Energy Stealers

Remember the energy you came off the last retreat or seminar from? The room was electric, the speaker was talking right to you and you were ready to make a difference in your life if not the whole world! You think with that energy and passion you could accomplish anything.

My latest energy stealer has been Japanese Mahjong.
Started as a new game to learn, but it quickly became a
tool for procrastination. 

Inevitably, as the speaker warns, the momentum begins to wane and after a couple weeks, you've gone back to life as usual. Maybe you curse your lack of discipline, family support, resources, or time blaming them for not achieving what you vividly believed you could.

The problems you've encountered are energy stealers. Sometimes they can be negative people in your life, but more often it's your "comfort habits". These are the things you routinely turn to when things get hard. Some turn to alcohol, some turn to video games, some to mindless online surfing or shopping.

These energy stealers disguise themselves as "down time" or "hobbies", but they distinguish themselves by taking the time you've set aside to be productive and providing you the comfort of something much easier to do. Yes, even chores can be comfort activities/energy stealers.

Identifying the energy stealers in your life is a key part of your journey to success. You can probably think about a couple now that you consistently turn to as soon as life gets tough. This causes procrastination which puts you in catch up mode all the time.

Take out some paper and identify your energy stealers. Memorize them and realize what they take from you.  You can sustain some of your energy from a conference, but you need to make sure to patch up the holes in your energy bucket.