RE-ENERGIZE YOUR LIFE

In today’s world I see so many people keeping busy with work, family and friends, giving their time and energy to their loved ones. I think it is wonderful to give all you have to those you love, but here is my question – if you are giving your love and energy out, how are you getting energy in?

Let’s do a quick exercise to find out. Take a piece of plain paper right now and draw a vertical line in the middle of the page. On the top of the left column write “Deposits” and on the top of the right column, write “Withdrawals”. 

Now, in the “Withdrawals” column start listing all the things you did this week for others. It can be taking care of your kids or parents, doing a great job for your company, being a good listener for your friend, etc…” Once finished, write down all the things you did for yourself this week in the column “deposits.” How does your emotional “account” balance?

Imagine that you are handling your energy the same way you handle money and the way you shop. How can you buy something if you don’t have any deposits going in? What about your energy? In order for you to give, you need to receive. This poses another question – where are you receiving from? It can be either from taking time for your favorite hobby, playing your favorite sport, going out with friends, meditating, etc.

And now to take it even deeper – if you know what makes you happy, why aren’t you doing it more often? Chances are, you already know that taking 10-15 minutes out of your day to spend on your favorite activity is beneficial to your health, so why aren’t you doing it every day? Why is it that so many of us are more likely to do something for work for 15 minutes than to take a break and just breath? 

I believe that the reason why we don’t give ourselves more “me time” is because we don’t experience as much joy as we do when we get validation from others. Imagine this for moment – what feels better: your friend saying how awesome you are or you taking a few deep breaths? I don’t think there is anything wrong with giving your energy out in exchange for making someone else feel happy. It does feel wonderful to do something good for others, however our physical bodies need love and attention as well and it is our responsibility to take good care of them.

I want to encourage you to take time for YOU. Really focus on loving yourself up by recharging your spirit and doing things that bring you pleasure. They don’t have to be long or extreme. Sometimes 15 minutes spent in silence or 5 minutes reading funny jokes can boost your energy level. Try something today and make it a habit to do something for YOU every single day. You will be amazed by the difference it makes in your life!