
NURTURE YOUR LIVELY
Another IPS (Inner Peace Symptom): an understanding that energy, vitality and passion cannot be given; they can only be found. [Your liveliness comes from inside you. No amount of urging by outside forces can make you vital, can make you care. You have to find it in yourself, for yourself.]
Here’s the thing: If you don’t really care whether some idea or conceptualization becomes a reality, if the process of getting to the finish line only induces a body-shuddering yawn, then it’s unlikely that you are going to convince your Inner Two-Year-Old that this boring, seemingly unending bit of road you’re walking is any kind of fun.
There’s going to be a lot of foot-dragging, whining, whimpering, time-wasting, and all-out, go-for-the-gold tantrum-tossing.
If you’re physically exhausted, if your mind is whirling around totally confused, if your heart is muddled and your spirits are low, you are just not going to be able to move effectively.
It all gets very, very disheartening and none of this is at all conducive to the good stuff like “mastery,” “achievement,” “leadership,” and “peak performance.”
It really does seem that in order to actually have more than ho-hum and humdrum in your life, you do have to learn how to find and nurture your own kind of lively.
COMES A BOOK
In 2015, Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, world-renowned self-development experts focused on performance, motivation and self-generated personal energy who spent their careers working with super-athletes and other high-performing individuals and organizations, put out a book, THE POWER OF FULL ENGAGEMENT: Managing Energy, Not Time Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal.
The book laid out the principles behind their “Corporate Athlete Training System,” a practical, highly effective program that developed out of their work helping clients perform more effectively under brutal competitive pressure that very often led to meltdowns and assorted other forms of implosion. It wowed the business world, that book.
TIME MANAGEMENT? HA!
It also put the kibosh on the notion making the rounds at the time that all us busy, busy people have to do is somehow manage our Time properly and, by golly, we too can reach the ever-receding end of our ever-evolving To-Do List and achieve all of our dreams and goals as well as happiness, joy, and The Good Life.
As Loehr succinctly puts it, “It’s not about time! Time management is crap….It is about energy management.”
IT’S ALL ABOUT ENERGY!
The authors lay out the Real – that human beings are complex energy systems and the only thing we’ve got to fuel this journey we are making through the world is our own innate, self-generated energy.
This energy has cycles – sometimes there is a lot of energy available, sometimes not so much. How we use our energy affects how much energy we have available to us when life demands that we move. How we nurture ourselves also affects our energy reserves.
Loehr and Schwartz tell us that if we understand how our personal energy systems work, we can develop supportive and nurturing methods and techniques that allow us to grow our energy output exponentially. Doing that, as their work with their clients have shown over and over again, allows us to do amazing things.
Since a lot of the work by the authors has been done with super-athletes and others who are pushing themselves to greater performance levels in sports, in business and in everyday living, many of their metaphors and methodologies are easy to understand (unlike some bits from more esoteric sorts).
“Full engagement,” according to the authors, means using all the dimensions of your being to produce and to maintain and nurture the energy you need to get to whatever goal you’ve set for yourself. In this book, there are many suggestions and lifestyle hacks that can help you do it better.
One of the best animated video overviews I’ve seen about this book was published by Callibrain on YouTube shortly after THE POWER OF FULL ENGAGEMENT was released.
Callibrain, it says here, is a software platform offering tools and such for corporate leaders, managers, and corporate employees to “enhance employee engagement through social collaboration and execution discipline.”
(All I really know about them is that they have produced some excellent animated reviews of books that explore thought-provoking concepts that are very useful for those who are interested in developing themselves in ways that help them reach their own excellence.)
FINAL THOUGHTS
On re-reading this book, I was struck by the number of similarities between the practices Loehr and Schwartz advocate and those that are suggested by other teachers exploring the human condition and how we can best deal with the world as it is and as we are.
My own favorite riff is the one about how the primary markers for physical capacity are the following: strength, endurance, flexibility and resilience. Those same markers can be used to measure capacity in the other dimensions of being as well.
An interesting exercise is to find the equivalents for each of these markers – strength, endurance, flexibility and resilience – in the areas the authors examine – body, heart, mind and spirit. Developing and expanding your capacities in each of these areas will give you a better chance of reaching “full engagement,” they say.
Here’s an example:
Physical flexibility means that your muscle has a broad range of motion.
