In our personal and professional domains, most of us have goals and dreams that we want to accomplish. While the drive to achieve skills and resources are crucial ingredients to make our dreams a reality, what really sustains us, in the long run, is our energy level.
A thought is nothing but an impulse of energy and intelligence. A thought has the power to elevate you or bring your energy down. Becoming aware of what can be possible tendencies of the mind that reduce our energy can avoid pitfalls on our journey to success.
Here are some common energy drainers, an understanding, and awareness of which can keep our energy levels going.
Worry and fear:
Worrying about the unknown and fear of failure plague our mind. While some element of caution is needed in anything that we take up, it should be like salt in food. Worries and fears drain us out. They also become a hindrance to our inherent intuitive abilities.
What helps to avoid this is a remembrance of our past experiences. In most cases, we realize that what we worried about in our past hardly ever materialized. Also, when we did face a tough situation, we managed to overcome it with our inner strength and help that came from unknown quarters. This makes us recognize that often what we fear about it not as big a monster that it can’t be dealt with in reality.
Concepts in the mind:
Many of us have set ideas, concepts, and biases that we may or may not be aware of. What does this do? We start perceiving people, situations, and events from our colored glasses, which could be far from reality. Due to the resistance that comes up in accepting this reality, we lose our energy.
A willingness to introspect and realize that we may only have a partial understanding of a situation and giving the benefit of the doubt to others help us to move beyond small events. Learning from the past but not getting stuck to it and a broader vision of life with an understanding that everything is changing ensures that the focus remains on the goal.
Overambition:
This may sound paradoxical to a few, as some believe that this is what drives them. But if one were to observe carefully, an overambitious person is too attached to the result, losing focus and attention to detail on the steps in between and tiring oneself in the process
Being 100% in the activity at hand, in the right direction helps give the best to the moment. Ability to let go whether things are favorable or unfavorable comes naturally after that. As a result, the right balance of passion and dispassion starts flowering in us.
Lack of belongingness:
When we operate from the space of wanting to prove, not only does it feel like a burden on oneself, it also makes us stiff and unnatural. In today’s world, where almost nothing gets achieved without collaboration, this inhibits our ability to connect to people genuinely and create win-win situations.
Becoming aware of this phenomenon is a first step in getting out of it. The next step is having compassion for others and being open to feedback and criticism. Last but not the least, is the understanding that individual and team success are not in conflict with each other.
Maximizing our energy
The question that arises is how do we increase our energy? There are four sources of energy: food, sleep, breath, and a happy mind. Sattvik food which includes fresh vegetarian and less spicy food, brings up one’s energy level. And so do eight hours of quality sleep.
However, using breath as a source of energy calls for some skill. Ancient breathing exercises called pranayama and breathing techniques like Sudarshan Kriya are specially designed to increase the life force energy in you.
Not just that. Sudarshan Kriya removes deep-rooted stress and helps nurture a happy mind, which in itself is a source of energy.
These techniques are effective counteracts to the energy drainers in our lives. In addition, they increase our awareness and make it easy to apply the knowledge that is already within us.
Written by Tithi Pathak, Faculty, The Art of Living and an IIM alumna.
Based on wisdom talks by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
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