Increase Your EnergyWhen you increase energy output you invest in yourself. The only investment instrument we have to deal with life is ourselves. And when you invest in yourself, the returns are guaranteed. If returns were guaranteed from a stock market investment, or a lottery ticket, or a bet at the track, you'd spend your money, wouldn't you? There wouldn't be a lot of hesitation about it either. Well, here's your chance to take advantage of a foolproof investment. Next time you get the chance to observe a high achiever in action notice the high level of self motivation. For the most part, all successful people have tremendous drive, enthusiasm, and energy. Age is irrelevant. The best entrepeneurs are those out to prove something. They have seemingly endless ability to increase their energy and accomplish what is required. Where does this increased energy come from? In part, a person's interest level in a specific subject or process can result in excitement, which increases energy. But that's not the whole story. Some people say it's genetic, or the result of a hyperactive metabolism. I suggest to you that regardless of how endowed you might be with any of these traits, it's impossible to maintain a high level of energy if you're in ill health, don't care about what you're doing, having a serious disagreement with a friend, or you have a troubled mind. In order to continue operating at peak effectiveness and increase energy, you have to rejuvenate yourself both mentally and physically every day. Your life should be thought of as having five components: Production time (your primary role as breadwinner, housewife, mother, father, student, etc.) Fitness time (exercise and nutrition) Spiritual time (reflective meditation, study, and value clarification) Social time (interacting with others) Mental relaxation time (reading, creating, planning) To increase energy you must exercise all five dimensions of your nature consistently, in a wise and balanced way. >>Production Time: As a primary role, your schedule is usually determined by your commitment to this part of your life. Most of us devote a minimum of forty hours each week to it. Being "good at what we do" provides both financial and psychological benefits, recognition, self-satisfaction and a sense of purpose. It also mentally consumes most of our waking hours and is a source of stress. In turn, mental fatigue, emotional let-downs, physical sluggishness, and a generally negative attitude can result. The remaining four elements combat these negative symptoms and help increase energy. >>Fitness Time: In order to increase energy, it's essential that you care for your body. Eat the right foods, get sufficient relaxation, and exercise on a regular basis. Most of us think we don't have time to exercise, but the reality is that we don't have time not to. What we're talking about is between 3 and 6 hours a week (which is an incredibly small amount of time when you think about it). There are 168 hours in a week. Assuming you sleep 8 hours a night, you are awake 112 of those hours. A minimum of 30 minutes a day is not a lot of time, considering the tremendous benefits and impact on the remaining 109 hours. Remember, this return on investment (your increased energy) is guaranteed. And you don't need any special equipment to do it. Joining a gym and enjoying sports like tennis or raquetball are added opportunities, but they aren't necessary. A good exercise program can be done in your own home and will build your body in endurance, flexibility and strength. An in-depth discussion on diet and exercise are beyond the scope of this lesson, but you can find a ton of information on the net or at your public library. >>Spiritual Time: This is a very private and very important area of your life. It's where your motivation comes from, as well as your commitment to your value system. Plan on giving yourself 5-7 hours per week for this essential practice. This includes meditation, contemplation, and religious observance. It's quiet time alone and is most effective if you have a quiet place to spend this time. Joseph Cambell calls this place a "bliss station." Different people spend this spiritual time differently. Some use daily meditation or prayer. Some immerse themselves in good literature or music. Others spend time communing with nature. If possible, make use of the Holosync(R) technology put out by the Centerpointe Research Institute. It's a tremendous gift for your mental, emotional and spiritual health. Someone once asked a Far Eastern Zen master, who had a serenity and peace about him no matter what pressures he faced, "How do you maintain your serenity and peace?" He replied, "I never stop meditating." A bliss station isn't always available, but that shouldn't keep you from this valuable activity. You can do it while travelling back and forth to work, while waiting in a reception area for an appointment, virtually any time when you're not interacting with other people, when you can be alone with your thoughts. A little bit of this time should be spent thinking about nothing. Clear your mind; give it a rest. Simply watch (pay attention to) your breathing. You'll feel the increase in your level of alertness after doing this for five or ten minutes. >>Social Time: You will probably be happy to hear that you should spend a minimum of ten hours a week in social interaction. It's fun, and a great way to rejuvinate, both physically and mentally. Talk to people about fun things like sports and movies. Talk about controvercial things like politics, religion, and