Energy is the mentality we bring to a situation. It determines the quality of our interactions and experiences. Bring the right energy to the situation and you'll set the tone for good outcomes.

Below are different types of energy we can carry and their utility:

1. Fearful energy sours interactions and makes things feel worse than they really are. Fearful energy is associated with a feeling that you are unable to contend with the situation you are encountering. In these situations you lack agency. Avoid allowing this energy to manifest.

2. Kind energy is that which we use when wish the best outcomes for people. It is defined by comfort and ease. Kind energy is low in judgement and high in acceptance without being passive. Think of it as present warmth.

3. Playful energy is creative and literally brings forth something from nothing. Playful energy builds (and quickly destroys). It's childhood imagination that has advanced in the level of sophistication so that it may serve the higher purposes of an adult.

4. Assertive/focused energy is your workhorse. It drives tasks forward and and pushes you toward the goal. Use this energy when a clear directive is known. It is here where you are most efficient and productive.

5. Solemn energy is self reflective and helps make sense of our state of being. It's recuperative, healing, and conservative. In this state of energy we are relieved of the need for control and outward progress. We are composed, accepting, and introspectively regenerative.

Finding the right energy, the right mentality, to bring to a given situation will vastly improve your experience in that situation.

Bring focus and assertiveness to you current deadlined project at work.

Let the playful energy flow when tinkering with new marketing strategies for your business.

Enter into all client interactions with a kind energy.

The one stipulation is that you can't fake the energy you bring to a situation. If your heart isn't in it, it won't be authentic.

This is something you have to be able to embody and feel first. And then let your words, actions, and body language flow outwardly from that feeling.

To understand the energy you bring to a situation requires self awareness.

You have to be able to get a read on yourself.

How does one do this?

On one level it’s being mindful of the way you are feeling.

Pay attention and notice what it feels like in each of the mentalities described above.

If it’s difficult to notice the energy you are carrying, an easier place to start is to pay attention to other people.

Observe when they are driven by fear, excitement, playfulness, etc.

Pay attention to how people interact in these different energy states.

Once you recognize the energy you can bring to a situation, you get better at directing this energy to improve situations.