YOUR Energy Scale

So one of the things I often ask my clients to do is to be very aware of their energy. I talked about this in a newsletter a while back so click here to read that if you're interested. I'd like to revisit this & offer a few more thoughts now.

I invite my clients to get very clear about what gives them energy and what takes their energy. If you haven't thought about this before, start being curious about it. When you do something, or spend time with someone, see what happens....do you get a 'kick' of energy or do you feel drained?

At times, this can be a little tricky since if we are running on little fuel (due to too many commitments, lack of sleep, poor eating habits etc), our energy gauge is off. If you want to play the Energy Game, it's best to do it when you have a bit of fuel in the tank.

So once you know there is a little reserve there, think about YOUR scale. What do you feel like when you have a 'good' amount of energy? On a scale from 1 to 10, is this optimal amount a 5 (sort of like an Even Steven feeling) for you or a 10 (the faucet is turned on FULL blast) or somewhere in between? There's no right answer since it depends on YOUR relationship with energy. What does it feel like when you are drained and how do you know? When are you maybe using too much energy? These are all questions you can explore and answer for yourself. And they can lead you to the next powerful question... 'How much of my  time do I spend  doing things that fill me up?'

Again, I'd like to remind you that this is your OWN scale and not someone else's - like your partner's or your best friend's or society around you. This can be quite fun when you start exploring it. Of course the ways we get our energy are completely subjective. It's easy, though, to be influenced by what OTHERS think is a good way to use energy. I invite you to think about this - which ways do the people around you think are the 'right' ways to spend your time & energy? Do they match what YOU think?

Here's a simple example...You might be totally fueled by going to a party and spending time with many people, while most often, that would totally drain me. Instead, my energy comes from being in smaller groups and having one-on-one time with people.

 
Remember, there is no 'right' way. And naturally it doesn't mean you can always avoid the things that drain you. It does mean, however, that you can become more aware of how you are spending your time. Once you start tapping into this, it becomes essential to honor yourself this way. When you do this, the fuel lasts MUCH longer and therefore, there is much more of YOU to go around. So....what does YOUR energy scale look like?


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