Emotional flexibility means you can move freely and appropriately along a wide range of emotions rather than responding rigidly or defensively.
Mental flexibility is the ability to move between the rational and the intuitive and to look at other points of view.
Spiritual flexibility is the ability to tolerate values and beliefs that are different than your own.
Try thinking on what abilities each of the other markers — strength, endurance and resilience — would give you when you apply them to your body, heart, mind and spirit.
Hmmm….
Here’s a poem:
I KEEP DANCING
I keep dancing.
(It’s what I do.)
So my feet swell up…
My legs get tired…
My arms feel like lead…
And my head’s been gyred.
I keep dancing.
(There’s really no other choice.)
For me, my dance is all
About timing, rhythm and space,
About heartfulness,
About place.
I keep dancing.
I see you’re dancing too.
Maybe your song’s different
And our moves don’t synchronize.
Still, it’s cool to know
You’re dancing just as strongly as I do.
And it pleases me to think you’re dancing
To the song that is just you.
Header photo credit: “West Maui Mountain Windmills at Sunrise” by Mike [CC BY-SA 2.0]
SOME OTHER POSTS TO EXPLORE
(Click on each of the post titles below and see where it takes you….)
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Thanks for your visit. I’d appreciate it if you would drop a note or comment below and tell me your thoughts.
36 thoughts on “NURTURE YOUR LIVELY”
The way you have portrayed a glimpse of the books is amazing! And it seems that you have a very strong perspective which comes across beautifully in your article.
One of my favorite reads has been “THE POWER OF FULL ENGAGEMENT”, so far.
What other books make it to your top reads?
Hey Tayebba:
Thanks for your visit and for sharing your thoughts. I do appreciate it.
Most of my posts in this thing are sparked by some book or other. (I read a lot and probably think too much.) The books that have a multiplicity of ideas to look at and ponder tend to be featured in the “Fan Notes and Review” section under the “Life Notes” drop-down menu. Here’s the link: https://lifebuiltpoems.com/cat…
You may want to explore those.
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I was fascinated by the information I read in your article.
THE POWER OF FULL ENGAGEMENT book is also enticing to read.
These are all fresh idea for me that I need to comprehend and explore. You give me a reason to improve myself and understand the importance of time and energy in our lives.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this matter.
Hey Del…
Thanks for your visit and your comments. I’m glad the post was helpful to you.
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What a nice poem reflecting our life situation. Will give that book a try. Have you heard of this guy name Brendon Burchard, he is a business coach. I really like him cause he teaches you to release the inner energy that you did not know you have. The guy is so positive and makes me want to try harder and be more positive with my life. Check him out he is everywhere. 🙂
Welcome back, Nuttanee. Thank you for your visit. I hope you’ll like THE POWER OF FULL ENGAGEMENT.
I do enjoy Brendon Burchard. He shares good thoughts!
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The physical manifestation of joy in us is the result of internal happiness that can only be generated by energy within,that is the built up of emotions which stimulate the psyche to act accordingly. The environmental source of satisfaction might play a role in human mind to show emotional balance that is push to build up energy that transform and manifest outwardly.
Thanks for the visit and for sharing your thoughts, Chris.
I think I agree that “the environmental source of satisfaction” (by which I think you are saying “where we are in the world”) does influence our ability to find the emotional balance we need to store up the inner power we can use to play well.
I suppose that is one reason why it is so very difficult to move away from a place you love.
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Hello Netta,
Nice article you’ve written here. I always thought that management of time was going to give me better productivity each day. I’ve not been thought about management of energy before.
I would love to read the book, the power of full engagement yo help me learn new things to increase my productivity level.
Can I get an e copy of the book?
Thanks for your visit, Louis. I’m glad you feel the book, THE POWER OF FULL ENGAGEMENT, might help you learn new things. There’s a Kindle version available from Amazon.
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The part that really stands out for me in this article is,
“It’s all about the energy”
Its very true about your own inner energy and I have realized this later when in the gym. Even though I can lift heavy weights, when I go to the gym after a bad day or when I am mentally drained but ok physically I can never lift as much as I could when I am happier or having a good day mentally positive.
This is how I related to this part of the post as it does not matter how much physical energy you have if you have no inner energy you cannot be as productive.
This is the first time I have seen a written piece on my thoughts of late so I am happy to have come across this interesting post.
