Archive for January, 2010

Let’s talk energy! In my eZine last week I wrote about maximizing your daily effectiveness.  There are many factors that come into play as you cultivate your best self.  So where do you start?  At the source or core is your internal energy – a renewable and powerful resource that is available to you at all times, 24/7.  You just need to know how to tap into it and use it to help you achieve your greatest potential.

It’s helpful if I share a little technical background, so bear with me while I lay some groundwork that you may or may not be familiar with.  First, let’s take away the mystery around some of the Chinese terms you may have run across.  Chinese words are typically expressed in one of two different systems of Chinese to English (Pinyin – currently used in China and Wade-Giles – formerly used in China), so I’ve included them both as reference.  When I speak of your energy, I’m referring to what is known in Eastern martial arts and philosophy as your Qi (chee), Chi or internal energy.  In my Taijiquan (tie-jee-chuen), Tai Chi Chuan or ”Grand Ultimate Fist” - the slow-moving martial art that resembles moving meditation - and Qigong (chee-kung) , Chi Kung  or energy practice, I generate energy, move it within my body, and direct it externally, as well.  You might have experienced this yourself, or this may be a new concept for you, but everyone has Qi and you can learn how to revitalize yourself by increasing and focusing your Qi.

Your energy center is in your core – your Dan Tien (don tee-en) - which is located one to one-and-a-half inches below your navel and one to two inches deep, depending on the individual (Yang, 1997).  This is also your body’s center of gravity – all in all, a very important place to pay attention to and work with.

While this may sound a little esoteric or woo-woo, it’s actually based on physics, and has been studied in the business community.   In 2007 The Harvard Business Review published an article by Tony Schwartz and Catherine McCarthy of The Energy Project called “Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time” http://hbr.harvardbusiness.org/2007/10/manage-your-energy-not-your-time/ar/1.   It recounts energy work done with employees of Wachovia.

The premise of the article is that time is a limited resource, but personal energy is renewable.  Schwartz and McCarthy have been working with corporate America on how to increase productivity in the workforce.  They work on four dimensions of energy:  physical, emotional, mental and spiritual, and suggest specific rituals to increase each of them.

A pilot energy management program conducted with Wachovia revealed some compelling findings:  After 3 months, participants in the energy renewal program produced 13% higher loan revenues than the control group and 20% higher revenues from deposits, which was considered an extremely successful program by Wachovia’s standards.

The findings of this experiment are also important for business owners and other professionals because we all want to be able to do more with less, keep our energy consistently high and be as productive as we can each day. So let’s talk about how you can tap into your energy.  It’s actually part of a larger dynamic that I summarize as:

Core Energy + Core Strength + Core Values = Core Power

It’s your Core Power that drives you forward in a fundamental way.   If  your core power is fully engaged, you’ll be full of energy, your focus will be laser-sharp, you’ll feel strong yet relaxed, you’ll walk taller and look more confident, your balance will be better, you will move more gracefully (yes, guys, this is important for you, too), and you will maintain greater health and vitality.

To experience your own Qi or core energy, try this three-minute exercise:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, legs straight with knees unlocked, your arms dangling at your sides and your eyes closed.
2. Raise your hands till your palms face each other 4 to 6 inches apart and in front of your belly, just below your waist.
3. Start breathing slowly from your belly right below your navel, allowing your belly to expand as you inhale and contract as you exhale in a relaxed manner.  Breathe through your nose on the inhale and exhale.
4. With each breath, allow your palms to gently pulse apart on the inhale and together on the exhale.
5. Continuing with your eyes closed, visualize the sun’s energy radiating from your Dan Tien – your energy center below your navel – with each inhale, causing your palms to pulse apart.
6. Continue this breathing in a slow, relaxed manner for a minute and notice how your palms feel.  Play with it for another minute, slightly changing the angle of the palms as they face each other, allowing the distance between them to expand if you feel resistance between them (like a ball of energy) and continuing to envision the sun’s energy emanating from your core.
7. Complete the exercise by bringing your palms together, one in front of the other, to gather the energy into your center, flat against your belly.
8. Gently relax your arms to dangle at your sides and slowly open your eyes.

What did you notice during the exercise?  How did your core and palms feel?  How did your palms look afterwards?  How did you feel overall after the exercise?  I invite you to share your experience with others  (and me) on this blog.  There is much more we can do with energy, but that gives you a taste.

Next week we’ll move to the second part of the equation – core strength…it may not be as obvious as you think….

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Now that I’m settling into my life in Florida, I am really appreciating how at ease I am here and how much I am energized by my surroundings.  I am truly home.  I want others to experience similar tranquility about where they live and how they are living their life.  I also appreciate efficiency and getting the most out of every precious moment we have each day, so I began to ask myself, “What would be the most fundamental, useful and reasonably doable life practices that could help someone be the healthiest, happiest, most fulfilled person possible…especially given the crazy pace of life for so many of us?  How could we have our most robust life?

We’re bombarded with so many ideas on how to be a better, smarter, happier, richer, prettier, healthier – you name it – person….Which way do you turn?  Who do you believe?  Who has exactly the right answer for you?  It can be confusing and overwhelming.  I’ve done a lot of research about a lot of life issues and the conclusion I came to years ago is that I can take in all kinds of good stories and good advice, but it’s only by checking in with myself – keeping communication open with my intuition and my personal values – that I can make sense of all the input in a way that will be useful to me.  Context is key.

So how do we live the life we want, keep our stress low and energy high, and get the most out of each day – both personally and professionally?  I call it maximizing your “daily effectiveness”, and it begins by looking inside, getting clear about your core values and engaging in positive life practices that can be maintained consistently with a small investment of time, thought and intentional action.  Over the coming months I’ll share a variety of tips and resources on how you can increase your daily effectiveness; you decide what feels right for you. 
 
This e-zine comes to you just once a month; if you’d like to learn even more, you can receive my weekly blog posts with additional tips, resources and timely updates by clicking here  to get the RSS feed.  Talk to you again soon!
 
KB

I’ve been thinking a lot about our creativity and passion and being true to that deepest, most child-like part of us – how we all have that part of us that is full of child-like wonder and glee.  We forget about it and lose touch with it as we go about our busy lives.  As the new year gets rolling, I want to celebrate the creativity that lies within each of us.  Do you have some expression of your creativity that you’d like to post here?  Something you wrote or a description of something you did?  I’m celebrating with a poem I wrote awhile back and have never shared before….Here’s to expressing for the joy of it…..

Possibility

I leave behind the sad, the negative, the wimpering, simpering false labor of an unimagined life

To celebrate that crisp indelible glimpse of what could be in far off places

               that are but a stone’s throw from the mind.

Oh, passion is at rest and neither grovels nor pushes pretentiously through that veil of doubt

But waits for possibility to overtake the dull thud of footsteps in place

               on a well-worn sidewalk of a fettered mind.

Oh, how out we come

And joy overtakes all

And the cymbals crash like obnoxious, unruly children in our heads

As we come marching out into the glare of the sun

And smile and smile and smile.

Happy New Year

KB