What reources you ?

This episode continues on the path of discovering and focusing on our energy and its sources - in other words, what charges our "battery"? I chose to focus on this topic because it can be very helpful when we experience challenging times that drain our energy.  I hope you feel more recharged after listening to it. Enjoy!  

Transcript

Hello and welcome to the fifteenth episode of the powerful questions podcast. My name is David Shaked. In this episode, I'd like to introduce you to the question "What resources you?" It is a question that offers a powerful and life-giving exploration. It can be used on yourself or with others. As we are focusing on what resources you, it also builds nicely on the last episode. 

Before we go any further, let me clarify that the question “What resources you?” is different than the question “What resources do you have?”. They are both powerful and generative but there is a distinct difference.  “What resources do you have?” is a somewhat reduced version of the powerful question “What is available to you?” which I covered in episode 7.  While “what resources you?” is all about our energy!

A simple way to introduce this question would be to imagine a rechargeable battery – for example, a car battery – certain actions we take when we drive a car, like starting the engine or switching on the car’s headlights, require energy from the battery. There are of course ways to recharge the battery so that it does not get depleted.  For those of you who are not technically inclined, that’s normally the job of the car’s alternator, while electric cars obviously get charged when plugged to external supply. All you need to know is that a car battery gets recharged regularly. 

Of course, I am not here to talk about cars, but the car battery analogy is useful and applicable to all of us. Just like the car needs the energy stored in its battery to perform, everything we get to do in life requires our energy and attention.  Some activities charge us while others use up our energy.  Wouldn’t it be useful to take a deeper look at what charges our battery?

The question "What resources you?", is an opportunity to reflect and identify what charges your metaphorical battery, what gives you the energy to keep going, to do things, to overcome challenges and to perform, even when what you get to do, in itself, isn't that energising for you.

Why explore what resources you? Because every battery needs to be recharged from time to time and so do we! We can't go through prolonged periods in our life with our energy and existing mental, physical or emotional resources being continually drained. There will come a day when the cost or impact of that constant draining becomes very evident. Often, we notice it quite late and then professional help or more radical changes are required. 

The question what resources you is, in fact, a particular version of the question "What gives life" that I introduced in episode three. In this case, the focus is on what gives YOU life. I've decided to dedicate a whole episode to it because it can be a very generative and helpful question – especially if we find ourselves in a low point of energy or overwhelmed with bad news.

Another good reason to pay attention to what resources us is that so many of us take these things for granted! We pay far more attention to the areas, activities or people that drain our energy then we pay to those that energise or resource us. 

So, let's start our exploration with some simple versions of this question.  I'm going to pose a few alternative versions of the question. Take the time you need to reflect and, if you need to, by all means press the pause button to reflect further before carrying on listening to the episode. 

To start, let's take a quick look at your current state, on a scale of zero to ten, where ten means you are feeling fully charged physically, mentally, emotionally and perhaps even spiritually, and zero is exactly the opposite. Where would you place yourself? What number feels right as representing your current state?

The number you give yourself doesn't actually matter What matters is your awareness of it, so please just pick a number that feels comfortable to you at present. Is it two? Five? Seven and a half? What is it? 

Let's start our journey by taking a deeper look at the number you chose - what gave you the confidence to say you were at two, or six, or eight? What is already there in your life or work that recharges you, in different ways perhaps – emotionally, physically, mentally or spiritually? What charges you enough to be able to choose the number you chose?  

What else recharges you? 

Who else recharges you? 

From this awareness of what currently resources and charges you, let's go even further.... What helps you, in your personal or professional life to be in a better state? Even when you are facing challenges? 

What gives you energy? 

What gives you strength? 

What gives you courage? 

What gives you hope? 

And what about the people around you? Who helps you be at a better state? Who gives you strength? 

courage? 

hope? 

Who or what nourishes you emotionally, physically, mentally or spiritually? 

As I asked these questions, have you become aware of something you weren't aware of before? 

Now let's go even deeper, inside.... what are your strengths? When or where (or perhaps with whom) do you shine? When we get to use our strengths, we get energised so it is worth paying attention to the specific opportunities to use your strengths.

Or when do you experience yourself so absorbed in something you enjoy doing that you lose track of time or the outside world?  This is a particularly interesting and highly resourcing state of being which is called a ‘state of flow’ in positive psychology.  

Let's pause here.

What is now clearer to you about the things, people or activities that resource you? 

Let's also go back to that scale I introduced earlier. On the same range of zero to ten, where would you place yourself NOW? What's changed?  How do you feel now with your new awareness?

So far, I have focused this powerful question on self-reflection, but it can be very powerful when used with the people around you. It might give them fresh perspectives and useful insights, especially if they are going through a challenging time when so many things seem to drain their energy away. However, if you are using this question with someone who is struggling at the moment, choose your moment of intervention carefully. Allow them the time and space to respond to it. Be respectful and appreciative of what they are sharing with you, regardless of what it is – positive or negative, easy or difficult. When the time feels right, check with them whether they'd like to explore what resources them. 

And finally, let's go back to you, as I introduce another way of using this powerful question: 

If you are currently struggling in a particular area of your life, it can be very helpful to first spend some time reconnecting with everything that resources you. Once you feel more aware and connected to what gives you energy, ask yourself "What is a more resourceful or energising way of being around this issue?" It might offer you a new perspective or approach to that challenging aspect of your life or work. 

Before we conclude this episode, I do want to add one caveat. While I believe the question “what resources you?” is powerful, generative and helpful, it may not be enough if you, or others around you, are going through a particularly challenging or low-energy period.  Sometimes, we can all benefit from additional external support by professionals such as counsellors, therapists or other healers. I know – I have been there before, and it is not always easy to identify that need and ask for help.  If that is the case for you, please do seek the help you require first for what you are experiencing so that you can recharge and support yourself beyond reflecting on this question.  

Whatever the case may be, I hope you are feeling more energised and better-resourced as a result of listening to this episode!