Being healthy is more than just being disease free. True health is having the energy to pursue your dreams. The idea of Energy Management has been transformative for me on so many levels. By managing my energy I have seen vast improvements in my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.
Forget about managing time. Time cannot be managed. We all have all the time there is. Twenty four golden hours in a day. It doesn't matter whether you are Oprah Winfrey, Nelson Mandela, Bono or Hilary Clinton. Time is the great equalizer. In the average lifespan, we have 960 months and approximately 29,000 days. Wouldn't you love to spend those 29,000 days in a peak state of energy, happiness and vitality? I have come to realize that energy and not time is the hot commodity. How we manage our energy will dictate how big we play the game of life and the impact that we have.
It seems there is always too much to do in a given time frame and that is where the challenge begins. We are trying to be mothers, wives, sisters, friends, successful business people and community leaders. How do we fit it all in? I used to think I had it all figured out and I was successful in my personal and professional life. And then my miracle happened. I got pregnant and had Nicholas. And to put it bluntly ...all bets were off. My life changed dramatically. It was no longer all about me. He became the focus. "Time for me" meant sacrificing sleep and walking around like a zombie.
I came upon this concept of energy management by screwing it all up, feeling crappy and then realizing that in the first year after my son was born I had stopped doing the things that had worked for me in the past. I knew I had to do something differently. I thought about what I used to do that really worked for me and distilled it into this system. Nothing in this system is earth shattering but I have often found that success comes from doing the simple things consistently. I feel more energetic and productive than I ever have even while chasing around a 18-month-old. I hope that by using these strategies it will help you to improve your energy and reach your full potential.
My strategy for energy management is summarized by the acronym ENERGY. And over the next six weeks I will discuss all the components in detail.
Principles of Energy Management:
E - Eating well and Exercising
N- Living in the Now and practicing mindfulness
E- Embracing your values
R -The 4 R's in life need to be balanced
G - Goals and Planning
Y - Your Strengths