Energy

This afternoon, I saw another “on this day” memory on Facebook, showing me where I was and what I was doing this time last year in Australia.

 

I’ve been getting all kinds of fun memories, and today, as I sit in a Starbuck in Annapolis in between sessions of Preseason at Navy, I can’t help but think about how much has changed in a year.

 

Time is funny like that.

 

Five years can pass, and it seems like yesterday.

 

One year can pass, and it feels like an eternity.

 

You realize that you shed a few skins…

 

You find yourself amazed at how much has changed…

 

Both internally and externally.

 

Maybe change has a way of warping time?

 

I remembered a podcast I listened to recently about energy.

 

Did energy have something to do with all the change in my life?

 

Or maybe all the change in my life had something to do with the energy…

 

I knew for sure that there was a shift in my inner life this year.

 

I knew that I was committed to having boundaries when it came to the energy I allowed, and the energy I welcomed.

 

I was all done with anything toxic. Whether it be in relationship, in friendship, in thinking – I would choose self-loyalty and self-preservation – I would decide to encourage and root for myself as I did for others.

 

I would stop fighting myself, and that meant making decisions that would serve me well, not bring things into my life that would serve as life distractions and feel like hindrances to becoming all of who I’m supposed to be.

 

I had learned from experience, that energy is critical to the way life unfolds, and the quality of life that I experience.

 

I returned to the podcast, and found the part that resonated most with me:

 

       “You are responsible for the energy that you bring.

       You are also responsible for the energy that you allow to be brought to you.

      And so, it’s just a choice about how you want to live your life.

      All of the negative, dark, irresponsible energy that comes around you, blocks you from

      moving forward in your life.

      Life is always about energy – it’s about clearing your energy space.”

      Oprah continues, “I say it’s like having mud in your wings.

      There are a lot of people who have people in their lives who bring mud into their lives

      and who are not creating a space for clearing them.

      And if you’re surrounded by people who put mud in your wings, who bring you bad

      energy, until you clear that out, you will not be able to live the fullest, highest creation

      of yourself.

      That’s just the truth.

      But it’s a process of seeing it for what it is, and beginning to distance yourself, however

      you can, from that situation.

      In many cases it means divorcing yourself from the relationships that are toxic to you.

      And unless you’re willing to do that, then you don’t grow forward.

      You don’t.

      You just don’t,” (Oprah’s Supersoul Conversations, The Best Relationship Advice).

     

 

So, the questions for all of us are,

 

What kind of energy do you bring?

 

And here’s the thing, I do believe that some of that is a choice, but energy comes from who you are. Sometimes, you can’t “fake it till you make it.” People feel the truth of who you are. Energy is a byproduct of the work you’ve done on yourself internally.

 

What kind of energy do you allow?

 

Is there toxicity in your life, and where? What do you need to divorce yourself from?

 

Is there mud in your wings and why?

 

It’s time to fly, so figure that out.

 

Listen, we have limited time.

 

Limited energy.

 

There’s only so much we can focus on,

 

Only so much that we can give our hearts, our minds, and our bodies to.

 

In order for you to reach your potential, and for me to reach mine, we have to be good stewards of the gifts we’ve been given and the way in which we use them.

 

This whole “energy” thing sounds pretty self-centered, but if we look at the big picture, it’s just the opposite.

 

When we surround ourselves with good energy –

 

When we’ve done the work and we are a source of good energy –

 

We impact others, and we’re free to serve, and shine brightly in the way that God created us to shine.

 

We’re free to fly.

 

So, energy.

 

Maybe it’s pretty important.

 

Think about it.