We have all heard the discussions on how you can actively increase your energy by eating healthier foods, getting regular exercise and sufficient sleep. We can also add things like de-stressing activities, i.e. massage, golf, facials, baths…that is provided that we have time and money.

But, have you heard about increasing your energy by ELIMINATING YOUR ENERGY DRAINS!?! Did you know that at this very minute your energy is being drained without you even knowing it? It is a phenomenon that is not known or talked about much. Just what is it that I am talking about? Well, let's start at the beginning with the concept of ENERGY.

Everyone has energy, some may be high and others may be low, but we all have it. Energy is the momentum that gets us through a day, week, year and life.

I believe that each person's energy is finite and that there are little things that are draining our energy even as we speak.

In the Coaching Profession we call these energy drains''Tolerations'' A''toleration'' can be anything from a button missing on your shirt, a dirty car, late taxes, your partners snoring or anything else that is unfinished or bothers you. If you give it a thought, a glance, a sigh, then it is taking a piece of your energy. Let me give you a quick analogy. Imagine a Styrofoam cup full of water as being your energy for the day. Then take that cup and poke a hole in it with a pencil for each thing that you are tolerating. Now how much water can it hold? If water is your energy and you have a cup full of tolerations, then your energy just leaks out all over the place and YOU ARE LEFT DEPLETED.

Aha, but there is a solution.

I have an exercise to help increase your energy a little bit each day.

First, take a piece of paper and write the question,''What am I tolerating'' at the top.

Then, make a list of things that you are tolerating; keep adding to it as you think of more later.

You can make two sections:

home and work.

Second, we are going to handle and eliminate the tolerations. Handling or eliminating a toleration means that it is taken care of and no longer tugs at you.

For example, if one of your tolerations is a rip in a piece of clothing, then you either sew it yourself or have it sewn by a tailor. If your toleration is a dirty house, then you can make a schedule for you and your family to clean up or you can hire a house cleaner. The idea is to find a permanent solution for the toleration, so it doesn't pop up again later.

The final step to this exercise is to try to eliminate three tolerations a week for one month. For those of you who like challenges let's bump it up to handling one toleration a day for one month. You may notice that some of the items on your list get handled automatically without any effort.

A tip for even more success with this exercise is to tell those around what you are doing and let them support your new endeavor. They may even want to do it with you and you can make it a game.

As you work on this list of tolerations each day you will notice more energy coming to life. The lack of clutter in your mind will also give you a greater sense of clarity and creativity. In a very short time you won't need a list anymore. You will have risen your standards and you will immediately handle things that might drain your energy. Imagine the new happier YOU with more energy and vitality to focus on what is important in YOUR LIFE.

I invite you to take the challenge: Just what IS IT that YOU are tolerating?