Use Your Energy Wisely

When my father died, a friend sent me a text: “Energy can neither be created nor destroyed.” This simple phrase brought me great comfort by reminding me of a law of nature. It assured me that my dad wasn’t gone; he was just gone somewhere else. And it reminded me that we are energy, and should use our energy wisely in our lifetime.

“Here is the prime condition of success: Concentrate your energy, thought and capital exclusively upon the business in which you are engaged.” – Andrew Carnegie

How to use your energy wisely

1. Physical energy

Are you the kind who packs your schedule to overflowing? You may feel guilty turning down requests from others, and agree to too many appointments. At the end of the week you haven’t achieved what you want, yet wonder why you feel so tired.

I had a problem protecting my time and energy too, until I heard some wonderful advice. A friend said that when he wants to leave an event, he just says goodbye without giving an excuse. You don’t need others’ permission to leave, or to spend your time and energy the way you want to.

“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.” – George Washington

When you’re ready to leave, just get up, wave goodbye and go. If necessary say “I enjoyed myself, thank you. I’m leaving now.” If pestered to stay, just say firmly “It’s time for me to go.” Which it is, because you have decided that your energy is better spent elsewhere, like resting or exercising or anything else that matters more to you.

2. Mental energy

What proportion of your daily thoughts is uplifting or useful? We try to control so much in our lives, but the one thing we forget to control is our thinking. And yet our thoughts are the blueprints for everything else that happens in our lives.

“All truly wise thoughts have been thought already thousands of times; but to make them truly ours, we must think them over again honestly, until they take root in our experience.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

You may need visual cues to remind you where to direct your mental energy. For example, stick a card on your computer screen to remind you to “Think of solutions, not problems.”

3. Spiritual energy

Our spiritual energy is usually scattered. We’re so busy focusing on everything else that we don’t take time to be quiet and still. Spiritual masters stress the importance of connecting to our deeper source, and knowing who we are.

Spend some time everyday investing your spiritual energy in yourself. Spend just one minute meditating, or read a daily meditation.

Use all your energy wisely

One of our greatest challenges is to tap the energy around us. Energy itself is unlimited, but the constraint is our ability to harness and use it. The same goes for your personal energy. Find ways to harness and use it well, and you’ll be amazed at how much potential you have.

“We begin to realise we are energy itself with all of its inherent possibilities.” – Ted Andrews