“Doing what rewards you almost always gives you energy.”

A thought by John C. Maxwell (2017-03-07) from his book, No Limits: Blow the CAP Off Your Capacity (p. 45). Center Street. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Does what you do at least 40 hours a week energize or de-energize you?  And we need energy to survive in this world, don’t we?

John says, “Doing what rewards you almost always gives you energy. The same is true for doing what gives us a high return. However, for most people, fulfilling requirements is not energizing— unless your requirements line up with return and reward. If you have the power to align all three of those, you’ll always be energized by your work.”

He goes on, “How can you do that? You can change jobs. You can talk to your boss and see if what’s required of you can be adjusted. Or you can learn to distinguish between what has to be done for the organization and what only you could do for it.

“In my career, I had an energy turnaround when I started to make that distinction. Not everything that had to be done had to be done by me. If something was necessary but I didn’t have to do it personally, I delegated it. If it was unnecessary, I had the power to remove it from my requirements. Maybe you do, too.”

He then says, “Over the years as I’ve gotten more control of my own calendar, I’ve continually worked to align my 3 Rs. The more they have gotten in sync, the more energy I’ve possessed. Today I am required to lead, communicate, and create. That’s it. Because those three things are aligned with my passions and talents, I have an abundance of energy— even at nearly seventy.”

So, what is it that energizes you?