Foundations
The Energy Iceberg - Part 2
How Optimizing Energy will Give You the Most Thrust
academy
Lesson 1
Energy Provides Lift
course objectives
As we move forward on our individual Journey to Purpose, we must continually draw on the three main levers of personal progress… time, talent, and energy.
In this course we’ll talk about the limits of time and talent, as important as they are, and the need to really learn how to optimize for energy to achieve the greatest forward thrust.
The Iceberg
The best way to think about the interplay between our time, talent, and energy is to think of an iceberg. Time and Talent are what lie above the waterline of our personal attention. They manifest themselves as behavior (what we do with our time and our talent). But it’s what lies below the waterline of our attention that matters most, and that’s energy.
When our energy for our activities and objectives is high, it drives up the impact of time and talent. But when that energy fades, so too does the impact of our time and talent. Understanding this interplay, and learning to balance the conflict that can occur with energy, is critical to maintaining motivation to achieve what matters most.
reflection activity
Change Your Energy, Change Your Outcome
Energy drives the behaviors that produce real, long-term outcomes. So if you want to change a long-term outcome, look to change your energy. By way of illustration, consider the comparison in the activity below, and take a minute to reflect or journal about it. See what you discover about energy and its impact on success.
Activity: Change Your Energy, Change Your Outcome
Lesson 2
Optimize For Energy
Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time
In a Harvard Business Review article by Tony Schwartz, he describes that while time is limited, energy is not. When we manage energy across 4 dimensions (physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual), it leads to up to a 20% increase in performance.
Over-engineering our time can lead to exhaustion. But increasing our ability to optimize our energy ultimately leads to making the most out of the time we have, increasing the impact of both our time and our talent for maximum momentum through life.
reflection activity
Choose How to Optimize
As you think about your long-term goals and you set your sights on what you really want to achieve, take the following into consideration (watch the video and then take the assessment below).
Activity: Choose How to Optimize
Lesson 3
Get Oriented
Perspective as a Tool for Progress
When we use Perspective as a tool for progress, we are looking to the past for growth, not failure. We look to the future for opportunity, not threats.
We focus on the entire journey rather than each footstep; and we actively reshape or replace the lens in our field glasses to refocus our life.
reflection activity
Add Energy Back
One of the best ways to increase energy is to reorient our perspective. Watch the following video, then answer the questions in the activity below.
Activity: Add Energy Back
Lesson 4
Energy Habits
Building or Depleting Energy
How do you create energy? How do you expend your energy? Habits, activities, conversations, and thought processes all contribute to or deplete our energy.
It’s wise for us to always be intentional about the energy we choose to spend.
reflection activity
Rituals or Rocks
Life often throws unexpected challenges our way. These challenges can throw us off course. But as we choose to build good habits, even when they are strenuous and require discipline, they can propel us forward on our journey to purpose. Watch the following video and then answer the questions in the activity below.
Activity: Rituals or Rocks
Lesson 5
Measuring Energy
The Right Direction and the Right Speed
How we measure our own personal energy, or keep score, is a powerful motivator for us to push past obstacles and be resilient on our personal journey.
Here is the story of Planck’s Constant, what became a fundamental way for us to keep score of energy, and what that means for us in our personal lives.
reflection activity
Gauging Our Energy
We all have an inner compass. It nudges us toward our inner, personal identity and purpose. We can also gauge whether our energy is increasing or decreasing. Watch the following video, then respond in the activity below.
Activity: Gauging Our Energy
Lesson 6
Confidence and Carefulness
Launch or Retest
There is a lot riding on our success. We need to be performing and executing with as high a level of confidence as we can possibly achieve. That confidence comes from intentionality around our use of time, talent, and energy.
Here is the story of NASA, SpaceX, and Virgin Galactic. It illustrates what we can learn about commercial space flight and how we choose to move forward in our own personal lives in our pursuit of purpose.
reflection activity
Gas or Brakes?
If the only tool we have is the gas pedal, we will lose control and crash. If our only tool is the brake pedal, we won’t ever go anywhere. Watch the following video, then respond in the activity below.
Activity: Gas or Brakes?
Lesson 7
Dedication to Practice
Key Improvements
Sometimes, despite our efforts, we come up short. When this happens, we can either put a little more energy in or redirect our energy in a more efficient way.
Here is the story of Mark Spitz and the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. What can we learn by his dedication to improvement?
reflection activity
Energy Tweaks
Like Mark Spitz, do you ever feel like you’re on top of your game with talent but are still not getting the results that you want? Watch the following video, then respond in the activity below.
Activity: Energy Tweaks
Lesson 8
Keeping Up Confidence
Unresponsive World
Despite the difficulty of isolation or the pressure of outside voices that distract us from our journey, we can still build the energy we need to thrive by cultivating intrinsic motivation.
Here is the story of the world’s loneliest whale. A migrating whale with a unique voice, which is too high for any other whale to hear… and what that means for your personal resilience in life.
reflection activity
Thriving
When you consider how well you maintain energy, do you find your ability to stay energized is correlated with your interaction with others? Watch the following video, then respond in the activity below.
Activity: Thriving
Lesson 9
Momentum
Odds of Success
Change is a direction, not a destination. As we turn knowledge into action, we generate enough energy and develop the momentum needed to make the changes we want.
In this lesson, you’ll learn some simple steps to dramatically increase your likelihood of success when it comes to changing your future and moving forward on your journey to purpose.
reflection activity
Schedule Your Moves
When you consider how well you maintain energy, do you find your ability to stay energized is correlated with your interaction with others? Watch the following video, then respond in the activity below.
Activity: Schedule Your Moves
Lesson 10
Conclusion
In Conclusion
Of time, talent, and energy—energy matters most. Focusing on energy will lead to success as we maximize our productivity and accomplish our goals.
So as you optimize your life on moving forward along your Journey to Purpose, maximize thrust by learning how to optimize for your energy.
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