Energy often makes the headlines—oil prices, the surge of renewable energy sources, Tesla and Musk, etc. But what about personal energy? How do we feel at the start, middle, and end of each day?
Over 150,000 people worldwide recently took a personal energy audit. The results are in: 74% are in a personal energy crisis. The Energy Project outlines the challenge well:
“In a world of increasing demand and diminishing resources, people are working more hours, spending more time outside work tethered to digital devices, and taking less time to reflect, renew and prioritize. As a result, they’re increasingly exhausted, overwhelmed, and disengaged. It’s not a sustainable way of working for individuals or for organizations.”
Just like we spend time putting gas in our vehicles and paying our utility bills, we need to invest in our own personal energy. The Energy Project suggests there are different types of personal energy that need to be sustained to avoid a personal energy crisis. Physical energy includes sleep and exercise. Spiritual energy isn’t limited to religion—it’s more about having a meaning for why you do what you do. Emotional energy is about how you feel.
Easy to understand, but hard to do between work, dealing with daily chores, being there for your family, and cleaning up after the toilet overflows. Not to mention the political and cultural divides that appear to be growing in our country. But it doesn’t take long to at least think about this subject. It’s critical to healthy living, healthy relationships, and to a healthy company. Because if we’re all in a personal energy crisis, we won’t be able to sustain. And the demands on each of us are only going to increase as technology continues to break down the walls between personal time and work.
Now is the time to take a stand and find ways to protect and to fuel your personal energy. Most of us believe we’ve got one shot at life (except for Elvis, of course); we should enjoy the ride!
Check out The Energy Project CEO Tony Schwartz’s message to attendees of Hanley Wood’s HIVE conference here.
