The 50 Point Energy Plan: No Go Snow

The 50 Point Energy Plan: No Go Snow: We have had wintery conditions up here in the Northeast, but not bad enough to warrant a snow day this morning. My kids do all these crazy t...

No Go Snow

We have had wintery conditions up here in the Northeast, but not bad enough to warrant a snow day this morning. My kids do all these crazy things to "beat the odds", they put a spoon under their pillows, flush an ice cube, and wear their pajama pants backwards and inside out. I roll my eyes and hope for their sake the voodoo might work.

This morning, after learning that in fact, school was open just like usual, they cried anguished cries of misfortune. Why me? they lamented and were confused with the large amounts of snow on the road not matching the flashing answering machine button with the school closed recording.

In this moment I realized what they were experiencing. The joy of being told you can spend your energy points however you want Without Guilt. The ability to know that whatever you do today is a bonus, as those energy points were destined for work and commitments.

As adults, we have the power to take "a snow day". We call them mental health days, but that sounds like we are losing it and if we don't take the day we will snap. My advice, schedule a few "snow days" for yourself. Allows yourself some freedom to choose on that particular day how you will spend your points. Without Guilt.

You will be healthier and I would imagine, happier.

Are those your points jingling?: Holiday Energy Points

The holidays are a great time to learn about the 50 Point Energy Plan.

The most wonderful time of the year is also often the busiest (although I think May is right up there).

For those with jobs that are in retail, the days get more exhausting. For those in health care, the need for services goes up this time of year. For those with friends and family, the thinking and planning about gifts and parties and traditions takes a front seat.

Let me tell you a quick story.

The spa has been open for 7 Christmas seasons. We are very busy from Thanksgiving to New Years with gift cards, services, products flying off the shelves. The first 3 years we were open I would get sick the week between Christmas and New Years. And not just a little sick. Like the crawling toward the door to attempt to make it to work sick. The full monty. And I was noticing that my staff looked as crappy as I felt.

We were using all our energy points. We had no more, and our bodies gave up.
This has to stop, I thought. This is in no way acceptable.

So I fashioned a way to make a change. The first thing we did was adjusted the schedule. No services on Christmas Eve, and the next two days off. And the way the calendar is this year, my staff is having 4 days off. Sure, we could be very busy. It's very easy to have a full spa these days. But at what energy cost?

We also changed how we planned our energy, maximizing what we can do before the holidays even start. The attitude of how your energy will be spent plays a big role on how you will feel. Visualizing the perfect outcome helps you manifest how your energy will be used.

If you have been reading this blog for sometime, or have been to a workshop, your energy has a currency. It has a value that you place on it. The value of my energy points during the holidays goes up. My decisions "to do, or not to do" are valued differently in a season that has so much coming at me.

If I want my staff to give their best to our clients everyday, I have to value their energy as well as mine. They have every right to spend their energy points however they see fit, and for me and them, it is not acceptable to have them giving more than they physically and mentally have.

Because what will happen?

Everyone gets sick.

My core belief is that if I can teach you how to manage your energy by using a simple points system, you can use it as a tool to decrease stress in your life and stay healthy. You have control over how you use your points, and given all the obstacles we can still plan our energy.

Commitments, Health, Environment, Work and Inspiration. These are your energy pods that create the 50 points. Keeping them balanced will keep you balanced.

Please come to my workshop this week: Thursday Nov 13 at 5:15 at Waterfalls Day Spa.
It will be energy well spent.

Turning toward Balance

At the end of my massages, I give my clients a toast. It is a 3-4 sentence mantra about receiving new energy, releasing stale energy, and turning toward balance. I have used the phrase hundreds of times "turning toward balance" and wanted to explore why I use it.

To turn toward something is to accept it. If I can steer you toward a feeling at the moment after your massage, I want it to be balance. I turn you toward it to allow you to realize that it can be attainable, and that even as we lose sight of it (we always do), that maybe just a gentle movement toward balance is enough for you to feel better and stay healthy.

The concept of The 50 Point Energy Plan is to calmly and rationally turn you toward balance. I imagine it in my mind as a "thing" like an Italian marble fountain.  The fountain is the center of those 5 circles: where Commitments, Health, Environment, Work and Inspiration all converge.

When you work too much, you get away from the fountain of balance. When you are over committed, you can't even hear the water, never mind see the fountain.  You lose perspective and feel lost.




50 Points is a tool. A way to figure out where the path is to get you turned around and headed toward balance.

The Fireworks of Inspiration

Fireworks just went off.  Boom.

My family ran to the window to see, and we all knew why the fireworks were happening.  We have a hard cider company in our town (Woodchuck Hard Cider) that had a celebration today (they charmingly called it a Cideration).

Inspiration is like fireworks going off. It's the magical moment when you feel success, pleasure, and awe.

The 50 Point Energy Plan wants you to use 10 points of energy a day feeling Inspired. These are the things that make you feel good, give you pleasure, let you escape. So many of us choose to forgo this aspect of our lives, and leave it as an optional energy expense. Optional?

It is not an option. You must consciously use your energy every day on small inspirational items.
If you do not, you will get sick.

Your inspiration points don't have to be as grand and flashy as fireworks.
But they need to be planned and honored as important.

Think of things that inspire you and that make you feel good. Some ideas are nature, journaling, being creative, talking with a friend, books, music, hobbies, antiques,...the list is endless. You may think it is without consequence........but there is one. I have seen people get sick because they stopped using their inspiration points.

Have your own mini celebration every day by using your available energy points for Inspiration.

Energy Zapped

It is 95 degrees outside today and I have heard people say, "Boy, this heat zaps my energy".

It does. As do all extreme conditions.

Here is what is noteworthy to me......

When someone says "The heat has zapped my energy", we believe them. We rally around the concept. We understand. We commiserate.

This does not happen with energy zapping in other instances. A day where you have "overspent" your energy points means little to the house brimming with chores. A boss asking you to "have a quick meeting" when you have planned other to dos, can leave you feeling energy zapped.

When you get too hot, you so something about it. You get out of the sun, go inside, regroup.

When your energy gets zapped, are you doing anything about it?

Feeling zapped of your energy leaves you feeling out of control, stressed and can lead to illness.

Learn how to use The 50 Point Energy Plan. Come to a workshop. Ask me when you see me. Budgeting, tracking and managing your energy will keep you from feeling the heat.

When 50 Points aren't enough

During 50 Point Energy Plan workshops, often people get concerned that 50 points isn't enough.

Before we even start to get to the meat of the concept, there is a hand being raised asking how to get more. I am here to clarify:

You are a human being. There is a limit to what you can accomplish in one day. Lucky for you that you have thousands and thousands of days. If you are exhausted and overwhelm yourself chronically, you will get sick.

Energy has value. Your energy is valuable to you at whatever exchange rate you set. I set mine very high as I value where my energy is going. Think about your exchange rate and that will lead you in the right direction when you are given choices on how to spend your energy.

 

Using the exchange rate analogy, put your name on this list of countries. When you know the value of your energy, you will not be willing to exchange it for anything less than you desire.

There are enough energy points in a day. Don't go looking for more. Focus on the quality of how you are spending them in the 5 areas of Commitments, Health, Environment, Work and Inspiration.