My son has a pair of nasty blue shorts he calls his “energy shorts.”
I don’t know how this started, but (he claims) when he puts them on it gives him Great Energy that requires him to run around and ping off the walls like an idiot… which he is… because he’s 11.
I have been thinking a lot about energy lately, and if you have been in to see me you are probably sick of hearing about it.
Here is a bit of physics: (now hang with me, I am not going to get all college math on you. I don’t like that stuff either.)
The first law of thermodynamics, also known as Law of Conservation of Energy, states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; energycan only be transferred or changed from one form to another.
If this is true; then why do we “run out of energy?” If energy cannot be created nor destroyed we can’t run out of energy.
We all know if we don’t get enough sleep, eat right and manage our stress we have “less energy” the next day. Don’t believe me? Stay up until 2 AM, drink a two-liter jug of Mountain Dew, eat a bag of Doritos and a box of donuts and lets see how zippy you feel in the morning.
So where did all your energy go? Well, maybe it didn’t go anywhere. Maybe it just changed forms. After all, the law states that energy can change forms. So maybe it changed from a positive, well-rested and optimistic type of energy to a negative, over-tired and pessimistic type of energy. It’s still there, it’s just not in the form that is most beneficial to us.
Scott Adams is a cartoonist and the creator of Dilbert. He also has written a number of books. He is a man of strong opinions (check out his blog) and I don’t agree with everything writes. But I do like what he has to say about energy.
From his book How to fail at pretty much everything and still win big; Adams writes: “Energy is a simple word that captures a mind-boggling array of complicated happenings. For our purposes I’ll define your personal energy as anything that gives you a positive lift, either mentally or physically.”
I tend to agree with Adams. Particularly when he talks about energy killers. You know, those activities or events that instantly make you feel exhausted. For me, it’s clothes shopping (a painful event that makes me want to go lie down in the car.) My wife, on the other hand, seems to get energized when she is prowling the mall. This is dangerous on a number of levels – mostly money related.
So what do we do here? Every day we are pushed and pulled from the moment we get up until we go to bed. Our energy is under constant assault.
Adams says, “The way I approach the problem of multiple priorities is by focusing on one main metric: my energy. I make choices to maximize my personal energy because that makes it easier to manage all of the other priorities.”
In other words; pick and choose. Avoiding, as much as we can, those things that transform our energy from the good stuff to the bad stuff is not selfish. (and we instinctively know what those things are) It’s a way of living a happier, healthier, and more energetic life.
Thanks for reading along so far. I really appreciate it and I would love your comments and thoughts on energy. If you know anyone who might like to get these blog posts, just click the green link below and I would love to add them to the list.
Dr. Dave
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