A Formula to Recharge Your Battery

We live in a world which demands a lot of us. Demands on our time; our money; our skills. To be honest it is incredibly draining, and if we don’t get to “fill up”, “recharge” and do this often, we can burn out. The lack of energy and a felt sense of “empty” is one that comes up often with people I coach. 

My immediate response is to ask, do you know whatfills you up? Unfortunately, most people don’t. My next question is, what was your favourite thing to do when you were 10? For those that remember, and when they talk about it, they become animated, they smile. You see them light up and lighten up.

So why do I ask about 10? Well it is an age in our childhood that is easier to remember. But more importantly, when we do the stuff at that age, it’s not work. We do it for ourselves, not others. We do it because it is fun. Not because we must or it is full of obligation. There’s just freedom. I would argue this is a good benchmark for the things that will help us recharge.

I spoke recently with a woman in her 40s and she talked about how she loved to dance around her room at that age. Then all through her teenage years she did dance classes. In her adult life she has done group fitness classes, but in the last 5 years she stopped. The common theme was music and movement. She agreed that getting back to those classes (or taking up dance classes) and making time for them, is an important priority moving forward.

So what was I doing at 10? For me it was playing with Lego. I could play with the stuff for hours. I would make spaceships, towns, trucks, boats. It would take me well away from the here and now to a place where I could imagine. Doing this allowed me to create meaning, utilising every last block, and make something from nothing. I read recently that Carl Jung at the age of 38, had decided to start playing with building blocks again, to tap into the enthusiasm he’d felt as an eleven year old. 

So why does this work? It often relates back to our strengths. When we leverage our strengths we tend to be more engaged and happier. Things just come naturally. For me, my Lego block building leveraged CONNECTEDNESS (finding meaning) and ACHIEVER (getting stuff done). For the woman who loves to dance it spoke to her POSITIVITY (energy and enthusiasm) and DEVELOPER (realising potential). But how do I leverage Lego now? Well I have a very clever girlfriend who bought me a Lego cell phone cover for Christmas. The simple act of looking at that takes me back to that time in my life, in an instant, and I smile.

So the question I want you to ask your family or friends who knew you at the time is, what were you doing at 10? And then go do that, or something like that, that creates that same feeling. And bring some well-deserved joy and energy into your life.