A lot of us wait for a change in energy like we’re waiting for a bus – we expect it do driver right up, stop, and wait for us to hop on board. When it doesn’t appear, we get frustrated, bored, or depressed. And our energy wanes.
I was this kind of thing a lot early in my career when I worked with actors, first as a personal trainer and then as a nutritionist. After all, acting is a profession where your big break can come when you least expect it – and usually does. You could be on the unemployment line, when all of a sudden your agent calls and you’ve got the audition of your life, and voila, you’ve landed a major role in the next Spielberg movie. If that happened, your whole life could change.
So I understand that feeling of waiting for something to happen. But I also understand that change rarely happens like that, and even if it does, all the luck in the world won’t mean anything if you’re not prepared for the opportunity.
Now what does this have to do with energy? A lot, actually. If I gave you the proverbial bottle with a genine in it, and the genine jumped out and offered you three wishes, and you got your three wishes fulfilled immediately – what do you think that would do to your energy level?
Don’t think to hard. I’ll answer it for you: Your energy would go through the roof. So having what you want – in life, in relationships, in fitness, and in health – is a huge part of having a lot of energy. It’s easy to get weighed down and drained when you’re laboring in a life you feel you didn’t choose, don’t really want, and aren’t particularly happy with. That’s not exactly a prescription for high energy, at least not where I live.
MOVING YOUR LIFE FORWARD
This entry is about getting what you want so you can have all the energy that comes with feeling fulfilled and satisfied. One tool I’ve found to be particularly useful for getting that life (and the energy that goes with it) is to use what I call ‘The Four Questions”. * Start by writing them down, preferably in a journal, where you can make entries on a regular basis. This isn’t exercise that you do once; it has maximum impact on your energy and well being when you do it on a regular basis.
Here are the four questions:
1. What did I accomplish today?
2. Why is that important to me?
3. What further progress can I make in that area of my life?
4. What specific action can I take to further my progress?
You can do this in every area of your life. What you accomplish in one day won’t be limited to just work, play, or health.
Let me give you an example, May be you helped your child with his homework today, which is definitely accomplishing something. Now ask yourself: Why is that important to me? (Here’s a sample answer: Because it furthers my relationship with my child and supports him at the same time. It makes me feel connected to an important member of my family). Then ask: What further progress could I make? (How about doing it again tomorrow?) What specific action could I take to ensure that will happen? (How about checking your calendar and writing in a time to work with junior on his homework?)
AN ACCOMPLISHMENT ENERGY PILL
It’s not all that complicated, but it allows you to take inventory of what you’ve actually accomplished in a given day. Believe me, being reminded of that, acknowledging it, feeling good and it, can be like taking an energy pill.
You finish a report at work, pay some bills, take your daughter to soccer practice, walk your dog, go to the gym, read a book, give a presentation at work, and attend a staff meeting. All these things are accomplishments. But this isn’t just about listing them so you can feel good, though that’s a part of it. It’s about connecting what you did with your larger purpose, consciously examining the actions in your life in a context.
We can call that context direction. What have you done” Why are you doing it? Why is it valuable? What’s the goal, what’s the purpose, and if that’s a value and a purpose that you love and embrace, what more can you do to further your movement in that direction?
What we’re talking about here is very different from waiting at the bus stop for the “energy” bus to arrive (or an actor just waiting for his big break to come out of nowhere). Now we’re talking instead about an actor who’s prepared for the big audition, whenever it comes. We’re talking about taking charge of your life and making your actions meaningful and purposeful and conscious. There’s nothing more energizing that knowing you’re moving in the right direction.
So remember – four questions. Answer them every day, in every way. Four columns on your page: What did I accomplish today? Why is that important to me? What further progress can I make in that area of my life? And what specification can I now take to further my progress/ Answer those questions every day for thirty days and you’ll be amazed at what you get done, what you accomplish, and how you’ve moved toward your ultimate goals: Crating the life you want and the life you love. And that’s a life that will keep you excited and energized.
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