I don’t know about you, but when I check my financial portfolio to see how it’s doing, I feel dopamine dread if the numbers go down or a surge of dopamine delight if the numbers go up from one quarter to the next.

 

If they’re down, it’s clear that the portfolio needs adjusting; if they’re up it’s evidence the portfolio is growing.

 

The numbers grow due to compounding interest, when the interest earned on a principal balance is put together and reinvested to generate additional interest or a greater whole.

 

Compounding helps accelerate the growth of money in our savings accounts, our IRAs, and our overall portfolio performance. Great news for all of us who’d like to comfortably retire, make a difference, travel, and support our kids and grandkids.

 

As our investment portfolios grow – even a bit saved can produce a lot over time – so grows our impact and power to do great things.

 

Why am I writing about compounding interest? I’m not a financial analyst or accountant, so you may be wondering.

 

Hear me out.

 

 

In May, we focused on regulating energy, while last month it was all about finding one’s rhythm and rest.

 

Both pieces involve noticing and regulating our personal energy, slowing down long enough to be intentional about where we spend that energy, and to see if there’s a way to compound it for the long haul.

 

So no, I’m no finance expert, but I’m curious enough to know there are three questions worth exploring elated to the ‘compounding interest’ of our energy.

 

1) How are you currently investing in and tending your energy account?

 

2) Do you have a long – game strategy for your energy investments?

 

3) What’s the impact you want to build as you grow your energy portfolio with intention?

 

Investing & Tending

 

Where we spend our energy – including our attention, time, and activities – is a lot like taking note of where we spend our money.

 

Take my coaching client, Sara. Typically, bright with energy and creative, she’s a big thinker and acts quickly—a natural entrepreneur.

 

In conflict situations, her tendency is to see both sides and harmonize them. Her highly creative approach to problem-solving allows her to see options others often miss.

 

She contacted me when struggling with a personal loss. It had slowed her down, her energies waning, which was hard for her. Her MO is to overdo and overextend herself to serve and support others. Yet now she needed support herself as she was back-to-back with client work that took a toll on her energy. Her energy deficit was not only slowing her down but was also getting in the way of processing her grief.

 

Our initial work involved Sara zeroing in on her physical sensations. Then noticing where she focused her energy. She’d continued to overfill her calendar, despite her loss, in effect reinforcing her tendency to push herself and deplete her energy stores. Her natural rhythms were off.

 

This awareness in hand, Sara made a few changes to her calendar and committed to a morning routine (a deposit) to re-balance her energy.

 

If we’re frivolous, inattentive, or waste our energy by allowing it to drain away due to unaddressed leaks, we’ll come up tired and spent. Particularly if that strategy has gone on for some time. Like a slow drain on our bank account, one day you see your energetic balance is much lower than expected, and panic sets in.

 

However, when we’re attentive and making active energy deposits – like deliberate rest and renewal practices – and regularly taking stock, we’ll maintain a steady rate of energy to energize our daily life and work.

 

Take a pause here to reflect on these questions:

 

How am I investing in and tending my energy account?

What needs attending to?

What needs a deposit?

 

I’d love to hear about your energy investment plan and where you earn the highest ROI. If you need help working with you energy, sign up for a free Executive Energy Audit or reach me at drchris@q4-consulting.com.