We all have energy. Some days we may have a lot of spiritual, mental, physical energy and other days very little. However, everyday we do have energy. We are going to spend energy on something everyday, even if you have a down day, you will be spending energy on something. The question we should consider is, are we spending our energy frivolously or are we investing it?
There are times when you just need to spend energy. A good example is taking the kids to Disney Land. I would like to pretend that this is an investment in the future with the relationship with my kids, but lets be serious. It is a complete expenditure of energy. Probably worth the price but it is definitely not an investment.
An investment of energy works much like monetary investments work. You are making an investment, when you are building an asset that will produce recurring income for you. Anything you invest your energy into should be doing effectively the same thing. This is the tricky part. You can pour a bunch of energy into an activity, that is good for you, and think you are gaining something. The reality could be that you spent a bunch of energy and you only gained a temporary benefit, but in actuality you tore yourself down.
This is the principal reason why building habits with easier progressions is critical. You are investing your time slowly, steadily and building a habit that overtime will pay you dividends in return. An example would be a habit of running. If you build the habit then there will be so many other benefits to your life. You will be able to focus easier, climb steps, perform daily tasks, walk around. All these things will be easier for you. You will gain compounded benefits for having greater muscle strength, improved flexibility and cardiovascular health. An hour a day building that habit will be an investment of energy that will return back to you ten fold.
I am of the opinion that every activity should be viewed that way. Are you doing a task at work or school? Ask yourself, am I investing my time in this in such a way that it will provide me benefit for years to come? If not, you are getting the task done but not necessarily as an investment. Imagine if every task you did all day long was an investment into your future?
Guy Reams