Thanks for the visit and for sharing your experience, Darren. I do appreciate it.
I’m glad the post validates your own thoughts about managing inner energy.
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This makes total sense when you think about it.We are all about time management and it’s the energy within us that makes the difference.
We really do need to recondition ourselves with things that matter most and help us to get the most out of life.I must say that “I keep dancing” is an interesting poem that gives real meaning.
I have to print this out and put it on the wall. It’s very insightful!Do you think this book can really help others to change best to adapt a better vision of their lives?
Thanks for the visit and for sharing your thoughts, Rob. I’m especially pleased that you like my poem.
THE POWER OF FULL ENGAGEMENT has certainly clarified a lot of my own thinking about how I am moving in the world and the authors have worked with hundreds of clients to help them reach incredible-to-me goals.
I do recommend giving it a look.
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Nice poem. One can actually relate it to life generally and that’s deep. It relates to love, pain and passion, in short, anything that has to do with emotion. Excellent, I guess am gonna do a lot of dancing around your website. I have been looking for a poem site, and I think this is it. If you don’t mind, am gonna go share this with few friends.
Ayodeji, I do thank you for the visit and for sharing your thoughts.
I’d be very pleased if you shared the LIFE-BUILT POEMS: Living Out Loud site with your friends!
The site is an expansion of my poems, which are based on the lessons I’ve learned from many life-experiences — my own and those of my heart-friends.
I find that writing poetry does help to distill and clarify all those mad-monkey thoughts running around in my head. Maybe it’s a thing that could help others as well.
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Nice written up. I was really impressed about the way you portraited your intro. It is was quite remarkable and emotional
The management skill is really what I needed to change everything about on how to properly managed my time, highlight my goal, find time my self and do well in my life so I’ll find happiness within me. But all these can’t be achieved without any form of energy put in for.
So Energy is key!! Nice book.THE POWER OF FULL ENGAGEMENT is gonna make way in to my book shelf. Thank you for this.
Thanks for the visit and for sharing your thoughts, Kehinde.
I’m glad you found the post helpful.
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Strength, endurance, flexibility and resilience, when they are put together, can produce super amazing human. What live within us is extraordinary compared to what is outside of us. Unfortunately, we pay attention to things that are out of our control.Tony Schwartz is a great expert in field of self discovery and human development.
Thanks for the visit and for sharing your thoughts, Autofreak. I do appreciate it.
I agree that Tony Schwartz is certainly thought-provoking!
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Bravo! Your post is uplifting and a breath of fresh air. You have touched base on the energies we are to connect too. You describe going-through-the-motions by society takes us nowhere. You write we find within ourselves. this book “the power of full engagement” looks worth looking into. Maybe when we are in the moment, that is where time doesn’t. You wrote It’s Energy Management
Thanks for your visit and for sharing your thoughts, 207Connie. I do appreciate it.
It is a truth, I think, that (as you say), time isn’t all that important when we’re “in the moment.” Getting there is a fun sort of exploration, I think.
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That is so true. It’s not about time management, it’s about energy management. Good point!
We keep on dancing, even if your moves are not synchronized with mine, you’re dancing just as strongly. Sharing energy, bringing energy over to each other. We are all energy forms.
Dance to the song that is just you … I love that! I needed to read that today.
Your article and your poem are encouraging to me, and I think they’ll do the same for many others 🙂
Christine, thank you for your visit and for sharing your thoughts. I am so pleased you found the post helpful.
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This is a beautiful article! This is something I feel I would tell people who are like myself, and practice ceremonial magick to reach individual enlightenment.
It’s interesting that you bring up the ideas of the ancients and how they felt there were four major components of human beings.
I’m curious if you think the four elements, earth, air, fire, and water, could somehow fit into this idea?
Jessie, thanks for your visit and for sharing your thoughts.
As a poet, I am taken by the ancient concepts and symbolisms embedded in the four elements (and one more — space — that is also a part of it all). They make marvelous metaphors.
In life, I am noticing that the elements describe the World we humans inhabit. The elements and the interactions between them help us understand what we are seeing happening in the world around us.
They are especially important in energy management, I think, since the elements help us suss out the flow of events and energies around us. A good move, badly timed, is a wasted move, my kung fu teacher used to say.
