Messy Lesson: Understand the universal currency of energy.

I am often asked “How do I lead my life to prevent burnout from recurring?”

My response:

I focus on being a champion of life, rather than delivering a champion performance.

I’ve learnt that a life reliant on recognition and reward is a people-pleasing life that feeds the ego & starves the spirit.  It disconnects us from ourselves & leaves our happiness in the hands of those whose opinions matter most at the time. 

To a child, their parents. To an athlete, their coach. 

Not disappointing these people becomes our most powerful motivator.  External validation outside of our control.   

I vividly remember when despite all of my efforts, I started missing targets.  In my eyes, I was failing.  My best wasn’t enough.  In my heart, I was becoming a failure.

It was savagery to my self-worth.

I had to break the circuit and change my dependency from external feedback to inner fulfilment.

Where did I start?

I’ve learnt that being a champion of life starts with understanding that the one opinion that matters most is my own & that the most important relationship in my life, is the one I have with myself.

Without this, life becomes a battle for survival.  It is unsustainable and an express route to a burnt-out destination.

As is on the back cover of My Beautiful Mess ~ “Burnout is an absence of love.  For our job.  For our life.  For ourselves.”

How did I rediscover love, re-engage with life and reconnect with me?

Initially, I found this abstract and difficult.

I needed something tangible to equate my engagement to.  Not a score or a definition.  I needed something I could feel, powerful enough to counter the drudgery.  Enticing enough for me to want to experience it again.

That’s when I discovered the universal currency of energy. 

There are four different types of energy we all possess that directly impact our engagement in life – emotional, physical, mental and spiritual.  I’ve found that by investing in the growth & recovery of each daily, I optimise my energy and maintain a strong connection with myself. 

Emotional Energy

I preserve this as though my life depends on it, because I know my happiness does.  I have learnt how to access my positive emotions and the importance of reframing negative emotions such as threats into challenge and opportunity.  Human connection keeps my emotions flowing, rather than stewing in a stagnant mess of rumination proliferated by isolation.  

I’ve learned that by making the conscious effort to learn rather than judge I respond rather than react. The self-restraint required, strengthening my resilience.

If the reserves are low and my fuse is short, it is time to stop and attend, not exhaust them further by putting the pedal to the floor. 

I listen to my emotions and factor recovery into my day through deliberate presence.

 Mental Energy

I treat my mind like any other muscle in my body.  It needs movement, strength, power and endurance. Without training, growth will abate it. 

Reading is my mental fitness.  A book a week feeds my mind and sparks my creativity. This is one of my core values.  Reading keeps my focus in check and satisfies my learning appetite.  Having followed this discipline for almost three years, when I forego a week, my brain starves.  It longs for the solace of the pages to rein it in.

I listen to my mind and factor recovery into my day.

Physical Energy

I realise as I age, I need to move.  Stillness begets stiffness.  Stiffness begets pain.  My physical energy stems from my strength. I’ve found what works for me and have that scheduled into my day.  It’s not negotiable and directly correlates to the quality of my mental health. 

I listen to my body and factor recovery into my day.

Spiritual Energy

I think of my core values as the pilot light to my spirit.  Always on.  Never off.  They know me better than I know myself.  Their voice is the most important seat at my table, keeping me in check, reminding me of what matters most.  Defining these changed my way of living.  It brought simplicity to decision making and certainty to ambiguity.   

I have an action plan to bring these values to life.  Through my words, my behaviours and my decisions.  Each time I honour them, their heart beats stronger, strengthening my spirit.

The intimate companion to my values is purpose.  The meaning behind what I deliver through human connection.  Its heartbeat relies on my generosity of spirit, the return on investment undeniably powerful.

My core values and purpose are protected fiercely by the boundaries I set. 

Their replenishment comes through the attention I offer.  Every day. 

We each have a responsibility to fasten our own oxygen mask first.  We can never give to those we serve what we aren’t in possession of ourselves.

For me, managing my energy works.  It keeps me focused on the present and on being a champion of life rather than obsessing about achieving an outcome at all costs. Simply, its not worth the human toll.

I hypothesise that if I continue to do this, the outcomes will flow. 

If I am correct, the best is yet to come.

Peta x

Author of My Beautiful Mess

Order your copy at www.mybeautifulmess.com.au

Recommended Reading:

The Power of Full Engagement

Jim Loehr & Tony Schwartz