With a coffee, a smart phone (sometimes two), keys, and a bag of some sort in hand, Michael enters my office with a look of exhaustion and sinks into a chair with a sigh. He begins sharing his typical day.
Walking into his office each morning he thinks, Here I go again—eight meetings, seven critical emails, 30 other emails awaiting my response, and a personal life that’s falling apart. Barely able to make it from one meeting to the next, he’s exhausted, and his lack of energy is impacting his focus, drive, and confidence.
The 14-hour days are becoming unbearable, and his tolerance for dealing with minutiae is decreasing each time he walks through the doors of his office. His performance is on the downslide. My image of Michael represents most people working in your business. Exhaustion is a trend that’s growing so fast that we now have a name for it: the Human Energy Crisis.
From the United Nations to the Ivy League, human energy is becoming the hot topic of discussion and research. This crisis is impacting our relationships, our physical bodies, and the perception we have of the world. This energy crisis has now crept into business like termites seeking out their next home.
People no longer have the energy they once had to be fully engaged, productive, and innovative. Bottom line? People are exhausted. So what’s causing the energy crisis? Let’s face it: Life is tough, and our technologically connected, plugged-in world doesn’t make it any easier to stay on top of our game.
In fact, this connected world of instant gratification that fuels our addiction for information is often the very reason we can’t seem to pull ourselves out of bed in the morning. I call this the morning ugh syndrome. The increase in demand for our attention often becomes overwhelming.
We desperately try to catch our breath as the five e-mails that just came through crush any hope of having free time for the next month. Then there’s the pressure of society. We’re running kids from one activity to the next; getting multiple degrees; buying bigger, buying more, and buying better “things” to show the world we have arrived. Then there’s what you call “relationships.”
Wait, those still exist? We’ve become experts at going through the motions, staying in relationships that are “safe” and “status quo” because we’re too exhausted to do anything about them. And if we’re not in a relationship, we’re on a constant online search for “big love.” Oh, did I mention that all of this happens in just one day?
So, in complete exhaustion, we give ourselves a pep talk, and keep on keepin’ on. When we get into the office each day, it’s game time. As we are battling exhaustion, we must ensure that we fit in, play by the rules, follow unsaid, unwritten cultural norms, engage in politics, “package” our words appropriately, and don’t ever screw up!
I haven’t even touched on the challenges of egos, diversity, working with people we don’t like, or leadership dysfunction. We spend our days thinking, “I want more in life,” but we stay put because of the golden handcuffs, security, and the fact that we’re too tired to make a change. It’s no wonder that after a day’s worth of work we’re exhausted.
Fuel Your Business: How to Energize People, Ignite Action, and Drive Profits Description:
Fuel Your Business is making the power of GOOD energy the driving force in business throughout the world. Human energy is the door of opportunity for business. As the demands of our connected world increase, people no longer have the energy they once had to be fully engaged, productive, and innovative in the workplace–leaving business leaders in search of a solution. Fuel Your Business is the solution.
Fuel Your Business is about how to create a culture where people are energized, feel good and are happy. It’s about how to create a business that’s good for people, profit and the Earth all at the same time. Author Gina Soleil, gives you a step-by-step roadmap for building a business that’s fueled to win in today’s market.
