Lesson 5c: Generating Long-term Energy
Objective: Learn
ways to get more energy and prosperity into your life.
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"Energy
is the essence of life. Every day you decide how you're going
to use it by knowing what you want and what it takes to reach
that goal, and by maintaining focus."
- Oprah Winfrey
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You get what you want by putting energy towards
your desire. America is known as the land of opportunity and freedom. It
used to be that everyone believed that hard work and a little opportunity
could lead them to the American dream. Now many are skeptical
that they can still achieve the American dream due
to our unequal educational system and Walmart/McDonald's type jobs. I
believe that it is not a change in our country but a change in our energy
that
has eroded the belief in the American dream. We
have become complacent and have not focused our energy towards our dreams
as our
forefathers
did. We make heroes out of people like Oprah who achieved their
dreams even while growing up in poverty. And in the same
breath, we blame the system for keeping people stuck in poverty. I
know people will blame China, India and greedy corporate America, yet
these are obstacles that we need to overcome like our forefathers had
to overcome their obstacles in coming to America. It
is not the system, but the lack of focused energy. Those with focused
energy will be rewarded. Those without focused energy will not.
So how do we infuse energy into our lives? Energy
is all around us. When I look at my baby (Connor), he is full of
light, love, and energy. He is constantly exploring his new world
and loves to laugh. He wants to keep on going even though he is
tired and needs to take a nap. We are all born this way. The
question is why our energy gets restrained over time. Part of
it is society. Children
with a lot of energy are diagnosed with ADHD and medicated to restrain
this energy. Factory workers look down on the new guy with tons
of energy and recommend that he pace himself in order to not make everyone
else look bad. Television and video games have started
to take over a large portion of the day. The average American
watches more
than 4 hours per day. Part of it is individual choice to give
away ones energy through actions like blaming others.
The good news is that the effects of society can change
in an instant if we decide to. The bad news is that many do not
realize that they have this individual choice and decision to make. Some
rather sit back and blame others for their conditions in life. To
find out how to increase energy, there are two steps. The
first step is to find ways to bring more energy into your life. The
second step is to find your resistance to having energy come into your
life.
Be Proactive:
- Work out (move!)
Energy creates energy. Even if it is
just walking around the block, getting your body in motion is creating
energy. By moving, you
will start to feel more invigorated and more motivated. In
addition, working out is also a good way to release stress. When
you are stressed, energy is diverted from being useful and creative
to being destructive.
- Be passionate
Being passionate towards a goal is giving 110% directed
energy. When obstacles occur, having passion will keep
you focused on the goal. You are less likely to be bothered
by life’s little ups and downs if you are pursuing your passion.
Finding your passion is key to generating long-term energy
in your work, in your life.
- Assist others (be useful)
Giving and receiving are one in the same. When we give, we
also receive. When
we give our love and energy to others, we get back
love and energy. So stop thinking about the
help you need, and help your neighbor, instead, without expecting
anything in return.
- Meditate
Most of our thoughts are scattered. We have many thoughts
a day, unfortunately many of them are the same thoughts that we had
yesterday. Meditating is clearing the mind of thoughts, so
that new focused ideas come. Ideas are the creation of energy. When
thoughts are scattered, so is our energy. When thoughts
are focused, so is our energy.
Meditating also gives you a break from the daily marketing blitz
of consumption. If you want to move from a world of consumption
to a world of prosperity, you will need to break the hold that marketing
has on your life. Marketing is meant to make people feel the
sense of lack (need for their product). Prosperity is shifting
from the thought system of need to a thought system of already
having what one needs.
- Breathe
Energy is in the air around us. Hawaiians
called white Americans "ha ole" because the
first settlers were short of breath. We don't take
advantage of the air, and energy, that surrounds us. Take
a few minutes each day to take a few deep breaths, fully expanding
your lungs and just feel the energy rise inside you.
- Take responsibility
Stop Resisting Energy:
- Avoid being sedentary (watching TV, playing video games, etc.)
A major reason so many children are obese is that they
are spending more time playing video games and watching TV instead
of playing outside. It has become more popular to watch a sporting
event rather than participate in one. A
sedentary life also diverts people from achieving their dreams. A
small amount of distraction at the end of the day can be a good stress
release. Yet, it also can become a habit that takes up the
whole evening.
- Avoid foods that zap your energy (sugars and fat)
The sugar rush works for a short period of time where we are alert
and awake. Then after an hour, the rush fads and leaves the
body weaker. Fats go down good, but just sits at the pit of
your stomach as an additional weight to lug around.
- Avoid drugs & excessive use of alcohol
Drugs and alcohol are a way to avoid life. I find it sad
that teens are getting drunk to loosen their inhibitions. They
are giving their power over to these substances. It is a belief
that happiness is outside you (in the form of a substance). If
you are giving your power to an outside source, then you are
leaving less power and energy for yourself.
- Don't blame others
The is a saying that when you point the finger at someone, there
are three fingers pointing back at you. You have the power
to change any situation. Yet, blame will divert you from
seeing your part in the situation. Our legal system is set
up to place the blame on others when the key is that we are the
creator of our world that we see. One can blame their boss
for a miserable job. Yet, he also has the power to change
the job or leave the job or change how we see the job. Blame
will only deflect responsibility (and energy) in changing the situation.
Louise Hay has a good article on responsibility
and blame.
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