the war on poverty. Relax. Go to a party. See a show or a ball game. GET YOUR MIND OFF WORK! This also helps us emotionally. We feel good about being socially accepted by others. Our self-esteem is enhanced. The social and emotional aspects of our lives are tied together, because our emotional life is primarily developed out of our relationships with others. >>Mental Relaxation Time: The key to this is diversification. Creative activity, like writing or painting, uses different parts of the brain than problem-solving (which is what you often do at work). Reading fiction is also a good release. Learning new activities is particularly good. Continuing education, continually honing and expanding the mind, is vital to mental renewal. Sometimes that involves the external discipline of a classroom, but more often it does not. Proactive people can figure out many ways to educate themselves. Lots of reading is important. "The person who doesn't read is no better off than the person who can't read." Informative literature, such as autobiographies, how-to books, and general periodicals, is terrific. National Geographic, Smithsonian, and many other magazines that deal with natural phenomena and the sciences are great for expanding our cultural and technical awareness. Writing is another powerful way to sharpen our minds. Keeping a notebook of your thoughts, experiences, insights, and learnings will add to your mental clarity, as well as your attention to detail. Writing has a positive impact on your ability to think clearly, reason accurately, and be understood effectively. Organizing and planning are also forms of mental renewal. You should begin with an objective in mind and then mentally organize your activities to accomplish that end. This activity exercises the visualizing and imagining power of your mind, to see the end from the beginning, and to see the entire journey. Consider this... If you spend a minimum of 40 hours on production, 5 hours on fitness, another 5 hours on spiritual time, 10 hours for socializing, and 5 more for mental relaxaion, that's only 65 hours out of the 112 hours that you're awake every week. That leaves you 47 hours of descretionary time to spend any way you like! There is absolutely no excuse for not incorporating these elements into your life, in the proportions suggested, in order to rejuvenate yourself and increase your energy. It's a question of priorities. You have to be convinced that this format is very important to you, to the point where it becomes a commitment. You have to believe that increasing your energy will allow you to perform better and produce more, in less time. It's a little like one lumberjack taking an hour to cut down a tree using a dull saw, while another lumberjack cuts down four trees in the same hour using a sharp saw. It only takes five minutes to sharpen that saw. When you're finished sharpening come back and read more... Articles on how to Increase EnergyImagine Your Way To Success by Gary VurnumIf you can mimic the imagination of children you can tap into one of the most powerful ways to increase energy. How To Be A Perfect Failure by Bill Harris All successful people fail a lot more than unsuccessful people. Consistently failing and learning from your failures will help you increase energy. Don't Let Age Get In The Way! by Josh Hinds You're never to old to go after your dreams and achieve your goals. If you increase energy you'll be on your way. Taking Action by Brian Tracy The single most effective thing you can do to increase energy is take action. "An object in motion tends to stay in motion." The Other Team... by Randy Gage You must accept the fact that most of the people close to you aren't on the true path to success. It's hard but you must distance yourself from these negative people if you want to increase energy. "That Motivation Stuff Doesn't Work!" by Michael Angier Motivation will work if you consistently work it. So make the effort to increase energy every day and you'll be amazed at the results. Inspiration Without Perspiration? Forget It! by Gary Vurnum Inspiration comes from knowing that you can do it. Knowing you can do it comes from actually doing it! Once you act, you increase energy and you become inspired. The Stigma Of Being Sane by Randy Gage Most people in the world are totally nuts. They continue doing the same things expecting different results; for you to be successful you must understand that their thought patterns are of no use to you. Four Emotions That Can Lead To Life Change by Jim Rohn There are 4 forces you must start cultivating within you to increase energy. Listen as Jim Rohn explains these powerful emotions. Life's Too Short by Mike Brescia You have to take time to enjoy life. Take each and every day and live it out loud - you've been given the gift of today so use it! 'Ya Gotta' Believe! by Josh Hinds No matter what it takes, you MUST find a way to increase energy, stay motivated and positive if you hope to be successful. Practice Being Like A Child by Jim Rohn Jim Rohn describes how being like a child can help you to not only increase energy, but also to be successful and truly enjoy life. Promise To Laugh Every Day by Mike Brescia By taking ourselves too seriously, at any time, we literally close off parts of our brain so that it can only produce chemicals in our bodies that make us feel bad. The Time To Act by Jim Rohn Don't let yourself fall prey to the law of diminishing intent. You must start on your path to success while your enthusiasm is high.
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