Thanksgiving is coming up this week. And this year we’ll be spending the actual day with my wife’s family. Because of that, my parents invited my wife and me over for an early Thanksgiving dinner this past weekend.
My mom still put out thanksgiving games like she would if it were the actual day and yes, I won the turkey race this year.
Thank you, thank you.
When we sat down for dinner and after we told the same stories we tend to always tell. <3 We started talking about how the body burns calories and uses energy. How that varies per person.
For instance, chess players during a tournament can burn up to 6,000 calories while sitting.
6,000 calories!!?
That’s pretty crazy to me. It shows how powerful the brain is. How efficiently it can run the body to complete the task at hand when trained enough.
…Meanwhile, my brain lost the phone in my hand the other day so I got that going for me.
1 Focus Concept – Are you on autopilot?
Like everything in life, the brain has its limits. The brain will need to rest and the body will need to consume back the calories lost.
When the brain is in this state, let’s say a “low energy” state it’ll shift into a sort of autopilot mode to recover. So awesome it knows to do this. Autopilot operates more from an emotional or feeling-based position. This requires little interaction from the brain so it can rest and recharge.
A downside of being on autopilot is that you are more capable of becoming influenced in this state. And what does the average person do when they are in a low-energy state?
Pull out their phones, turn on the tv, and go on Reddit. Basically surrounding themselves with tons of modulating forces while trying to relax.
Like walking through a field of land minds with your eyes closed. Can you make it across without setting one off? Sure. Is it likely you’re going to set one off less than 3 steps in?
..lol
So how do we fight this from happening in the first place? It goes back to what we talked about last week. Sleep. Did you try working on it? How did it go? What new things can you tweak to get even more out of your sleep?
It’s a core foundation of growth and tackling life’s challenges. I’ll always encourage you to focus on sleep and the quality you are getting.
It’s not only my opinion either. I’ve studied depression, anxiety, happiness, relationships, and even finances, all have a need for good sleep.
Don’t sleep on this fundamental foundation! …I’ll stop.
1 Thought on Fear – Fear has two sides
Building off of last week and talking about fear as a hidden feature within us. I took some time to look back on moments of fear I’d experienced recently and noticed something.
Fear has two sides. At least two sides.
What I mean by this is I noticed that some of the fear I’d experienced had some pretty great things on the “other side.” I had to use a little bit of logic and guts to get past the fear. When I did some pretty great experiences were waiting on the other side.
Can most people see the other side of fear?
Getting there is a whole different conversation.
1 Perspective Shift – Other people need your energy
The human experience is, at large, interaction with humans.
As babies, our brains are firing with new neurons looking to make connections. Over the course of your life, you will have around 100-150 genuine connections with people.
We seem to be able to gain energy from these connections. Like some exponential resource of energy with us our entire lives.
Try to make some new connections or call up an old childhood friend this week. Someone might need your energy now, so you can gain some in the future.
Bonus Content – Thought Exercise
If you feel lost or don’t feel the sense of “you” try this.
Take a few moments to get into a calm state of mind. You can close your eyes if you’d like.
Think back on your life to when you felt the most you. Aim for when you felt fulfilled and when you felt you were feeding your soul.
Even clients with the toughest pasts have found something to hold on to. It doesn’t have to be big. Sometimes we have to push past the initial “I’ve got nothing” before progress happens. A few quiet moments pass and I hear,
“I remember laying on my dog in the backyard reading in the sun.”
We use that as a foundation for a sense of self and grow upon it from there.
I do this exercise with my clients. Give it a shot sometime. A nice quiet space uninterrupted would be ideal.
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Wrapping up,
- Notice when you’re on autopilot
- Fear has two sides
- Other people need your energy
That’s all for this week. I hope some of these concepts help you.
Have a great Thanksgiving!
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Thanks for reading & see you next week!