This day is done

Small lake in the Laurentians, Quebec, taken at sunset, July 2014

And it wasn't easy

• More than half of the items on your to-do list didn't get done.
• An important meeting, email reply or phone call was forgotten.
  
• Another lousy sleep, lunch eaten on the run, and no work-out at the gym.
  
• Resentment of your partner for not being more helpful, more communicative or more loving.

• Same old self-doubt and worry gnawed away at your good intentions.

But a new day begins tomorrow
I find comfort knowing tomorrow is a new day. A chance to start afresh, with renewed hope and enthusiasm. To forgive myself and others for small transgressions, both real and perceived. A  chance to do a better job than the day before!

This same idea can apply to each moment. We have a choice about how to direct our energy through each moment of living.

In my previous post, I wrote about how various stimuli can affect our energy, which in turn affects how productive or effective (as defined by each person) we are in our personal and professional lives.  I also mentioned that our goal is not the avoidance of all negative stimuli but being able to speed up our recovery time, so we get back to 'normal' without overstaying our visit to low energy land.

So what happens when a new day arrives, and the same stimuli continue to trigger the same negative energetic responses? In other words, what happens when the same 'buttons' get pushed, resulting in deep drop-offs of enthusiasm, concentration or confidence?  All which affect performance. Productivity. And effectiveness.

If I had a 'button' proof answer - we would all be spared the energy-sapping traps we can easily fall into.

Read on -- some of these suggestions may be helpful

Bad habits play a central role in being triggered negatively. If you spend a lot of time thinking about and doing the same things repeatedly, they will stick. So do the opposite:

• Cultivate a low tolerance for energy-depleting activities and thoughts.

If you are under the impression you are somehow inferior, because only you are prone to the effects of negative stimuli, think again:

• The best doctor, therapist, coach - you name it - faces the demons of negative thoughts.

We each have a mental map, built up over time that helps us find our way through each day. It represents a lifetime of learning about what works and what doesn't work and this map governs what we 'should' and 'ought' to feel, think and do. These are our basic assumptions, values and beliefs that we rely on to make our way in the world: to make decisions, to address difficult situations and to simply organize and codify information.

These mental maps exert tremendous influence and power over our reactions. And their influence is often unconscious. We often react without really knowing why:

• If you have the same reaction time and time again to the same stimuli or to a 'family' of stimuli, ask yourself "where are my reactions coming from and why.  And take it a step further, asking: "What is this really about? What am I really reacting to?" 
• How can I release my preconceptions of how I should respond or feel so that new feelings and ideas can surface?  
  

Sometimes we are in the grip of low energy and this low energy phase can provide insight into our mental maps. If we see our reactions as clues we can conceive of and develop new ways of thinking: 

• Take advantage of low energy periods to investigate what perspective or point of view your mental maps are directing you toward. And then, by finding alternative explanations or insights, you can re-direct your energy.
  

On to higher energy,
Coach Minda