Learning how to channel your energy into constructive purposes is one of the greatest skills you can master in life. As with so many valuable life lessons, we needn’t look further than the common flea to recognize the potential inherent in storing and releasing energy in the right place at the right time.
Fleas jump in times of crisis. They can apparently jump up 3 inches, which to us is no big deal, but to them it is 38 times their body height! To put this in perspective I am 6’2″ and 38 times my height is 234 1/3 feet! Wouldn’t that be useful on occasion?
Your energy is a precious commodity. Your body converts food to energy and your body is a biological battery. Your interactions with others also provide an opportunity for energy transfer. Have you ever noticed how being in the presence of some people energizes you while others drain you, even if you’re not interacting with them?
How you manage your energy determines in large measure your effectiveness in life, not to mention your longevity. The first step to better energy management is to learn not to waste energy. If you plug the leaks in your expression, you will then be more able to build up a reserve of energy.
Helen Keller made an excellent point in this regard, one that every man, woman and child on earth would be wise to take to heart: “It is wonderful how much time good people spend fighting the devil. If they would only expend the same amount of energy loving their fellow men, the devil would die in his own tracks of ennui.” This point has been made over and over again throughout history. “Resist not evil.” “Love your enemies.” “Do good to your friends to keep them, to your enemies to win them.”
Resentment is a heavy emotion. It weighs you down all the while sapping your energy and draining your life force. If you’ve ever indulged in hatred of any form, you know what I mean. I once heard someone say that “hatred destroys the symmetry of life.” A vivid description, don’t you think?
Energy is present all around us, but you must be deliberate in your choices – mental, emotional, dietary, physical, etc. – to tap into it and to steward it wisely. While I don’t imagine that any of us will find a way to jump 200+ feet vertically on our own steam any time soon, I do think that each of us could stand to take greater care in how we manage the precious energy that courses through our bodies, hearts and minds on any given day.
Gregory Hake 
Priceless quote from Helen Keller. Amazing advice overall. Thanks so much!
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I’ve always believed if you ever want to improve things, avoid the things that are hurting you before you begin to add something. Because if not, you end up spinning your wheels and frustration develops. For example, how can you expect to have better energy if you are hurting yourself by not eating well, not getting enough sleep, holding onto grudges, etc. I find your post full of the uncommon sense necessary to living an uncommon life!
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Energy becomes even a more precious commodity as we age. It just isn’t endless. Using it wisely becomes as important as your choice of food and drink. You can fortify or diminish yourself beginning with your thoughts.
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I just did a little inventory of the times that I think I might use energy needlessly in a day. I’m sure there are more, but just off the top of my head I could think of quite a few. I think that if we are to be truly effective, this is something to watch. For someone who is always looking to improve, there isn’t enough energy to afford to be wasteful.
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To solve the mystery of the jumping flea, I had to share this NPR story I heard the a few days ago which illustrates how and why fleas can jump so high: http://www.npr.org/2011/02/10/133602679/itching-to-know-how-fleas-flee-mystery-solved
Fleas are perfectly designed to use energy effectively. I feel that we are too, however, we have a choice – are we going to use that energy to create or destroy? To create is my choice and is fun, inspiring and energizing and as you mentioned, we should treat that energy as precious, because it is and we each are!
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Hatred is a gift you give the devil, it’s praying at his altar.
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