With the scarcity of water in the city, many real estate
owners have been left with no choice but to sink bore-holes to supplement the
supply of water to their customers. In the rural areas and in the ancient days
wells were a common source of water for many communities. The deeper the well
the better was the water supply. Our energy levels are like a well, the deeper
they are the healthier is our lives after all water is life, and the better our
lives the more productive are both at a personal and professional level.
Several years ago I was not a nice person to be around as
far as my wife and kids were concerned. I was very impatient and always angry
at home. Every evening I got home exhausted and was of no earthly benefit to my
family. I was totally disengaged, reactive and very negative. At my place of
work things were just routine, I didn’t have a vision and was simply going
through the motions at my work place. Things that used to excite me no longer
did. What I didn't’ realize was that I was experiencing a burn-out.
According to Professional Certified Coach (PCC) Delaney
Tosh, when our energy outputs exceeds our energy inputs, we can become
chronically exhausted. This leads to impatience and reactivity at work, and a
lack of energy for the second shift at home and family life. In other words
what Delaney is saying is that we cease from being effective both at work and
at home. Our output at work is greatly affected and there’s a lot of strain in
our marriage and relationship with our kids. Delaney goes ahead to state that
our thoughts, behaviors and emotions all have an energy consequence which can
be negative or positive, depleting or renewing. Various demands of life
requires your energy thus drawing down what she calls your “well of
resilience”. If you do not have energy habits that refill your well, and if
your well is not deep enough, you run the risk of draining your well resulting
in a burn-out as I experienced.
Resilience, which is the ability to cope and rebound
quickly, is dependent on the balance of our energy renewal versus daily energy
drains. It is thus important for each of us in both our professional and
personal lives to develop energy renewal habits and be aware of our daily
energy drains. Even our Savior Jesus Christ Himself knew this that’s why after
a busy energy sapping day meeting the needs of the multitudes, could often
times draw away from the crowds to re-energize. How we do that may differ from
person to person, for example introverts like me are energized by pulling away
from the crowds and spending time alone while an extrovert is re-energized by
being with others. One of the ways we can re-energize is by having good
sleeping habits, doing some physical exercises, recreating by doing a road
trip, reading a book or watching a nice movie, and yes by silencing your inner
critic as well.