The problem is, of course, that the world and the actions of flow are way, way bigger than one human’s comprehension or understanding. (Also the durned thing keeps moving around and morphing.)
All we can do is the best we can do, I say.
Please do come again.
Thank you for your post. It is inspirational. I particularly like your thought on flexibility.
Everything should be flexible. Like the universe surrounding us, everything is consistently changing and flexible. Human being has no exceptional. Physically, our body has a broad range of motion. Emotionally our brain is born and trained to reflect all kinds of scenery freely and appropriately. Spiritually, our mind has the ability to tolerate values and beliefs that are different from our own.
It is a wonderful world around us. Flexibility brings beauty to our world. It is kind of you sharing this nice thought with us.
Anthony, thank you for your visit and for sharing your thoughts.
I love your thought that “flexibility brings beauty to our world.” I do agree.
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It has been a pleasure for me reading this article because it has been very interesting,
By this article I have got to know how to manage my time so as to achieve the best but all in all to produce and maintain my energy so as to get whatever goal I set.
Really I have enjoyed reading. Thanks.
Mansoor, thanks for your visit. I am pleased that you enjoyed the post and that you found it helpful.
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Nurture Your Lively makes me want to know how. The way you title your post is really cool. You immediately let readers know they are human and that you are as well with the way you write to us. I said ” us ” because I will be following you now.
This particular post is packed with valuable information about the topic. I learned some things from this post and I’m sure that is always your aim. Great job. You do thorough research and point readers where they need to be.
Not Sure which keywords or search terms one would put in to find these amazing post but once discovered you will for sure gain a subscriber.
Do you use SEO/keywords when writing a post?
It almost seems like you don’t do this for income. I do see that you have a well established website so maybe SEO is not that important.
This is my second time visiting your site and I gained something each visit so thank you for that. Have a great day.
Jontae, thanks for your visit and for sharing your thoughts and questions.
Since my topics are as varied as humans are varied, I think you’d probably get me if you search for “lifebuilt poems.com” or “Netta Kanoho.”
Also, there should be a “follow” share button somewhere on the blog. Hit that and it’ll take you to where you can sign up to get the thing delivered to you.
As a blogger, I do use SEO and keywords and I am trying to get better at it, but the topics (and my own Ho’o-cycle construct) dictate how the silly things get read by the search engines and how they’re presented to the searchers. I am technologically challenged, but so are many of my readers. It like to think it works anyhow.
Monetizing this thing has become a secondary goal to me right now. I’m busy trying to get it to good, you see.
The blog actually began as an expansion of my poetry-writing and my IPS (Inner Peace Symptoms) play. I hope to eventually put together books and things using it as a springboard.
Meanwhile the blog is a way to get feedback from folks who are interested in the same sorts of things I like so I can get a better idea of how I am actually doing with this thing — whether other folks find that my offerings make sense for them and so on.
(Here’s me, standing on a soapbox.)
I think it’s become another one of my “practices.” Like most of what I do, it helps me to understand and explore more deeply how to build more mana (inherent power) and meaning in my own life. And that is always a good thing.
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I continue,
Netta Kanoho, RS
Property Manager
Thank you for sharing this information. “All In” is what I call “Full Engagement”, so I guess you can say I’m familiar with this mindset.
Being familiar with the topic doesn’t mean I have mastered Full Engagement. To be honest the whole “energy thing” is what I’ve been lacking or using wrong to get me there.
This really helped me. Thank you so much and have a great day.
Welcome back, Jontae. I am so pleased that the post was a help to you.
I know that very often those of us who read all these self-help books start to sling around the jargon without really knowing (and feeling) what they mean. It’s one thing to know what you’re supposed to be doing in your head. It’s a bunch harder to get your body to get with the program. Your heart is the one that really gives you the extra boost of energy, I’m finding….
Please do come again.
Motivation from the outside can only do so much before it merely becomes a form of coercion! A strong and genuine internal motivation is certainly important for living a life that is conducive to freedom, dynamic action, and ability to be honest with oneself. All of this contributes to maintaining peace.
This article raises some interesting points about not only gaining understanding of one’s personal energy system, it’s default limitations, but also how to most efficiently operate within it’s innate constraints (or even learning how to grow it to another level)!
Dbrae, I appreciate the thoughts you’ve shared after your visit. I am glad the post spoke to you.
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