A few mornings ago, I was taking the garbage out. I went outside through our garage and when I turned to go back inside, I noticed a bird – or what I thought was a bird – swiftly flying around the ceiling area of the garage. I quickly realized the creature was a hummingbird.
We have a vaulted garage, but a standard size garage door so there are several feet between the ceiling of the garage and the track where the garage door sits when it’s open. This hummingbird was flying and flying and flying and flying in loops and loops around the top of the garage. I could not get it to see how it could easily get outside if it just flew a few feet lower. It just flew and flew, round and round. Occasionally it would perch on the garage track – not realizing that its freedom was just a few inches below.
I kept peeking out from inside the house and there it would be – flying and flying and flying. Around and around and around. But never flying low enough to see the huge opening where freedom waited.
It was a very, very hot day and this went on for a long enough that I started to worry about the poor little creature’s energy. It needed fresh air (and its family!) and I needed an answer of how to get it out of the garage. I finally called my husband and my sister and consulted with my best friend, Google.
They reminded me hummingbirds love red and they helped me come up with a plan.
I laid a bright red jacket over the hood and windshield of the car and draped it down toward the garage floor where I laid out bright red paper plates like breadcrumbs leading out. If I could get it to fly low enough, it would see the sunshine and open air.
I went inside, said a little prayer (true story), waited a bit – and when I looked out again, it was gone.
That little hummingbird got me thinking. And I’m still thinking about it days later.
How might I be mis-allocating my energy?
What obvious answer am I missing?
Tony Schwartz, a key researcher on energy, says to think of our energy in four dimensions.
He adds that it’s risky to try and run ourselves like machines, fast and continually. Human beings perform better when they have periods of activity followed by periods of rest. Working flat out is often less efficient than it looks (except maybe if you’re a hummingbird.)
What are those 4 dimensions of energy? I wondered that, too.
Physical Energy – We need sleep, healthy nourishment, and rest. And, ideally we have strong rituals around each of these for building and renewing our physical energy.
Mental – We need to be able to manage our attention, both in terms of focusing closely on what’s in front of us and being able to shift comfortably from one task to another.
Emotional – We need to cultivate positive emotions, and, as much as possible, encourage them in the people around us. “Most people realize that they tend to perform best when they’re feeling positive energy. What they find surprising is that they’re not able to perform well or … effectively when they’re feeling any other way,” he says.
Spiritual – We work best when we feel there’s a real purpose to what we’re doing, something that feels meaningful. Mr. Schwartz says, “To access the energy of the human spirit, people need to clarify priorities and establish accompanying rituals in three categories: 1) doing what they do best and enjoy most; 2) consciously allocating time and energy to the areas of their lives—work, family, health, service to others—they deem most important; and 3) living their core values in their daily behaviors.”
I can’t wait to hear about how you’re allocating your energy in these four areas and what rituals you have in place. And if you need help with any of them, I would be so happy to assist you. (And a little prayer never hurts!)
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