What Takes Up Your Energy?
"I feel like everyone's waiting for me to catch up to where I'm supposed to be at this point in my life...they're wondering when I'm going to reach my potential." I told a mentor the other day.
After some silence, he kindly offered:
"They very well might thinking those things - but is that really how you want to spend your energy? Or do you want to focus on doing what matters to you? You don't have to expend the energy it takes to carry around worries about what others might think about you all day."
The most important lesson I've learned during quarantine is that our lives will move in the direction we channel our energy.
We only get a certain amount of energy each day. Sure, there are ways we can increase and decrease the amount of gas in our tank - but make no mistake - our energy is finite.
The most effective (and peaceful) people I know are conscious about where they direct their energy, and are selective about the thoughts, feelings, activities, and relationships they fuel.
If you've ever felt completely overwhelmed with negative or self-critical thoughts you know it can feel like you're going to be stuck there forever. And, it's exhausting.
For most of us, when old fears, wounds and insecurities pop up on our radar we believe we need to address them, so we redirect a bunch of energy in their direction only to realize we're now consumed by the thing we wanted to avoid.
But we don't have to let our thoughts turn into things that weigh us down.
We can be more conscious about where we put our energy.
We can recognize when something is draining our energy by fueling an undesirable feeling or belief and choose to redirect our focus to something else more healthy.
One of my biggest energy sucks is my outsized concern with what others are thinking about me.
Do they think I'm on the right track in my life or way off course?
Do they think I'm doing a good job or do they whisper about my crappy work behind my back?
Do they think I'm kind or do they have a hard time tolerating my presence?
If we're not careful, we can spend hours a day consumed by questions like the ones above.
When I realized I wasn't the only person wasting energy on the fear of what others think, I developed a workshop to help folks get over their imagined opinions of others and start placing their energy in more positive, productive places.
If you're looking to find freedom from comparison and would benefit from learning a few strategies to redirect your mental and emotional energy I hope you'll join us for Wednesday's virtual workshop:
Stop Thinking About What Others Are Thinking About You
Wednesday, September 23rd
12:00pm - 1:00pm CT
We’ll get clear on why we spend so much time worrying about what others think, reflect on your particular fears and build a strategy to direct your energy toward more productive thoughts.
