Divide your energy in a day or a week

People are rational animals but only few use and develop this gift of rationality. Others embraced their animality and say, I’m just a human being, not a god which is the most abused line according to a Filipino author, Calano.

As a Catholic, I also have an interest in reading some Hindu practices and beliefs most especially when it comes to a human person and the idea of meditation. Obviously, Catholics and Hindus have more or less different terms used to mean God, spirit, and energy. The two have a different level of focus when it comes to self-development which I think good to appreciate for a personal self-healing process. One thought that I admire is the idea of energy. I remember a video of Dandapani, a Hindu priest, entrepreneur, international speaker, and a former monk said that a human person has one energy. On the basic law of thermodynamics, for Dandapani, we cannot create or destroy energy. However, we can transfer or transform it from one thing to another. He said, So I got this much hundred percent of energy and I can’t create more, therefore, I need to divide it all to the people and the things that I love before I get exhausted and ready to sleep at night.

Considering society’s standard of working hours, we work eight hours a day or 40 hours a week and have at least 48 hours rest or day off. At work, our mind and body exert energy to do things for living. But how do we use and divide our energy from more important things to the least important? How do we overpower our emotions to drive our day rather than being driven by any emotion that comes anytime? How do we use our energy to sustain our day or the whole working week?

Day off is understood as the day to do everything personal we haven’t done during the working days. Basically, a day off must be a resting day, a family day, and a day for spirituality. However, is it fair enough that out of seven we only have two days for our family and loved ones? Is it fair to only have an hour for God on Sunday but we have five days to work for someone else’s dream and concern? Serving others is not bad but it is not good too to deprive yourself and your family a quality time beyond gadgets or material things. Forgetting about your dream just because you are wired to do your task in your workplace seems like a personal choice to fail.

A mismanaged energy repeatedly done would become a habit and probably become your reality as an individual. You will feel exhausted at the start of the week and a two-day off is not enough even for recovery. Mismanaged energy gives you a manic Monday.

Some people who work through a business time, like entrepreneurs, for instance, have this good example of the right time management which in turn shows the right management of energy. They work not only five days a week but instead for the whole week. They work not only for 8 hours but for 14-16 hours a day, yet they still have spirituality every morning and in the evening. They have a family day during dinner and after dinner. They unwind not to the point of losing the whole time. Entrepreneurs' time is different. They don’t have a day off, but they manage their energy well. They never lose their time by watching TV or browsing social media. They overpower their animality by simply thinking of the right choices. If they fail, they get up and keep going.

Dandapani said that the best thing to compare your energy is your money. It’s a finite resource that needs to be wisely managed, wisely re-allocated, and wisely invested.

Edmer John Caballes

Cebu City