Written by: Marc Singer, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
The way you respond to anything you’re about to do, or the way in which you approach a situation or a set of circumstances, is unique to you. What doesn’t affect your energy in one situation may detract from it in another. At any time, you’re not performing to the best of your ability, something is blocking your energy and most likely a spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, social, or environmental factor is holding you back. When we experience stress, tension, or anxiety, and/or a lack of engagement (when we are not choosing to do something and are not motivated by it), our energy is drained and our potential for performing optimally is decreased.
COR.E Influencers are the spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, social, and environmental factors that can work for you, and to any degree that they do not work for you, detract from how you approach situations you face in life. The factors that influence how you show up vary from person to person, and sometimes, from situation to situation. When all these COR.E Influencers are ideal for you, you have the best chance of being successful in all that you do. Understanding which factors to look at, determining which ones affect you and how, and exploring ways to remove the effects of the ‘detractors’ will give you a secret weapon in your quest for living your best life.
Everyone has stress in their lives, and most people say they want less stress. But what they really want is to have less of a ‘stress reaction’ to the things that are occurring in their lives and zapping their energy. Stress itself is not the enemy; it’s your reaction to it. What one person perceives as being stressful, another barely notices, and yet another is excited by. When we talk about stress, we are talking about the things which cause a stress reaction that involves tension and anxiety. This type of stress reaction taxes the body and mind, and usually results in people feeling as if they are at the effect of life’s circumstances. It’s counterproductive and detracts from and drains energy.
There are six main kinds of stress;
Spiritual stress occurs when whatever you are doing causes you to question your values, purpose, goals, connection, or beliefs.
Mental stress occurs when you multi-task, stretch yourself too thin or have conflicting demands, or when a task either bores you or is too challenging for you.
Emotional stress occurs when you feel as if your needs, desires, or expectations are not being met, or when you encounter a situation that you don’t understand or don’t know how to navigate, or when you do not know how to express emotions effectively.
Physical stress occurs when your body is not able to function in an optimal manner, or in the manner to which you are accustomed.
Social stress occurs when social conditions (the people around you) aren’t optimal for you.
Environmental stress occurs when you encounter an environment/condition that you believe prevents you from functioning in an optimal manner.
Understanding each of these COR.E Influencers, and how they affect you, helps you to increase the energy in these areas in order to consistently perform at an optimal level of energy, regardless of the circumstances you face. Doing so helps improve engagement and move from a focus of having ‘no power’ over your situation, to ‘high power’ over it. You gain clarity and insight, and can develop a clear plan to increase energy and reduce your reaction to stress. Resulting in a high level of performance in all six of the COR.E Influencing areas.
Let’s do a quick overview of each area, and you can get a sense of which of them is most affecting you and how you approach situations. It’s worth noting that if just one of these areas is draining you, then it will also drain all of the other areas too. Which is why learning how we can balance all six areas gives us the very best opportunity to perform at our very best.
Spiritual
Spiritual influencers involve your purpose, beliefs, values, gifts, desires, goals, etc, in relation to what you specifically want to do and how you want to do it.
Spiritual influencers detract from energy when whatever you are doing causes you to question, or comes into conflict with, your values, purpose, goals, connection, and beliefs.
Mental
Mental influencers involve your clarity as to what you’re doing, your ability to remain focused without being distracted, and whether the task is interesting and has the right degree of challenge for you.
Mental influencers detract from energy when you multi-task, stretch yourself too thin or have conflicting demands, are distracted by things, or when a task either is too much for you or simply bores you.
Emotional
Emotional influencers involve how well your needs and desires are being met by what you’re doing, how excited and enthusiastic you are about doing it, and whether you have the emotional control to be able to choose how to respond, instead of reacting, to any given situation.
Emotional influencers detract from energy when you feel as if your needs, desires, or expectations are not being met, or when you encounter a situation that you don’t understand or don’t know how to navigate, or when you do not know how to effectively deal with emotions.
Physical
Physical influencers involve your awareness of what your body is telling you and how proactive you are in taking care of your physical self (for example, eating in a healthy way, exercising regularly, and practicing preventive care) so that you are able to create the physical power that will best serve you to accomplish any given activity.
Physical influencers detract from energy when your body is not able to function in an optimal manner, or in the manner to which you are accustomed. Lack of sleep, poor eating habits, being over or underweight, illness, and injury can detract from your energy, as can asking your body to perform well past the limitations of its physical capacity ( for example running a marathon when you’ve never run a mile).
Social
Social influencers involve having the ‘right’ amount and type of interaction with others you socialise or work with and feeling supported by them when going through transitions in life. This may include being surrounded by like-minded people who are excited about the same things you are. Or, you may thrive in a culture that emphasises individual, versus team, work.
Social influencers detract from energy when social conditions aren’t optimal for you or when other people’s negative energy drains your own energy. If you truly enjoy working on your own but find yourself in charge of a company project with strangers, your energy will likely be depleted. Even if you’re excited about doing something, when others around you are ‘naysayers’, their reactions could affect your own energy and enthusiasm.
Environmental
Environmental influencers involve your belief that your environment will allow you to complete or enjoy the task you’re about to do in the way that you’d like to.
Environmental influencers detract from energy when you encounter an environment that you believe prevents you from functioning in an optimal manner, or in the manner to which you are accustomed. If you’ve decided to move in with your significant other and his child but they currently live in a small, one bedroom home, the environment could create challenges in your energy around the move.
In summation, performing at your very best, consistently, is possible. However, only when we recognise and address the areas which are draining us. Working together in partnership with a COR.E Energy Coach enables you to uncover the blocks to success that we all have. And then work on plans and strategies to increase your overall energy so that you are ALWAYS in full control of how you want to show up in life. And then you really do start to create the life that YOU choose to experience.
Marc Singer, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Marc is a highly trained professional coach, a graduate of (IPEC) the institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching. After being badly bullied at school, Marc became involved in a gang full of violence and drugs. Although having enjoyed a great upbringing and from a loving family, he went off the rails. Having moved on from that life, he found himself in a situation one night that would change his life forever. Imprisoned for life for a crime he didn’t commit, he embarked upon an incredible journey of change. Tragically having lost all of his family whilst in prison, Marc found the strength to rebuild his life, secure his freedom, and build an amazing career. He now helps others create the life they desire and become the very best versions of themselves. Currently authoring his first book, his life story, he also coaches one-to-one in groups and does inspiring speaking arrangements motivating others to overcome their own barriers to success. In fact, he was recently invited back to the prison he was in, but this time not as an inmate but as a speaker. His story is unique, tragic, and shocking, but ultimately evidence that with the right mindset and approach to life, you really can achieve absolutely anything!
