What is energy?
Energy is the foundation of life, energy flows, it moves, it has effect and it changes what it interacts with. The sun floods our planet with energy, which is a tiny fraction of the energy it produces. Our plants uses a tiny fraction of that energy, and at each stage of the pyramid a further tiny fraction is used again. By the time it gets to us, it has been re-used, changed and reduced, and yet it is still so productive and capable of amazing effects. Energy can be turned into thought, feelings and actions. In the same way, that a sail only uses a tiny fraction of the ocean wind, we can power our lives and are capable of creating and growing using just a gentle breeze. Energy moves us and we can learn to use this energy in the most efficient and elegant way possible.
All energy flows unless you contain it, water will always flow downwards releasing the potential of gravity. It only escapes to rise high into the sky again, through the power of the sun's heat energy. When you understand that energy acts when it is released, you understand that it can only act once, it does its work and it is done. So to get the most out of energy, you have to release it in a way that gets the most work done, the most amount of change and the focus of that change should start with you. You are a growing being of consciousness, by growing as a person you are then able to help others grow, and you have to put your own oxygen mask on first before you can help others. When we are able to use our energy in the most efficient way possible, when we do things when we are in alignment with them, we are able to get a huge amount done in a short period of time, deep work can only be sustained in short bursts of a couple of hours a day, which then leaves you with free energy to put into our relationships and helping those that we love.
Energy comes in various forms and performs many tasks, our laptops and phones are familiar examples of energy being converted into powerful effects, to send a message to the other side of the world used to take a hundred men sailing on a wooden boat with a letter, tens of thousands of hours of effort which is now done with less power than a light bulb. Our progression as a species is dependent on getting more done with less energy, something which is worth emulating in how own lives, by increasing our knowledge we learn how to be more efficient and effective. We have even manage to convert energy in to ideas that hold energy, money is an idea which stores work, it represents the potential of some-one else's energy and that energy comes from their time, which is of itself energy or as is your friendly neighbourhood physicist might point out energy is an effect of time
Time and energy are linked, the definition of energy is that it does work for a certain amount of time, time gives it the opportunity to have an effect. It is by focusing on the effect of energy, that we are able to maximize the benefits that come to us. When you know that there is a limited amount of energy available to us, it becomes clear that you are meant to get the most out of that energy, to use it in the most efficient way. It pays to remind yourself, what is the one thing I can do today that moves me towards my life purpose or improves my life situation, and spend some energy on that thing. If you do that one thing everyday, over time you will build up massive returns on that investment due to the persistent work that you have put in.
You have a limited amount of time potential, so decide, make choices about how you want to use it, recognize that you can not get it back or save it for later. You use it now or it is gone. There are definitely investments of time that is worthwhile, I am very grateful to the six year old child who learnt to read for me so that I can enjoy reading today, and I am practicing mediation today, so that the old person I am going to be one day, will be able to use it to be content and at ease.
When we spend our money with the knowledge that it is energy that can be used now on any shiny toy that we can desire, or it can be saved (unlike time) and stored to provide a well that we can drink from for the rest of our lives, we are able to make a choice that we were unaware of before. When we build and invest our energy into a cash machine to provide money for our lives, we are building a machine that produces energy that we can use to provide us with everything we need, which in turn means we get to concentrate on moving towards those life goal instead of just producing enough energy(money in this case) to sustain us and our life situation.
More than anything energy is what enables us to live, to continue our existence, to act and continue for as much time as is possible but the point of that existence is to have an effect. When our ability to have an effect ceases that is when life stops, and the focus up until that point, is a choice that is up to you, it might be your family, work, leaving a legacy but if it is not growing you as a person, if you do not have momentum through you life, it is worth examining your priorities. Asking what effect am I having with my energy, what effect am I having on those I care for? That is the mark of living, having an effect, in contrast, to hoarding money and isolating yourself is to stop having an effect, you cease effectively existing. As the greatest effect is generated by applying the maximum energy for the greatest amount of time, the time to start having that effect is as soon as possible, which is now, this moment, there is not a better one, until of course the next one.
