Student of Energy

I’m not a tremendously high energy guy. Normally, I’m not the person in the group who’s getting everyone pumped up and moving. Usually, I’m the one who needs a boost from a person who has extra vigour, spark, and vitality.

But I get by. I get my work done and I accomplish tasks and get them in on time—usually.

However, I’ve always wished I had more energy to give. More energy to be creative. More energy to help those around me who are in need. More energy to take the initiative and meet life head on instead of sitting back and letting life happen.

One of my best friends, whom I’ve known since kindergarten, is one of those high energy people. He ran a highly successful insurance business and had numerous staff working under him.

If that wasn’t enough, as a “side job,” he started a property management business that has been equally successful. He is the type of person who puts his mind to a task and it gets done.

I’ve long wished I could be like that.

Because this is an area in my life I know needs work, I’ve become a bit of a student of energy. It’s a quest I’ve been on for some time.

Along the way I’ve learned three helpful insights about energy.

1. Time management versus energy management

Countless books about effective time management purport to turn your life around and help you accomplish goals effectively. Unfortunately, precious few books have been written about energy management.

I am of the opinion it is easy to learn to manage your time. With a little discipline and practice, you too can get stuff done.

But for most of us, the problem isn’t that we have insufficient time to get things done. We have insufficient energy.

I have learned to be very mindful of when I have energy and when I don’t. I try to schedule things when those precious energy spikes occur for me.

2. Energy taker or energy giver

We’ve all met draining people. For me, the most draining type of individual is the person who plays the victim.

Many times I’ve been on the phone with a person who claims to be a victim of some circumstance or conflict. I can literally feel the energy being sucked out of me—to the point where I get so tired I could lay on the floor.

People steal energy from those around them in many different ways. The overt conflict types forcefully take it from individuals—think of the angry boss. On the other end of the spectrum, passive aggressive people deftly suck the energy out of anyone who comes in contact with them.

But some people are energy givers. Have you ever had a conversation with a person and felt refreshed and buoyant, almost exuberant, afterward? The reason you feel that way is because the other person gave you energy.

People who make you genuinely laugh know how to give energy in the funny stories or jokes they tell. I believe the best comedians in the world aren’t just funny. They know how to transfer energy in a powerful and profound way.

I want to be the person who gives energy to those around me instead of taking it from them. Since learning about energy, I’ve become very conscious of whether I’m stealing it or giving it.

3. Energy exercises

In an incredible book called “The Power of Full Engagement,” the authors talk about specific rituals that can be cultivated that will increase the energy in your life. The subtitle of the book is “Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal.”

Who doesn’t want that? The authors postulate that much like an athlete who is in training to build their skill, strength, and stamina, so too is the “energy athlete.” Some of their suggestions include items such as becoming aware of when you are expending energy and when you are taking it in, developing ways to measure the energy—or lack of it—in your life, and learning how to “source” energy to fill yourself up.

My quest of being a student of energy continues as I look to find ways that I can become more energized. In turn, I hope that I can energize those around me. And maybe one day I too can start a property management business.