You are driving your car and the light signaling that you are running out of gas goes on.  How do you react?  Are you the type of person who never experiences this because you would never let your gas level get to that point, let alone even under the halfway mark?  Are you the type who immediately detours to the nearest gas station?  Or, are you the type that is completely unfazed by the warning light?  When I was younger, I made sure I never let my tank get below ¼ because I was intentional about taking good care of the car.  Over time, I started getting adventurous and stopped thinking about the sludge that my car was running on when I ignored all the warning signs to refuel.  Not only is driving on an empty tank dangerous, it often ends up costing you more than you think.

All of the above are true statements for proper and basic car maintenance AND they are also true for your life.  You are still you in the analogy above because you have the power to make the decision to STOP and REFUEL when your mental, physical, and spiritual tank is low.  The car, well that can represent anything from your mind, body, career, money, lifestyle, relationships, etc…. anything that is an essence of you.  You see, when we ignore the warning signs of life we miss out on opportunities to refuel and invest back in ourselves.  I call this process “feeding your soul”.  It is so much harder to be productive in all areas of your life when you are running on sludge and close to emptiness.  The best way to avoid a low life tank is to make time to rejuvenate and figure out what feeds your soul.

Simple Ways to Refuel Yourself

Back when I was living off my reserve energy and had little to no energy to breathe life into my career and relationships, I was doing more harm to myself than necessary.  To combat this, I made a list of all of the things that I do that I lose time in.  This list included reading, enjoying the company of close friends, snuggling on the sofa with my hubby, going on walks with my dogs, making brand boards for clients, even being back in a dance studio environment.  I found that these were activities that I didn’t watch the clock while doing, but rather got lost in a moment.  Whether I have five minutes or 5 hours to give to these sorts of activities, I found that when I made time for things that feed my soul, I am also feeding my life tank so that I can be creative and successful in other areas of my life.

Going through life with the low fuel light on is one of those things that we know we shouldn’t do but still let happen from time to time.  Only when you are well fed will you have the fuel to feed your hustle in the best way.  Otherwise, you will starve your hustle, your mind, your money, your career, and your relationships when you are running on empty. Today, I want to urge you to take better care of yourself before warning signs, that often manifest as exhaustion and/or a health scare, gets your attention.  Refuel yourself this week and you will be a better person for it.