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High Energy Habits The Introduction Click to order HIGH ENERGY HABITS Click to take the Rate Your Energy Quiz Would you like to have more energy? Would you like to wake up in the morning looking forward to what the day will bring, and to reach the evening with energy in reserve?Would you like to feel calmer, more in control, more able to enjoy life? It's easier to achieve than you think: Do less of what drains your energy and more of what boosts your energy. Can it be that simple? Well, yes it can. Start by noticing which things reduce your energy and which increase it.Then take some small steps to reduce those that drain your energy and to boost those that enhance it. I can imagine that some of you will have lots of objections and sound reasons as to why this may not work for you, but humour me. I will explain the practical steps necessary to make the changes, and the effort involved will repay itself many times over. Your life may be just about to change gear. A lot of the people I meet are successful, yet even so they often experience a feeling of being overwhelmed.They feel that life is tough and, frankly, not that much fun. There seem to be many causes: a 'To Do' list that never gets shorter; too many demands in their different roles (partner, child, grandchild, parent, fundraiser, sibling,neighbour, employee, manager); too many meetings; too many e-mails; too much travel; too much information to absorb and too easily contacted through mobile communications. They feel a lack of control, are perpetually struggling and never getting closer to the light at the end of the tunnel. Fire-fighting and unreasonable demands have almost become the norm. It doesn't have to be this way. When you have more energy, you feel more resilient and resourceful. Problems become smaller, are dealt with more completely and recurless often. Life seems more manageable and starts to be amore positive experience. People with more energy attract similar people, are more fun to be around and get more done. The author For a long time, I used to have very low energy. It started in childhood growing up with a father who was violent and unpredictable. I learnt then how to form a small target by holding my energy back and maintaining a low profile in order to avoid getting hurt. As an adult, I continued this behaviour and was often slow to contribute in groups,but was not aware of what I was doing or why.This behaviour got me fired, which led me to explore through a variety of means what was going on. As a result of that exploration, my energy is now much higher and I have learned to notice and act more quickly on the things that impact my energy. I have since been promoted several times, increased profits by several million pounds for my employers and been singled out for spontaneous bonuses and other forms of recognition. For the last seven years, I have run my own business, Coaching Directors. I work as an Executive Coach, have a successful practice and been featured in The Times. What follows is based on what I have learned. HIGH ENERGY PEOPLE People with high energy are not only more attractive, they seem to have an easier, and better, time than the rest of us. They appear to move through life with less bruising, friction and erosion. Here are some of the words andphrases that have been used to describe people with high energy: a spark in the eye a certain fluidity the mood in a roomful of people changes when they walk in somehow attractive - you are drawn to them you feel better around them openness passionate self-assured robust yet vulnerable they seem to accept themselves, warts and all they have a sense of humour; a mischievous, playful side they seem to have more time approachable living in the present, not distracted or absent have a sense of clarity and purpose about them optimistic, with a positive attitude spontaneous By contrast, people with low energy appear: hesitant, uncertain one-paced private awkward, sort of angular distracted fragile reserved slow to commit, indecisive worn down pessimistic their words lack conviction Which words or phrases best describe the way you are today? Would you prefer people to describe you more often using phrases from the first group? And what is a man without energy? Nothing - nothing at all. What is the grandest thing in Paradise Lost? - the Archfiend's terrible energy! What wasthe greatest feature in Napoleon's character? His unconquerable energy! Sum all the gifts that man is endowed with, and we give our greatest share of admiration to his energy. And today if I were a heathen, I would rear a statue to Energy and fall down and worship it! Mark Twain This book is NOT about Some of you will be relieved to find that this book is NOT about diet, nutrients, exercise, chakras, power naps or feng shui. All these things have a contribution to make and there are a gazillion books on them. This book IS about This book is more about 'head stuff ': paying attention todifferent things, noticing how you respond to the littlethings and doing something about them because theymatter, often more than they appear to. What I want isfor you to feel inspired to take a number of small stepsin order to achieve a big benefit.The essence of this bookis about bite-sized, straightforward, achievable steps thatmake a huge difference. How to read this book You do not have to read this book from start to finish; feelfree to dip in anywhere. You can do the exercises as yougo through, do them later or never do them at all. Clearly,if you want to get the full benefit, it makes sense to readthe whole book and do the exercises, but you are likely toget a lot from it just by dipping in and reading parts of it. By the time you finish this book If you follow the steps in this book, then by the time youfinish you will: Have repaired all those little things that need fixing, that you've been meaning to get around to, but have been ignoring - it takes energy to ignore them. Have cleared the clutter in your life - a big energy drain. Spend more time with the people who bring out the best in you. Be clear what your natural strengths are and you will use them more often. Build in a 'margin' in your life for contingencies, so that when things go wrong the impact is less and any anxiety is reduced. This will increase your sense of resourcefulness and energy. Have regular time in your schedule for activities that boost your energy. You will see that these are not optional but rather they recharge your batteriesand help you cope with all the demands in your life. Change your perspective so that instead of seeing what is wrong you will appreciate what is right and abundant in your life and be able to enjoy your life more. Connect with people more often and feel the increased energy that comes from having more positive contact with different people. Slow down at times and get more done. Find being happy is easier. Find it easier and less wearing to deal with children. Get more help where you need it and progress will be quicker. Notice more quickly what things drain your energy and what boosts it, and want to do some-thing about it. Case studyOne of my coaching clients, Mark Wilson, is an independent financial advisor in Surrey, who was running a successful business before he starting coaching with me. Mark, aged forty, started coaching because he was curious, not because there was anything particular he wanted to fix. We worked on a variety of topics and managing energy was often a core theme. After a year of coaching, he had made several changes in his life: He played golf once a week. He rarely worked evenings any longer. He reconnected with his friends. He spent more time with his family. He no longer felt that he was 'living in a fog' when he was with his family. He felt in complete control. His wife said to him spontaneously 'it's like having the old you back again'. He reduced his working week from 66 hours on average to 42. Some of you may be wondering whether this was achieved at the expense of his business. It wasn't: his turnover tripled at the same time as he made all these changes. How did he do it? Firstly, he is a remarkable individual who is very open to new ideas and looks for opportunities to grow. Secondly, he implemented the ideas in this book. ADDITIONAL BENEFITS Having more energy affects all areas of life. I asked my clients and the audiences at my workshops what benefitsthey saw from the steps outlined in the book and this iswhat they reported: They are more aware of how things affect them and they have more sense that they can do something about it. They feel more in control and less as if they are behind all the time. They enjoy what they do more. They get more done. The quality of their output improves. They achieve improved profits. They feel better about the world. Problems become easier to deal with. They do a little on a regular basis. They are more willing to take action. Things get done with less effort. They stop putting up with unsatisfactory situations. They feel more in the present. They feel less stressed. They have more sense of time. Having more energy can help us to feel more optimistic.Psychologists have demonstrated that optimism is linked to productivity. One study by the psychologists Seligmanand Schulman explored the link between optimism and sales among a group of life insurance salespeople. They used a written test to assess optimism and divided thegroup into two: those above and below the median - the 'optimists' and the 'pessimists'. They then monitored sales for the two groups over two years. In the first year, the optimists sold 29 per cent more insurance in their first year than the pessimists. In the second year, the gap widened: the optimists sold 130 percent more insurance than the pessimists. So feeling more optimistic is not just a nice-to-have. It makes a measurable difference to productivity that is significant and longterm. Now try the Rate Your Energy Quiz to see how you could benefit from this book Click to order HIGH ENERGY HABITS