Protect Your Energy or Lose Your Purpose
Weekly Dose of Work Recovery Vol. 10.8.25
“Reclaiming your energy is an act of rebellion against anything that seeks to drain you.”
I wasted so much of this valuable resource it should have been a literal crime.
That resource, shockingly, wasn’t money. It wasn’t actually time either, although there was a healthy amount of time waste going on too.
Instead, the resource I loved squandering was my energy. And I was queen at wasting it on things that didn’t matter much and certainly weren’t filling my cup.
I would needlessly throw my attention to the stories of my past. The people who hurt me and the people who I felt had betrayed me. I would give it away in spades scrolling on other people’s lives on social media. I’d dump buckets of energy into things that had no clear intention or desired outcome merely because I’d seen others do it and thought it would eventually lead to my success.
But what I didn’t know at the time is that in wasting my energy, I was slowly and unintentionally wasting my purpose too.
This summer when I stopped a lot of my routines in favor of slowing down, I saw my energy return, giving me more capacity to focus on my kids, my husband, and even my clients.
It was as though the more I gave up doling my energy to unchangeable and uncontrollable things - from the past and my to do list - the more I saw how the biggest hacks aren’t a time management tool, AI use, or even healing the past.
It was protecting my peace and my energy at all costs so I had enough to give to others and the work that mattered most.
Third quarter became a full-on test of this new energy-based hypothesis:
If I devote more of my energy to only things that light me up from within and that feel like joy and pleasure in my mind and body, will I have more energy for all areas of life - the good, bad, and otherwise?
The answer from my summer of silence experiment is a resounding yes.
And research backs it up. When we eliminate, delegate, or systematize the things that don’t really fuel our passion and motivation, we are happier and healthier.
The conservation of resources theory posits that when we preserve and seek enriching experiences to expand our energy resource, we achieve greater wellbeing.
I don’t know why this felt so revolutionary - maybe you’re smarter than me and you’ve already started this important work to simply do more of what lights you up, but it was mind-bending and soul-fulfilling work this summer.
My new challenge this fall is to layer in more time for writing, which will forever be my number one passion, while continuing to center joy and wellbeing.
Radical? Maybe. But only in a world that gains when you stay stuck and on autopilot.
If you want more joy, it’s time to reclaim it. With one powerful “no, thank you” at a time to that which leaks your energy, bit by bit.
— Bree
P.S. To each and every one of you who reached out after last week's newsletter, thank you from the bottom of my heart. It's so easy to forget that you, dear readers, get something of value from this newsletter and many of your shared you missed it this summer. It means so much to me to know that this work has an impact, so thank you!
This Week's Did You Know? When your employer forgot their “loyalty” at home…
Employees, especially GenZers and millenials, are waking up to realize that employers don't share the same loyalty to their employees that they once did. Perks, benefits, even common decency (ahem, federal gov't), are falling out of favor giving many employees pause to reconsider their loyalty to their employer. Job hopping, overemployment, and quiet quitting are all trends in response to how employers, especially big ones, are willing to sacrifice morale for bigger profits. Loyalty isn't the same two way street it used to be…
Source: Business Insider, The End of Workplace Loyalty
Links & Resources We Love Right Now
A listen: A way to surprise and delight your beloved people is to share a song I heard last week - it's Ben Rector's Favorite Person. I shared it with my three boys this weekend and they smiled so big. They are my absolutely favorite people in the whole world. How could I not love on them a little bit more by sharing this beautiful song?
A learn: The job market is particularly brutal for recent grads with a think tank calling the United States “no country for new grads.” In the current no hire, no fire environment, many recent grads are shut out from job opportunities at the same time the student loan collectors come calling. The unemployment rate hit a 9 year high for new job market entrants, which is less than ideal for the broader job market outlook…
A shoutout: Brunch. I've rediscovered a love for Sunday midday brunch with the best breakfast spot near our house. Starting Sunday funday with a 70 minute walk then brunch was life-giving yesterday. I may be late to the brunch party, but dang it's great.
Something I love: Shopping small & indigenous especially for traditional products like sage, clearing candles, journals, and more. I especially love Native Roots Trading Post's sweet grass, lemon grass, and sage candle.
