Unless you are one of the .000001% of humans living out your existence as a hermit in the woods, you are not an autonomous island unaffected by others.
Every one of us is a walking energy field that influences those around us. And each of us, in turn, is influenced by others.
Some days we’re like a sponge. We soak up all the energy around us (for better or for worse). On other days we’re as impervious as Fort Knox. Our energy field becomes a firehose pointed outward, dousing everyone we pass (usually not for the better).
We’ve all been on both the receiving end, as well as the perpetrator, of Fort Knox. And we all know what it feels like to be a sponge, soaking up the energy around us, or wrung out to dry.
Our energy influences everything we touch. It gets woven into the product we’re creating, whether it’s a sales pitch, a marketing campaign, or a new car design. It gets woven into every interaction we have. With our colleagues, partner, child, or the barista around the corner.
Every one of us chooses how we show up each day.
Our energy field is our internal weather system caused by our emotions.
Intentionally or, more often than not, unintentionally,
when we let our emotions run unchecked.
Not taking the time to sit with them to understand what’s driving that hum of worry,
that thread of irritation,
that restlessness that’s reminiscent of downing five Red Bulls.
Turning a blind eye doesn’t make the emotions go away. Whether you choose to check in with your emotions or not, they will take over your operating system. We can get stuck in a cycle of reacting, instead of responding. Whatever you’re reacting to has power over you.
Here’s the thing. Your emotions are a deep wisdom much older, from an evolutionary perspective, than your prefrontal cortex (i.e. rational brain). Your emotions are there for a reason. They are trying to tell you something, and the more you ignore them, the louder they’ll get.
Our emotions get loud at meetings,
while stuck in traffic,
at the dinner table,
when the call doesn’t go our way.
When you start paying attention to your emotions, giving them the credit and (dare I say) reverence they deserve, you’ll learn how to live in the balance between being an open sponge and Fort Knox. You’ll become aware of what’s impacting you and why. You’ll be able to respond, choosing what is worthy of your energy, instead of being a prisoner to your reactions.
You’ll be able to decide what you allow in and what you keep out.
This is not an exercise in toxic positivity, where you put a happy face on everything. This is the opposite.
This is allowing room for reality to exist.
This is an exercise in opening your senses and allowing what is to be.
Getting curious about your responses.
Then deciding how you want to engage or not engage.
Each of us is an energy field, capable of powering our dreams or a nuclear meltdown.
Handle yours with care.
