I want you to draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
In one column, write down what gives you energy. In the other column, list everything you can think of that drains your energy.
Really, I mean it. Pull out a piece of paper and spend a few minutes writing down all the energy givers versus energy takers that come to mind.
Energy instead of friction
What would you do with more energy? What would you do if unresolved issues were resolved, your To Do list were done, and nothing was nagging at you as unfinished?
Imagine all the things listed in your energy drain column were gone. Each and every one has been handled, dealt with, tackled and resolved.
Instead of friction there is now flow.
Better the devil you know
I think we’re scared to death of this notion.
It would mean we’d have the energy to really live our lives, not just get through our days.
We’d no longer have the drama of overbusy overwhelm and overscheduled overdoing. Not a moment to slow down or really think. We wouldn’t have the familiar discomfort of unfinished business and always running behind.
Instead, we’d have space and quiet and wherewithal to really do what we’re meant to do.
To contribute. To be creative. To fully show up in the here and now—rather than focused on a laundry list of To Dos in our heads.
Nothing in the way of potential: Having more energy
I think we’re scared of no longer having excuses for living up to our potential. Scared to stop numbing ourselves on autopilot.
I think we’re scared of what we’d feel if we really look at our choices and our legacy in the making.
We say we want more energy, but we’re scared to death to truly live up to what it would mean to have more of it in our lives.
So we keep biting off more than we can chew. Overbooking our lives. Saying yes too often and to everything. Pushing our potential and our legacy down the road.
We complain about not having enough energy, but keep making choices that guarantee our column of energy drains stays long. As the saying goes: That’s about something. What’s it about for you?
