When we think of the most valuable resources on the planet, we often hear money, fossil fuels, and time as the most common contenders. The idea is that some of these things you can never get back, and should be very careful as to how you use them up. One resource that is often overlooked, and contributes to all of those aforementioned resources is human energy. Personal energy.
Focus. Resilience. Growth. Achievement. Creativity. Transcendence.
These are some of the positive results of personal energy that is used well and directed at the right things. Theoretically speaking, with enough focus, attention, and energy, almost anything can be achieved. However, if you let your personal energy run on autopilot, distractions, inaccurate narratives, and the intentions of other people and energies will likely start to get some of your attention. How much is really up to you, and how much of your energy you are happy to let be taken up by it.
Focusing and refocusing your energy can help optimize your daily life, work routine, sleep cycle, and overall mood and vibrancy. Even more specifically, it can help you learn that new skill, get that promotion, improve your self image, feel physically better and stronger.
While there are countless ways you can refocus your personal energy and incorporate it into your routine, here are 5 great ways to start.
1. Meditation or Mindfulness Practice
A popular and well-known way to do this is to really internalize, getting in touch with subtle energy. Meditation, guided or not, can take place in many ways. Journaling, breathwork, playing music, peaceful walks or activities can all be meditative. You are in tune with the energies within you, and aware of feelings, sensations, and emotions they bring up.
Spending some time doing these things regularly helps your body, mind, and soul recalibrate energy consistently. People who have integrated some sort of meditation practice into their lives have easier times recentering themselves and coming back to that place of zen. Such things can help calm an anxious mind, allowing it to spend more time in a state of flow.
2. Physical Exercise
This is a great way to refocus your personal energy because you are literally focusing on moving muscles, breathing correctly and balancing yourself. Yoga may be the best example of all three, but the same features can be found in sports of all kinds, as well as recreational activities like hiking, mountain climbing, freerunning, and more.
3. Set a High Bar -And Break Through it
This one is one of the most rewarding ways to refocus your personal energy, and quite the win-win situation. Find something you would like to do, achieve, or accomplish, that you feel is just out of reach, and exceed your own expectation by believing in yourself and giving yourself that extra bit of energy and support.
The world gives us countless reasons to limit ourselves, through society, social media, and personal upbringing. Overcome a self limiting belief that you may have picked up along the way. Push the envelope of how much you can achieve. It is worth noting here, the goal is not to overextend yourself or work beyond your means, but only to understand what is possible. Then set your bar accordingly.
One easy way to explain this is a new weightlifter who can only lift 50 pounds currently, should understand that it is absolutely possible for him to lift 200 pounds, as many of the other members of his gym might, but that he will work toward that by setting his first bar at 75 or 100 pounds.
We are resilient and adaptable, and by incremental goal setting and dedication, we can all achieve amazing things!
4. Reprioritize, Reorder, Rinse, Repeat
Your schedule, your diet, your guilty pleasures, your goals, your podcasts, the words you tell yourself, little tasks you make yourself do. These are all results of habits and time spent in the comfort zone. While there are many habits that can be absolutely important and helpful for your day to day life, it is important to eliminate the ones that do not serve you. They may have at a time, or never at all, but a regular audit will help you naturally reprioritize your life.
Take notice of the tasks you complete today. Are they really important? Do they make you feel good? Do they accomplish what you wanted them to?
If the answer is yes, then this habit is good. However, if it isn’t, try removing it from your task list, or at least put it at the bottom of the list. Reassess, and continue.
5. Get in touch with your Metaphysical Side
Energy is quite intricate, when you give it your full attention. There are many versions of how this exists, but focusing your energy around an intention can have great effects on building your energy. Meditation is a great stepping stone into this world, and can lead to you experiencing your own subtle energy more, and more intentionally. Such energetic experiences can occur with tarot cards, crystals, and other tools of divination, or with nothing at all except your own energy.
Well, maybe it is not necessarily your energy specifically. It is universal energy. This is known as Reiki. Reiki translates literally to universal (rei) energy (ki) and traces its roots to Japanese healing practices. Learn more about Reiki here.
Taking care of your energy is extremely important, especially in today’s world full of mass distractions, misleading promises, and opportunistic gladhands. Optimizing your energy throughout different periods of the day will help you stay focused, both in the short and long runs. You will get through your days more efficiently and reach your long term goals quicker.
You may end up choosing to spend less time around people, or specific people. Some activities, pastimes, or time killers may no longer find a place in your life. While you may welcome such changes or worry about how difficult it might be to accommodate them, nothing is permanent. Learn to recognize energy drains, in people, places, or activities that don’t bring you much joy, and regulate them in your life, whether you want more or less in your life.