3 ½ Catalysts for Energy to Serve
Ah, the marriage of handwriting to paper! The powerful impact, potential, and pleasure derived from it will never die. Writing, that is, inspired writing takes a certain energy that comes from one’s creative core.
My writing serves in various forms. There is the technical, research-based type that I reserve for Halal, Education, and Entrepreneurial publications, and the introspective form which taps wisdom and fancies of my own grey matter preserved here in my blog. Through these, I share knowledge of the sacred and sometimes profane.
Yet, with the daily routines, work projects, and hiccups that disrupt the calm–often involving family–energy reserves are easily depleted. Even with the best intentions, sometimes it feels like one is hauling a bag of cinder blocks just to get over the finish line each day.
Energy management became a focus from when I was a school administrator, and there were three main catalysts I found to be effective:
1a) Get enough sleep – My husband is a confirmed night owl, and I like to stay awake to share time with him. Whether we have our noses glued to our phones or iPads, watching Netflix, or preparing merchandise for sale, we are either working or relaxing together most evenings. I’m blessed to start and finish most days with him.
1b) Catch a reset nap – On days when fasting, when my fitness tracker confirms that I have had less than 6 ½ hours of sleep, or when I’m dragging and need to “reset” and refresh my brain, it is frankly good time management to nap a bit. Normally, I’ll average around 7 hours most nights that power me through a whole day; but on days when I can reboot with a nap, I move and think much faster and efficiently. That compensates for the time to nap.
2) Do something “Fun” – Knocking out a quick win on a game app, doing a few deep breaths while lifting dumbbells (strong women stay young, right?), getting outside for fresh air, listening to a few upbeat dance tunes, or drawing a line through the easiest thing on my ubiquitous list of “to do” activities is “fun” for me.
What do you do if you must do something that’s not “fun”? Just chip away at it until it’s complete, even if it means doing a bit each day so that you maintain focus through its execution.
3) Check your intentions – Last spring, when I was knocked down with a bout of the flu, I just didn’t feel my energy to be strong enough to want to get out of bed. My symptoms had mostly resolved; yet, I simply did not feel like I was ready to jump back into life. Then I saw a vision board I’d made that reminded me of the “me” I aspired to be, and miraculously that sparked my “why.” The reasons I needed to be athletic, healthy, strong, skilled, giving, loving, and available to serve were what set me back on my course.
It is easy to forget that we are destined to be great. We are given opportunities to grow and share; we enjoy blessings and endure sorrows and challenges. We are human, with all the faults and chances to experience the regeneration of our compassion, to celebrate our lives.
Share some of your energy hacks.
Education in the U.S. is slowly evolving to face its competition–a young, curious and inventive demographic found in countries that highly value their educators, and increasingly in developing countries where youth use technology to access the world.
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