Use Your Energy Wisely

During a recent business trip I experienced a series of unfortunate events that led to a normal 2 hour flight home taking over 12 hours. Weather delays, faulty equipment, and 3 different planes was the order for the day. I made it home safely and that was ultimately the goal, right? Was the experience frustrating? Absolutely. Was there anything I could have done differently to get home sooner? Perhaps.

You may have experienced the similar 'joys' of air travel. You may have also experienced other situations where the issue you were facing created aggravation. Maybe you even lost your cool. We have all been there from time to time. Why do we get to this point? A lot if it has to do with failure to meet our expectations. Every day we face many, many, many expectations. Will my coffee be prepared correctly at the local java shop? Will I encounter any bad traffic that will delay my commute to work? Will the kids make it to school without getting breakfast on their clothes? The list goes on and on and you haven't even made it to work yet.

As humans we have another expectation, and that is that we think we have control over most of the situations that we face on a daily basis. The reality is far from that. Because we think we have control, we set ourselves up for disappointment, aggravation, and any other negative emotions you can think of. A negative mindset can drain us of our energy. The energy we have each day is a finite resource. And once it has been exhausted, we can enter the danger zone of being emotionally and physically drained.

How can we combat this? Ultimately we have to come to the understanding that we cannot control the input. What life throws at us will come unexpectedly, unfairly, and it definitely does not ask for permission to come at us without difficulty. Alright, that sounds so positive and uplifting, so there's nothing we can do, right?

Control the Output

My grandmother had a plaque on her kitchen with the following words written, "Lord help me to change the things that I can change, accept the things I cannot change, and give me the wisdom to know the difference." Some of you might remember that as the Serenity Prayer. As a kid I really didn't appreciate what those words meant and independent of your beliefs, it is definitely some sage advice.

For those of us who are engineering minded, here is a representation of those words via a simple flowchart.

Let's call this chart, the 'wisdom' flowchart. To know the difference, ask yourself, "What can I really do about the situation?" This chart is not the cure-all for worry, but, it can definitely help you redirect your energy to the important things rather than squandering it.

Going back to the business trip debacle, did I have a problem? Yes, I had several. Could I repair the plane or change the weather? Nope. Could I rent a car and just drive the 7 hours home? Yes. Was there a rental car available to rent? Nope. Could I just accept my fate and use the time at the airport to catch up on email and business items? Nope. The network was not cooperating with my laptop. Did I stop looking for a Yes? No, I had to keep searching until I found a Yes. My Yes in this case was using my energy wisely, and not let that day of unfortunate events rob me of that energy. Find your YES, and use your energy when you can do something about it.