Our Life Energy - Our Greatest Investment?

Life Energy as an Investment

When we think of an investment – a good one - it generates the idea of a worthwhile endeavor, using our resources and capital to create a return on what we initially put in. The aim is always greater expansion and a sense of satisfaction.

The opposite - a bad investment - results in a total loss of or reduction in resources which may be unrecoverable, leading to feelings of disappointment and a sense of waste.

There are some things we immediately identify as investments or investable resources in our lives. The most obvious example of these being our money. We generally pay very detailed attention to the way we manage these resources and maintain careful levels of awareness of their expenditure and correlating returns.

However, I recently heard an interesting expression, “Treat everything in your life as an investment, especially your energy.”

“Treat everything in your life as an investment, especially your energy.”

That, for many, is a powerful mindset shift right there. I found the concept very profound, and I wanted to explore that idea further.

Our Money

For your own investments – the mind immediately goes to how you have spent your money and allocated your financial resources- very important. All our monetary assets come to mind – we think about our real property, education, skills training, investments in our children’s future, our businesses and

all the other assets in which we have invested our money.

It is mandatory to have personal systems in place to manage our financial resources using focused and consistent approaches. There are various tools and educational resources publicly available that can assist us to make the best use of our funds for current and future use. “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” Proverbs 21:5

Our Love

A more enlightened approach may lead us to consider our love as an essential investment. We consider our choice of a spouse or future life partner. We all know that the returns on that investment decision and the impact on your life will be reflected in multiple ways – your quality of life, the values you teach your children, your social network, your emotional stability – just to name a few.

We should also consider our expressions of love as investment to reap positive karma. Our actions should be grounded in a sense of love and care for humanity in obedience to God. We all know the saying “you reap what you sow.” Sowing a seed of love and care in the life of someone else, in true obedience, can reap so many meaningful blessings not just for you, but anyone connected to you. We are reminded of that in the Bible in 1 Kings 11:12 when Solomon’s throne was spared for the sake of his father David.

Karma can be generational, taking years to be fulfilled, but it will always come full circle. In the words of the guys from one of the world’s top business podcast Earn Your Leisure “Karma has no expiration date.”

Our Time

A discussion on our most valuable investments must also include our time. One of the most critical, truly personal and very unforgiving resources we each have is our time. Completely non-recoverable and finite – waste any portion of it and it is forever gone! If we were to all do an audit of our 24 hours each day, would we find that we are consistently making good ‘time- investments?’

Do we schedule our time to consistently optimize the use of our energy?

“Living productively is about being intentional with our choices and how we live.” - Tanya Dalton (Author, Speaker, Productivity Expert)

Our Life Energy

Like our money, our love, our skills, our time, how many of us deliberately consider our daily allotment of life energy, as a critical resource which should always be viewed as an investment?

In addition to that, how many of us do that consistently, all the time, on a day-to-day basis?

Be honest with yourself.

In general, nature tends to follow the path of least resistance, energy preservation in effect.

Our brains are created to preserve energy – numerous studies on habit formation outline that the brain creates habits to allow less energy to be expended on performing routine activities. Subconsciously, mandatory survival functions are reduced to automations to preserve the mental energy which would be required to think about ensuring you blink, breathe, pump your heart! Imagine having to consciously remember to do all of that!

Adrenaline assists in the release of rushes of energy only in times of perceived necessity.

However, do we consciously see our daily allotment of life energy as a resource to be preserved for expending on whatever is the most efficient and valuable and invested with full wisdom?

In so doing, how do we prioritize our daily, personal energy spend?

Yes, we will say our time is important – this is our schedule; our finances are important – this is our budget; our love is important and serious, and we map out all the traits and must haves we deem acceptable in a spouse – All of that we do, and all of that is good.

Yes, our time and energy are intertwined, but consider how many times you have ever attempted to adhere to a very productive schedule on paper, only to find yourself expending mental energy on something else that is completely counter-productive.

That is the premise of this discussion - our life energy – every proverbial ‘ounce’ of it’?

Mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally – where and how are we allocating our life energy, and to what degree?

I will be the first to admit that this philosophy has assumed a new and poignant meaning for me.

I just never thought of it that way in such detail!

I have determined to ask myself the question now:

“For every unit of energy I expend on a daily basis, am I making a good investment?”

That is a revolutionary question.

It compels you to drill down to a level where unproductive energy can become more readily identifiable.

You can now gauge and limit the amount of energy you exert into activities, speech, even thoughts which you know will not yield much value.

This can be universally applied across all the components of our day, with the potential for exponentially positive results.

While remaining realistic and practical, ask the question when thinking about the energy you are about to expend:

“Will this be a good investment or a bad investment?”

“This” can be anything:

- This next step I’m about to take

- This comment I keep replaying in my head

- This video I’m about to watch

- This meal I’m about to eat

- This phone call I’m about to take/make

- These thoughts I keep allowing…

You get the point. Essentially, this seed I am about to sow (in whatever form), will it reap a good yield?

Will it be a good or bad investment?

Continuous practice will trigger a powerful subconscious analytical system in your mind over time.

You should find the answer by aligning your “this” to the truth that resonates for you, your ideal goals relative to specific areas of your life - your ideal vision of yourself.

If you find that “this” is out of sync, then spending your energy on whatever “this” is may indeed be a bad investment. Alternatively, you may need to review what you originally held your ideal. Life is dynamic – needs, goals and priorities do change.

Either way, just asking the question allows you to consider carefully if something is worth the priceless investment of your life energy at that time and to what degree.

When we begin to practice assessing everything within this clear framework, our perspective sharpens. Each one of us will begin to handle our life with a greater degree of purposeful intention and precision. If we consciously do this daily, I believe that moving towards attaining success and fulfillment must become inevitable.

If you have always done this, then congratulations you are ahead of the curve!

However, most of us, including myself will have to embrace this strategy seriously and consistently to navigate our life journey in the pursuit of our self-actualized ideal. However, this should always be exercised with practical consideration and a deep understanding that our version of our personal ideal must be met with the grace to evolve.

I hope you enjoyed this article. Thanks for reading!

Life is a journey, enjoy.

Always remember you are 'Destined to Actualize.'

Blessings. 😊