As a society, we talk a great deal about the importance of conserving our natural resources and utilizing renewable energy sources as much as possible to sustain our way of life.  On a personal level, a great deal has been written about the importance of a positive mindset, counting our blessings, looking at the bright side of events and how that positive mindset can create a renewable source of personal energy to make progress in reaching our hopes and dreams.

On the flip side in terms of ways to reduce how we waste energy, as a society, we again do a good job of reminding ourselves to turn off the lights, drive less aggressively, open the windows as opposed to turn on the air conditioning, etc. as ways to minimize the negative drain on our natural resources.   However, unlike the positive mindset on a personal level, we do not have a great deal written about or discussed on how we deal with the negative, unproductive drains of energy on a personal level.

As we continue on our journey to build and strengthen our character, effectively dealing with the negative, unproductive drains on our personal energy will help us remain on a productive path to reach our full potential.

There are some common sources of negative, unproductive drains on our personal energy that we need to address.  It would be a bit disingenuous for any of us to say we do not deal with negative, unproductive drains on our personal energy from time to time.  Over the course of the next three writings, we are going to shine some light on three common problem areas, in the hope that we can more effectively deal with them.

Part I:  Worry

Many of us struggle with worry in a number of areas of life.  We worry about our family, work, finances, personal safety, etc.  Many of these things are big and important.  Also, we probably worry about the not so big and important things like how we compare to others in our personal and professional lives.  Worry can be a significant drain of energy in our lives.  Sustaining high levels of worry is unhealthy and needs to be addressed.

Below are a few thoughts to address the drain on energy that worry causes:

1. Focus on controlling what we can control. We can only make consistent, meaningful progress on how we respond to events and we cannot control how other people respond.  Focus energy on what we can control…our own thoughts, decisions, and actions.
2. Take small, initial steps of action. We can effectively replace the negative energy around worry when we take a positive step towards addressing the concern.  Begin by making a modest plan and start working the plan.  For example, we can make steady progress by simply beginning to think and journal about our worries and struggles. Eventually, we will build up the courage to take the next larger step. We don’t need to take big, bold steps; small steps in the right direction are all we need to reduce the negative, unproductive drain of energy from a difficult situation.
3. Looking back on our experience. History is a great teacher, if we are willing to learn. The vast majority of things we worry about never happen.

As we take steps to minimize the negative, unproductive drains on our personal energy, we will build and strengthen our character and Character Creates Opportunity to achieve our hopes and dreams.

In Part II we will address the trifecta of negative energy, Anger-Bitterness-Resentment. In Part III we will address the negative energy of being Lost on the street and on the journey of life.