Your Energy Fuels Consistency

My wife’s birthday was rapidly approaching, and I asked myself what every good husband would in that situation, “What can I purchase for my wife that she will love…and that I can also enjoy?”. The options for tangible items were limited, as our family of four lived in an 800 square foot apartment in Queens, so this gift to her was probably going to have to be experience based. Keeping our monthly budget in mind, I decided to hold off on purchasing another month’s worth of rat traps and instead purchase tickets to hottest show in town – Hamilton.

Now this was a bold move, and one that could backfire significantly. Although I knew I would thoroughly enjoy the chicken parmigiana at the Italian restaurant that evening, I wasn’t too sure about attending a musical. I never really held a deep appreciation for the arts, but figured I wasn’t going to pull off living in New York and manage to completely avoid a trip to Richard Rogers Theater. The great husband I am, I made a sacrifice and give it a shot on Coty’s special day.

Fast-forward five years and I still can’t get King George III’s character and performance out of my head. I don’t believe there has been another instance where I have been so captivated by the greatness of an entertainment experience. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s lyrics and storyline were brilliant – pulling in humor, visually appealing scenes and choreography, creative context and captivating songs – all while telling Alexander Hamilton’s story in such a unique way. I was in awe as every note and detail were so beautifully produced.


Leadership is the art of harnessing human energy.

Creating Hamilton was not an overnight project. The entire journey to create the musical was seven years. It took one entire year just to write the second song in the show, ‘My Shot’. For Miranda it took consistency over a seven-year period, day-in and day-out, to create his brilliant musical. Can you imagine all the effort it took to understand the character, identify what moments of Hamilton’s life to integrate into the work, create the lyrics, cast for the roles and compose the choreography? Lin-Manuel was consistently showing up, creating, imagining and developing.

This level of consistency displayed by Miranda is essential to obtain long-term success. Think about our own lives. There are so many areas that require us consistently investing effort and time in order for outcomes to grow and flourish. 

The obvious areas are as follows:

  • Marriages
  • Careers
  • Parenting
  • Friendships
  • Health and Well-Being
  • Wealth Accumulation
  • Refining and building our skillsets, personal gifts and talents

In addition, we aren’t only expected to show up, we’re also expected to thrive and advance the ball down the field.

You wouldn’t let your iPhone run out of battery, so don’t let it happen to you either.  Self-care is a priority, not a luxury.

So how do we successfully stay consistent in the areas that matter the most? Whether it’s Lin-Manuel Miranda working relentlessly over a seven-year period to produce Hamilton or for the rest of us in our everyday pursuits of excellence – the only way to produce at a high level is to have enough energy to maintain the levels of output necessary to stay consistent. 


It is absolutely critical to focus on our energy levels so we can show up,  create and innovate on a daily basis. If we are able to sustain our energy and move forward with a clear and focused mind, we are then in the best position possible to be consistent and produce meaningful results.

As mentioned in the Craig Groeshel Leadership Podcast, different responsibilities, tasks and conversations don’t just take different amounts of energy, but different types of energy. Many people think we need to manage our time better, but it’s better to manage our energy. Time is finite and is a limited resource, but energy is a replenishable resource.

If you get tired learn to rest; not quit.  

The Four Different Forms of Energy (Energy Tanks)

Physical Energy – How healthy are you?

Physical exercise releases endorphins, and also stimulates the release of dopamine and serotonin. When you raise your levels of serotonin, your mood and overall sense of well-being are positively impacted. Supplements, diets, rest and recreation also can create peak production, energy and strength. Aside from the exercise and diet, it’s also important to physically rest throughout the day. Take mindful walks, stretch, receive a message and make sure you are getting plenty of rest at night. Everyone’s routines may differ, but it’s important to understand what factors help create peak physical energy.

Emotional Energy – How happy are you?

Emotional energy, in a sense, is how you process what’s going on in your life. When you have to think through challenging problems, make difficult decisions or have difficult conversations, it takes emotional energy. People replenish their emotional energy in a variety of forms. For some its being around other people and hanging out. For others it may be reading a book or keeping a gratitude journal. Cultivate positive emotions and choose activities that nurture joy, love and happiness. You have to be intentional with this and prioritize it.

For me personally, this is the energy tank that seems to deplete the quickest.  I have found that stress and anxious thoughts can take up quite a bit of energy. If we can intentionally implement habits and activities that reduce stress and anxiety, we can retain much more energy in this area. Examples of daily habits that help retain emotional energy are yoga and meditation.

