WHERE is your ENERGY Going?

ALL  AVERAGE  NORMAL  IN  HEALTH  PEOPLE

HAVE  ENERGY;  FROM THE BOOK "THE 100 YEAR LIFE  STYLE"  ----

FINDING   THE   ENERGY  TO   CHANGE   OUR   LIFE     

EMPLOY ENERGY ENHANCERS

Theoretically, we watch television to entertain ourselves. But quite often, the television set becomes a comfortable diversion— from an exhausting workday, a rude salesclerk, or a family problem. The latter makes television an energy drain. After dinner, when many people settle in with two scoops of ice cream and the remote, you might try going for a power walk, PowerCentering, Pilates, or gardening. You will feel incredible energy doing activities like this and you will sleep better. As a result, you will feel more energized the next day.

Taking a sauna, doing yoga, and drinking a lot of water are also excellent ways to set up a restorative sleep. Other energy-enhancing ideas include walking with neighbors and inviting rHends over. You know what energizes and fills you with positive energy better than anyone else. Seek out and fill your life with ikese choices, and make this your lifestyle. Don't be afraid to vary them-—-mixing them up is a great way to optimize their benefits and keep things fresh.

Replenish your energy bank one choice at a time by saying "no" to the attitudes and actions that drain your energy and "yes" to the energy enhancers. This is how you come up with the currency to power your ideal 100-Year lifestyle.

LIVE  LONG  AND  STRONG  EXERCISE

Check off the statements below that apply to you.

MY ENERGY DRAINERS:	MY ENERGY ENHANCERS:
Sugar		Speaking my truth
Caffeine		Quality time with kids
Not exercising		Being honest
Arguing with my spouse		Following through
Stress		Reading good books
Drama		Keeping promises to myself
Interruptions		Being grateful
Being overweight		Prayer
Over-scheduling my day		Eating healthy
Saying yes when I mean no		Taking my supplements
Overworking		Date night with spouse
Not taking playtime		Quality time with friends
Taking abuse		Focusing on the positive
Worry		Having faith
Slouching		Expressing gratitude
Overanalyzing		Standing up for myself
Trying to change other people		Staying on task
Being a people pleaser		Letting go of the things that are
Stressing out		out of my control
Mindless television	Taking action on my goals
Not having a purpose		Making time to exercise
		Getting chiropractic care
	Good posture
		Massages
		Saving money
		Being involved in things I believe in
		Celebrating special occasions

On what types of activities do you spend most of your time? Do you tend to do things that fuel you? Or do you find that most of your time is spent on activities that deplete you? Your personal energy inventory is a reality check on where your energy is being distributed. I don't want you to perceive it as a list of problems, or a way to defend why things are the way they are. Instead, it is a way to raise your awareness about where all your energy is going and how to get it flowing back into your life.

GOOD  EXAMPLES

#1 One of my patients, 19-year-old Kyle Maynard, knows what I'm talking about.

You may have seen Kyle on ESPN, Larry King Live, in USA Today, or in one of the many other magazines that have featured his story. Kyle was born without full limbs. They were missing just below the elbow and knee. Standing only two and a half feet tall and weighing 123 pounds, this courageous young athlete chose to join his school wrestling team at the age of 11.

Most people thought what he was attempting to do was impossible. But his parents supported his determination to learn the sport. Kyle, who walks and runs on all fours, spent hours practicing each day. But his first 35 matches were losses.

As a sophomore and junior, Kyle finally titrated into winning. By his senior year, his record of 35-16 placed him in the top 12 in Georgia and the top 12 in the nationals. A broken nose is all that kept him from being named All American in 2004. Today, Kyle is an invaluable member of the University of Georgia wrestling team, a best-selling author of the book No Excuses, and a mighty motivational speaker.

How has he overpowered his wrestling opponents? He triumphs because, believe it or not, his challengers see him as having the advantage. His opponents believe Kyle's small stature makes him swifter and stronger than they are. What an irony that someone with congenitally amputated arms and legs could have the upper hand!

Many of us use "what's missing" in our lives as the reason for why we can't change or why we can't reach our goals. "Instead of telling people what I am going to try to do, I just go out and do it," says Kyle. "Once they see it, then they believe it can be done." Kyle makes no excuses for why he "can't" achieve. He doesn't wait for permission to be told what he can or can't do.

#2 Joyce Bone, the mother of a newborn, was in her late twenties, living in Atlanta. She had worked for a while but left the corporate world to start her family. As a result, she and her husband had gone from two incomes to one. One day, she was taking her baby for a walk in a stroller while listening to an inspirational cassette. The question came up, "If your life was exactly how you would like it to be, what would it look like?"

Joyce says, "I remember thinking at the time that I had a great life—a beautiful child, a large and supportive family, and a handsome husband. The one thing we could have used was a little more money. Our family nudget was a little tight."

While she was nervous about making the call, she soon contacted her old boss. Ten days later, they got together and had lunch. She explained her desires and together they explored possible ways of teaming up and working together again. At this stage, her boss was more of an "ideas" person and an investor. Joyce was at a place in her life where she was more nands-on. They began to conceive of a business idea that day at lunch, which they hashed out on a napkin at the restaurant. They decided to team up in the male-dominated liquid-waste industry. Joyce would run a business. Her boss would arrange financing for the acquisition of a company.

"Eighteen months later, I went from a stay-at-home mom to CEO of a business employing 350 employees and generating $50 million in revenue," she says. Her very first day on the job, she was asked by one of her male employees to make some copies. Imagine his embarrassment when he soon learned that she was not his new assistant, but his new CEO.

"We went public within two years and my financial goals were met. I retired in my early thirties as a millionaire. It felt like winning the lottery, it was a time of tremendous change. I am still changing because of it."

ENERGY DRAINERS VERSUS ENERGY ENHANCERS

YOUR energy is one of your most valuable resources, so be selective out how and where you focus it. Don't waste a drop. High-energy potential is your natural state. But you only have so much in a given day. Stress and other distractions can easily deplete this gift if you allow them to drain you. Every decision you make regarding your health, relationships, business, exercise, diet, emotional reactions, and achievements either positively or negatively impacts your energy.

Centenarian Secret: According to the laws of physics, energy can neither be created nor destroyed. This rule, known as the Law of Conservation, says that there is a constant and finite amount of energy in the world. This energy can be converted, however, to produce the outcomes you desire.

This is what happens when we bounce a ball. When you hold a ball above the ground, it has potential energy to fall. When you release the ball, and it begins to move, the energy becomes kinetic. Kinetic energy changes the ball's momentum. Electrical energy from a battery can be converted into mechanical energy to move your car. A small amount of nuclear energy can light the night sky across an entire city.

Have you ever noticed how when you're on fire about a project, your energy soars in much the same way? When you connect with your deepest human potential, you fuel your efforts with a type of kinetic energy that gives you the momentum to transform.

You can reach your goals with your current energy supply if you are willing to redistribute the way you choose to use it. Everyday choices will either support or undermine your human potential. Choose wisely. Do this by distancing yourself from people or situations that deplete you. For me, drinking too much caffeine and not exercising drains my energy. Going for walks and spending time with my spouse and children enhances it.

Now is the time to become your own personal energy manager. 

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