Being Mindful of your Daily Cup Of Energy.

Each and every day we wake up with a full cup of energy and where we allow that energy to flow will determine whether by the end of the day our cup remains full, empty or if we have become starved and are, therefore, stealing from others.

What are your first thoughts of the day?

Do you reach for your mobile phone, tap into social media and begin the day by berating others?

Perhaps your mind drifts instantly to the long list of things that you ‘have to do today’, whether as part of your job or just the expectations that we have place on ourselves or others have place on us.

Maybe its an ex-partner or someone that has wronged you, who's face flashes before you. You contemplate payback and revenge surge’s, before you know it a chuck of time has passed.

Before we have even left our beds our minds have wander off in a variety of directions and without us being aware large amounts of our cup of energy have gone. Sometimes this can happen sub-consciously, muscle memory tells us that this is what I did yesterday and the day before, so I must do it today.

We consume breakfast, thoughtlessly placing food in our mouths without savouring the tastes or noticing the experience, all the while consuming news from the television or radio or perhaps we are still engrossed in the lives of others via social media. More energy is drained by these moments and we have no recollection of them ever happening. Work maybe an endless circle of tasks that we perform without thought. With our work colleagues we engage in negative speaking, gossip or one-upmanship. By the end of our working day we are exhausted, return home and consume more news, soap operas, reality TV. By this stage our cup of energy is empty.

It maybe that you have dinner with friends and find yourself running late – but your friends expect this - your always late, it’s part of your charm. You turn up, apologising profusely with your friends offering kind words of ‘that’s OK, its only 20 minutes’. By this stage you are in negative energy and stealing that of offers. A trip to the bar reveals in your haste you have forgotten your money, luckily a friend is nearby to cover the cost, which, of course you ‘will definitely pay back’. By the time you fall into bed several hours later you are exhausted and it is a weekday so have to get up for work tomorrow morning with that days full cup already half empty.

The vast amount of our energy drifts away from us without us releasing that we have allowed this to happen. If you stopped and thought about it would you really wanted an ex-partner to have some or the boss who wrong us. By recreating the traumatic experiences in our minds we our sub-consciously giving away our power and making those ‘others’ more powerful. Do we really want that?

Self-care has become a bit of a buzz word. Doing yoga, walking in nature, meditation, affirmations are all fantastic ways of looking after ourselves. But if our first thoughts as we step of the yoga mat turn towards gossip and negativity then the powerful work we have just done is instantly lost. Be mindful of where you thoughts drift and if you catch them on something that you really don’t want to give power to, then change them.

If you find yourself in a situation where individuals are being discussed in a negative way and you cannot change the content of the conversation - then walk away. If people you follow on social media cause you to act with judgemental thinking then ask yourself why. If you need to - unfollow, opting instead for those who inspire and motivate. Turn off the continual and never-ending, damaging 24 hour news and tune into podcasts or Ted talks - every possible subject has been discussed, or perhaps write your own.

Another very powerful exercise is to be ‘grateful’. Spend a few moments each day being grateful for all you are and all you have. This is a great way to top up your cup.