We had Baja bowls for dinner last night.

Chicken, rice, veggies, avocado, cilantro sauce.

A simple and usually safe staple while we're in Mexico.

Until about an hour later, when my son projectile vomited across the bed.

And shortly after, I got hit with heavy flu-like symptoms that kept me in bed for the next 24 hours.

Battery drained close to zero.

With no energy to lead, create, build, explore, or serve.

Just lying there curled up in a cold sweat, dozing in and out of sleep.

It was a sharp reminder of something we tend to forget:

The energy you have available on any given day is everything.

And you either have it, or you don't.

Every day you wake up with a certain amount of potential energy.

Much like a battery that's either drained or charged.

Maybe it's at 20% and flashing red.

Maybe it's at 60% and yellow.

Maybe it's at 90% and green.

Whatever the level, it sets the ceiling for what you're capable of that day.

My example is extreme, but conceptually it's not far off from how many men operate.

They become experts at running at 100% effort...

With a 20% battery.

Grinding through ten-hour days at a fraction of their true capacity.

Instead of spending one or two intentional hours charging their battery so they can have five or six hours of being lethal.

Time is the same for everyone. Energy is not.

That's why two people can be given the same four hours and produce wildly different outcomes.

Like my client Jon, who said "it is so empowering to walk away from my desk after crushing in two hours that would have taken me a whole day to get done."

Stop wearing how much you work like a badge of honor.

It doesn't matter how long you work.

What matters is how much you can produce per unit of time.

And that level of production is impossible without energy.

You have to acquire energy first.

Then you have to focus it on your most strategic work.

Like holding a microscope up to the sun.

That's how you create fire.

To your success,

James

P.S. At the end of the day (or a work block) consider:

Here's how I can help when you're ready:

Work with me to upgrade your personal operating system to TotalMan OS for full 360 performance. We'll eliminate the chaos, take back control of your days, and get you performing at the level your role demands with more clarity, energy, and calm.

After 8 weeks together, my clients report on average:

Hit reply with "UPGRADE" for the details.