Insights
Taking Time Out to Re-energise
- 11 May 2010
Where do we get our energy from?
How can we revitalise ourselves to achieve our goals when the middle of the year is approaching and our batteries are feeling flat?
In their seminal book The Power of Full Engagement (2003), Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz propose that we get our energy through four key sources:
- Physical = Quantity of Energy (eg. nutrition, physical activity)
- Mental = Focus of Energy (eg. clarity of thinking, ability to learn)
- Emotional = Quality of Energy (eg. confidence, positive mood and feelings, resilience)
- Human Spirit = Force of Energy (eg. sense of purpose, passion)
Interestingly, many people only focus on one or two of the above. For example, growing up on a farm in Western Australia I was keenly aware of the physical and mental sources I worked on the farm (physical), played football and cricket (physical), and went to school (mental). Like many men I meet through my coaching work, it has only been much later in life that I have come to realise the power of the emotional and human spirit realms.
Whilst Loehr and Schwartz advocate the systematic recovery of energy to maintain high performance, most corporate professionals do not take enough breaks to renew their energy. In essence, they try to maintain a high level of performance for 48 busy weeks of the year and wonder why they constantly feel they are in the Survival Zone. Loehr and Schwartzs solution is to build recovery into every day, week and month of the year. So how do you do this? There are endless ideas. Heres a short list of my favourites for each energy source:
- Physical regular exercise at least three times per week. As strange as is it sounds, expending energy creates more energy!
- Mental meditate! Paradoxically, the best way to get clarity of thought is to periodically turn our brains off and stop thinking.
- Emotional practice being assertive and seeking win-win outcomes (look out for more on this in the next Coaching Corner).
- Human Spirit discover your passion and find a way to spend some time every week doing it.
