Harnessing the Power of Altruism: How Giving Your Energy Away Brings More Back - 2023 Thrive Practice #11

“If you’re not positive energy, you’re negative energy.” Mark Cuban

Here is an idea that I have been exploring this year. Give Your Energy Away to Get More Back.

How is it possible to get back more than you give away? If you give away money, you have less money. If you give away goods, you have fewer goods. If you give away time, you have reduced availability for other things.

But human emotional energy systems—which are tied to our physiological energy systems—don’t work that way. Sometimes, giving can earn big rewards, including energy rewards. Think about giving someone love and being loved in return. Or giving your children or your pets your time and attention. Or helping an elderly neighbour with their lawn or shopping. There are many ways that we enjoy tremendous “compensation” when we give something of ourselves to others or to causes that we believe in or even just out to the universe.

So, let’s focus on how you can integrate these energy practices such as gratitude and altruism into your life and benefit from the giving-getting energy upcharge.

Keep a gratitude journal. At the end of every day, take five minutes to write out five reasons why you are grateful in your journal. Some ideas for what to write about include what you are grateful for: “I am grateful for my family” “I am grateful that I am in good health when many others are not” “I am grateful that my presentation went well today at work.” To mix it up a little, make a gratitude jar or try a gratitude journaling app. The key with these methods is consistency, so do it every day!

Communicate your gratitude to others. Write a letter to your friend, facetime your parents, or send a text to your sibling and tell them why you appreciate them. Make it a habit to thank at least one person every day. Leave a sticky note on a co-worker’s desk, thank them in an email, or tell them in person. These are simple ways to build gratitude and appreciate those in your life, the connections you have with them, and how they have helped you.

Help one person every day. Psychology tells us that those who perform one act of kindness every day feel happier after just six weeks. Start small and hold the door open for someone or pay for the person behind you in the drive-through line. Make these gratifying exercises a part of your daily routine.

Do what you’re good at. The main facet of effective altruism is the practice of utilizing your unique talents and passions to make the greatest difference possible.  Research demonstrates that we experience the greatest benefits and can do the greatest amount of good when we are doing something that we excel at, or, are passionate about. Projects of passion are easier and more motivating than those that you are less experienced in or unfamiliar with. Instead of volunteering for a charity or cause that you have never heard of, draw on your existing pool of skills and talents and use them to your advantage.

Encourage others. Humans can accomplish so much more by making altruism a group effort.  Educate others on the causes you are passionate about or encourage them to advocate for causes that they identify with. Lead by example and inspire others to do the same. 

Finally, remember that we’re all in this together. One of the most important hurdles to overcome on your path to altruism is group differences. As humans, we feel more obligated to help members of our so-called “in-group” and less so for our “out-group.” But we can easily modify who belongs to our in-group. The key is to remember that all humans share a common experience, and that we are all in this together.

We hope this information helps you get some perspective about energizing practices that lead you to an upward spiral of wellness!

If you want to track your sleep and your rest & recovery, please check out our VIIVIO app for peak performers! Here’s an article on how you can use VIIVIO to track your recharging.

If you want to learn more about increasing your energy levels, I cover that topic in the third chapter in my new book Powerhouse: Protect Your Energy, Optimize Your Health and Supercharge Your Performance.

Have a great month!