Is Your Get-Up-and-Go Gone?
Do you often find that no matter how hard you search to find it, time remains elusive? Feel like you don’t have the “oomph” you need? The culprit may be energy drains that are invisibly tugging at you each time you come across them or even think about them.
Imagine your day. You wake to the startling sound of a blasting alarm clock. You drag yourself out of bed and, like every other morning, trip over the stack of magazines on your bedroom floor. As you shuffle to the bathroom you grumble, “I’ve got to go through that pile.”
You enter the bathroom to splash much-needed water on your face, and are greeted by the drip, drip, drip, of the faucet. In the back of your mind you hear, “I’ve got to get that fixed.”
After you’re dressed and ready to go, you get into your car, pushing aside empty food containers and coffee cups to get to the seat. You start the engine, look at the dash, and notice – No gas!
Upon your arrival at work, the I-wake-up-talking co-worker greets you with any news of the day, including traffic and weather reports, even though your body language is clearly delivering the message that you’re not a morning person.
You get the picture. Can you pick out the energy drains listed in only the first hour of your day? Here’s a hint – they’re any part you read that made you feel aggravated.
The annoying sound of your alarm, the stack of magazines, the drip of the sink, the messy car, the empty fuel tank, and the chatty co-worker are playing a large part in what is depleting your energy day after day.
And it’s not only the annoyances present that are slowly sucking you of your life-force. It could also be what’s missing. Are you happy with the relationships in your life? Do you have a good, solid friend you can share time with and rely upon? Is your home environment just as you want it to be – filled with beauty, whatever that means to you?
To help you identify what energy drains are in your life, make a list of 10 things you are tolerating, such as the dripping sink or the messy car. Now make a second list of 10 things that need handling in your life, such as the dentist appointment you should make or the complaining friend you need to have a loving conversation with to get her to stop dumping on you.
Make a commitment to eliminate three things from your toleration list and two things from your need-to-be handled list every week. When the lists are done, make new ones. Before you know it, you’ll have more energy to spend time with those you love, to charge after those long held-off dreams and goals, and to take better care of yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Now imagine your day. You wake up to your favorite music. You climb out of bed and start the day with a full, deep breath and a nice, big stretch. You could walk to the bathroom with your eyes closed because you know there’s nothing you’ll trip over. You step into your beautiful bathroom that’s decorated just the way you like, and everything is in perfect working condition. You climb into your clean, fueled-up car and off you go to work where you have made your needs gracefully clear.
Don’t you feel lighter just thinking about it?
Yes, Kerri, I’ve been decluttering my email inboxes lately and even though it’s just electronic junk that has no tangible mass, I felt a burden lift off my shoulders.
Another source of wellbeing (useful if you run an independent business): I have continued to raise my fees and now rely solely on word of mouth to meet new people. Having fewer clients feels good. I don’t like faceless industrial-scale production. I like emotional contact with real people.
Feeling well compensated gives me the luxury to really get to know my clients/students and enjoy working on their projects in detail, although sometimes I habitually revert to rushing around . . . but then I remind myself that it’s alright, I have the budget and the time to enjoy the journey and let go of the destination.
That’s a really good point, Nik. Clutter and energy drains come in all forms, shapes and sizes. Some of the most draining clutter is the “invisible” kind. How freeing it feels to clean out those inboxes! Good for you…
Not earning what you know you are worth can be a huge energy drain. How do you show up every day when you feel resentment or frustration over selling yourself short? So, bravo for raising your fees! That will not only make you feel fairly compensated, but it will also help communicate the value of your services.
I’ve had this up on my browser for several days but just read it this morning….and this morning I am going to have to thread my way through a cluttered room to the bathroom…and since I moved into this apartment in October I have not yet put it into any type of order…except for the TV and computer…everyday I tell myself I’m going to get rid of the clutter…I brought more here than I actually need…I only wanted by books, computer stuff, TV and DVD/VCR player with whatever DVDs and Video cassettes I have…oh, and of course my cat’s beds and toys…
I come home, plop into the easy chair turn on the TV, the computer and that’s it….
Lately, though, I am able to turn off the TV, turn away from the computer for a little bit and read…
But I need to move more…I did make one move last night which got me out of my comfort zone which is what i need to do more…
Tonight I am going to see the Dr Wayne Dyer movie with some friends from church….
Thanks for writing, Kathy. I know how easy it is to get lost amongst the clutter. It starts to just become some of the “scene” and disappears in a sense. When you get a moment, check out FlyLady. She has some great tips and approaches to systematically and successfully decluttering your physical environment. You can check out her Decluttering Process here:
http://flylady.com/pages/FLYingLessons_Declutter.asp
Congrats on taking a step out of your comfort zone! That’s fantastic! In an effort to do that more often and to combat the fear that may arise, think of it this way. We have our Comfort Zone – where we live most of the time. Then, we have our Stretch Zone. This is where we step out of our comfort zone and challenge ourselves – and this is where the magic happens! Then, there’s the Panic Zone – someplace we don’t want to let ourselves get to. It’s in the trusting of ourselves to recognize the different zones and to feel safe enough with our intention, our boundaries, and our desires, that we know we won’t let ourselves go from Stretch to Panic. The recognition of this alone can often make us much more willing to step more out of the Comfort Zone.
I hope you enjoyed the movie!