Finally, keeping our schedule more open can reduce anxiety that is caused by overcommitting. Be selfish with your time, don’t give it away.  You need time to focus on what matters to you personally. This doesn’t just mean limiting business meetings – it can also mean saying no to social and family requests. It’s okay to say no. Prior to committing to an event, think through how much the activity will impact other areas of your life. Only say yes if it falls in line with your priorities.

Mental/Creative Energy – How well can you focus on a task?

We all need capacity to think, innovate and strategize. With this energy tank we need to focus on the balance of input and output. Being in environments that stimulate you mentally is an example of a great mental and creative input. Having the ability to share your learnings and to create content to impact others may be an example of an exercise that helps the input/output balance to helps manufacture energy. Find a way to balance the input by identifying an output that refreshes you and makes you happy. It’s also common for the highest performers to have an unrelated intellectual distraction from their everyday vocation.

It’s also important to be cognizant of what thoughts are consuming your mind and taking up mental energy throughout the day. Don’t waste your time thinking or worrying about hypothetical or potential outcomes that don’t merit consuming your mental bandwidth.

Finally, focusing on one task at a time during the day allows you to limit the frequency in which you are changing gears. The less you change gears, the less energy you consume. Set boundaries and guardrails to ensure you are limiting distractions. By doing this, you’re more likely to get into a state of flow and have better quality of work. Twitter, Fantasy Football and texts can wait – get laser focused on the task at hand.

Spiritual Energy – Why are you doing all this? What is your purpose?

We aren’t just physical beings, but also spiritual beings. It is very possible to be spiritually empty or drained. The best place to find energy, passion and strength can come from working towards our aspirations and making a difference in the world. It’s very hard to fuel your spiritual energy tank when you are yet to identify your purpose or “Your Why”. Our spirit is flourishing and healthy when we are grateful and making an impact on the lives of others. Some people are also spiritually fueled through their religious beliefs and by working towards a deeper relationship with a higher power or being.

Improving our Overall Energy – Keeping the Energy Tanks Full

Take note of your current energy.

Notice your energy. What’s energizing you and what’s draining you? How does your body feel? What’s on your mind? Take a daily inventory to gather the data you need to create attainable habits and routines and to also make the appropriate adjustments over time.

Identify what you spend your energy on.

If you are drained, tired or out of energy, it’s important to audit which energy tank is empty. This will help identify which one to refill so you can function at your best. You have to be aware, honest and open with yourself to get to understand where you are spending your energy.

It’s also important to try to find “keystone habits” that can impact and help keep all four tanks full (i.e. working out).

Understand what matters to you.

I have learned over time that you can’t be everything to everybody. Learn to forgive yourself and focus on taking care of yourself so you can then in turn give the most to your team, clients, family or friends.

All the burners on the stove can’t be on at one time, so identify the most important areas of your life and invest your time and energy there.

Plan wise energy investment.

If it’s important enough to be on your schedule, then give all you can and be devoted unconditionally towards that cause. Unapologetically invest energy in these areas and shoot to become the top 1% in the world at what you are doing. Go get it!

Again, it all starts with significant prior planning and really understanding what is most important to you. Don’t juggle too many balls or try to keep every plate spinning simultaneously. Be strategic in what areas are worth investing in.

Recognize what recharges your batteries.

You are responsible for understanding your own personal energy tanks.  Your ability to stay consistent over the short and long term is dependent upon how in tune with your mind, body and spirit you are. The more you are able to stay patient, focus on progress and consistency – you will be able to be the best version of yourself and be better equipped to navigate the ups and downs life throws your way.


As I mentioned, the brilliance of Hamilton took the better part of a decade to create. It’s easy to be in awe of the end product of someone else’s masterpiece and discount the amount of time and effort they invested into the project; only to put additional pressure on yourself to “arrive” just as they did. Your development takes time. Excellence takes time. Think about and plan where you want to be or what you want to accomplish and consistently and intentionally move towards that, starting now. Be very intentional about how you move forward and measure your growth, but you won’t arrive at your destination immediately. You must be willing to “wait for it, wait for it, wait for it, wait for it.”


Latest Stories

Leadership
Establishing Personal Guardrails

The purpose of personal guardrails is to establish boundaries that help protect ourselves from harmful decisions that ultimately lead to negative consequences. Personal guardrails are important because they help force us to proactively see around corners and future outcomes.

Personal Growth
Conversations with Yourself

We have over 50,000 thoughts a day, most of which are negative. Are we taking control of these thoughts or allowing them to negatively impact our overall development?

Faith
I love you, man.

Eerie. Weird. Unbelievable. Unforgettable. There are many adjectives that I could use to define how this story unfolded a few months ago. This was probably one of the most unique string of events I’ve personally ever experienced – and something that will continue to reconfirm many of my personal beliefs throughout the rest of my life.