2017 has come and gone, and I'm sure you're looking towards 2018 with a fresh face. You're determined to hit your resolutions, work on a new business, surprise everyone with a new project.
How can we keep this energy going? How can we harness it? We don't have an unlimited fount of energy.
I've found that good use of energy comes down to a dichotomy between being tired or exhausted.
Tired or exhausted. But what’s the difference?
Have you ever heard people say that they’re sick and tired of something? Think about people who do something that drains them mentally, emotionally, and physically. Think of people who are tired of others playing games with them or using them. Think of people who are tired at the end of the day and just want to watch TV. Tired is when you’re losing energy, when it feels like something’s sucking the life out of you, like this tired koala below:
What’s being exhausted, though? Exhausted is how you describe people who have trained for months toward their big goal of running a marathon and then they run it and finish strong. These people are exhausted when it’s done. Likewise, someone who stays up all night working hard to help a friend in need is exhausted. Someone who is grinding on a new business venture is exhausted. Someone who is writing a book gets exhausted by the end of the day. People who are getting things done—those who are accomplishing their dreams—get exhausted. But those people are never tired. Feeling exhausted is similar to a cell phone with a battery running low from a day of constant use.
Life is going to work you hard. It’s life. Period. We are built to toil. No one escapes hard work. You choose what kind of hard work you’ll do. Will you toil away at a life that drains you of your soul? Or will you work toward a life that gives you meaning?
Now I know you're excited to take on the new year with a head full of steam. But as you prepare to harness your energy, will you be tired at the end of the day, or will you be exhausted? You choose.
Let me know what you think on Twitter at @arelmoodie.
Happy New Year to all of you awesome people!
