Today's quotation:

People spend too much time finding other people to blame, too much energy finding excuses for not being what they are capable of being, and not enough energy putting themselves on the line, growing out of the past, and getting on with their lives.

J. Michael Straczynski

Today's Meditation:

Energy.  We all have it.  We all spend it.  We all need it just to be considered alive.  But when was the last time that you actually considered how much energy you're spending in which ways?

As a teacher, I see certain behaviors in my students that I let slide because I have to consider the trade-off in energy-- is controlling those particular behaviors worth the amount of energy it would take from me to attempt to control it?  If the answer is no, then I know that it's more important for me to use my energy delivering a lesson or working with students than it is to try to deal with certain behaviors.  I choose how to spend my energy.

Most people don't make it a choice because they never consider how they're spending their energy.  I know many people who spend a lot of energy blaming others, but little energy being productive.  I know people who spend energy talking about and criticizing others, but almost no energy telling those people how they might improve what they do.  Personally, I don't want to spend energy making excuses, for that would mean that the energy is wasted, never to be reclaimed.

There are many, many positive uses to which we can devote our energy.  Encouraging others, complimenting others, being creative, praying, taking care of our bodies by exercising-- the list probably is almost endless.  But before we can spend our energy in positive ways, we must be aware of the fact that we're spending energy with everything that we do, and we must have made the decision to spend our energy in positive ways.

Let's get on with our lives-- by spending our energy in positive, uplifting ways.

For further thought:

How have you spent most of your energy today?  Have you spent any of it contributing to the peace and hope and love of the world?  Have you spent any of it in fretting or worrying or trying to control others?  My guess is that if you're like most of us, you really haven't thought too much about it.  Ironically enough, we're quick to turn down the thermostat in the winter because we know that we have to pay the bill for the oil or electricity that keeps our houses warm.  In that case, we see a direct correlation between the energy spent and the cost to us in money.  But do we ever think about the cost to us of using our own energies unwisely?  What do we miss out on when we lay waste our powers?  What are some of the effects of spending our energy in ways that are not helpful or healthy?

tom walsh

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