What do you do when your stomach grumbles? Typically, you scarf down some food to diminish the discomfort of being hungry. There’s no real thought to it, unless you’re on a diet that restricts your choices.
But what about the other grumblings you feel, the ones that aren’t so easily satisfied?
These past few weeks, I’ve been reading Ramit Sethi’s I Will Teach You to Be Rich as well as Tim Ferriss’s The 4 Hour Body. As I read through them either on my subway ride to work or on my sofa, I felt a sensation that I can only describe as gnawing. Sethi even mentioned the word in his book when he spoke about how many young people feel the gnaw of how they should be saving money, yet do not. Though I save money and though I do my best to take care of my body, I know that many times it feels like I’m flying by the seat of my pants. Deep down, I know I’m capable of more.
Being physically and financially healthy are two major pain points for many people, and it’s no surprise that every week you’ll see a dozen or so more new books join the “old” ones on the bookshelves at your local bookstore. We feel the gnawing sensation that we need to get healthier or wealthier, so we open a book to ease the pain. We cruise through the book, excited by all of the wonderful things the author suggests, planning to completely revamp our lives in a very big way. And then…we pick up another book.
What happened to the action plan? What happened to making things happen? I hated when I got so amped up about a brilliant book I read only to see it sitting on my bookshelf a few months later, gathering dust. I fed the gnaw by consuming information, but the sensation crept up on me again. With many ups and downs over the past few years, I’ve trained myself to embrace the gnaw and feed it what it truly needs: ACTION.
We’ve heard it all before, over and over and over again. In order to see a change in your life, you have to take action, consistently and persistently. And it’s true. With Ferriss’s book, I’ve gone on the slow-carb diet and have felt a nice spike in energy, and have been able to maintain body weight even with a big increase in daily desk and subway sitting time. And while reading Sethi’s book, I’ve nailed down a good chunk of my financials, and feel like I’m on a much clearer path than ever before.
The greatest part? I fed the gnaw, and the grumblings have subsided quite a bit… though I still would like a nice slice of pizza more than once per week!
3. Don’t talk about it. When someone asks how you’re doing, just say “Good.” Sweep everything under the carpet, and when a 3-foot lump forms, just get another carpet.
Unfortunately, many of us choose (consciously or unconsciously) to give our energy away to thoughts, people, distractions, and “obligations” that don’t warrant the use of our limited resources. There are countless ways to guarantee energy depletion, and below are some common energy killers that can get the best of you if you don’t watch out. Opt for the bonus killers to really see your gas tank plummet to empty.
1. You are NOT your degree. The four years you spent becoming specialized in elementary education will never be “wasted,” even if you wind up doing something entirely different down the road. I have little doubt you will do something that makes you happy and fulfilled, and I know that the theme of your life has always been to teach and to serve.
In December 2010, I participated in a blogger campaign called 
Tracy Brisson
Both need to refresh and they can only do that when you allow them the contrast of downtime so they may work again at full capacity when you need them most. And the downtime I speak of does not mean the eyes closed, comatose, passing out state after working yourself to the bone.
This was not an epiphany moment, but rather, a confirmation of what I had already known since my college days. Work has a way of consuming your time and attention if you let it, and last year, I gave it free access to both.
