the Edison Institute of Nutrition here   As a rich source of vitamin C, lemon juice protects the body from Immune system deficiencies. Drinking lemon juice with warm water every morning helps in maintaining the pH balance...
Post a Comment
Read more