How do you fill your tank?

More than one person lately had shared with me that they are exhausted and completely drained of energy. We are really bombarded with so much aren't we? In recent days I can point to local and world events that we are constantly hit with: presidential election, hurricanes, olympics, fall sports, the start of school with very changed schedules, start of new activities: dance, soccer .... my fellow bloggers have written about these and more. So I was thinking..What does it feel like when you are running on empty. Doesn't it take just one more event to drain you dry. One tantrum in the store...late for one appointment...phone call at 4:50 just before you leave the office that you wish you had left unanswered..a broken appliance, one more spill, fun outing plans fallen through, one more bill in the mailbox, or maybe boredom of the same old/same old.


I started thinking about how I fill the gas tank in my car every week. With the gas prices so high I have begun to fill my tank 20 dollars at a time. This buys me a half a tank and gets me on my way. I do not have to completely fill my tank to get me to my next destination.


"All or Nothing" thinking sees every situation in black and white. Something is either soooo great or soooo terrible. It says...In order to re-energize I need to do something big! It's so easy to be disappointed when we cannot do the "big stuff" to get what we need. We can get caught up in the "aint' it awful" blues, especially when we hear bad news on a daily basis or are sleep deprived!


I was thinking that refilling my spiritual tank does not have to be a great event. It does not have to be that dream vacation or even a whole weekend away. I think refilling can be more like the way I fill my gas tank. I think I can renew my soul a little bit at a time... a little throughout the day. Here are some suggestions to think about, I bet my blogging friends can come up with more.

• Read one chapter of a good book at a time or less, or try a short uplifting devotional that takes only 3-5 minutes to read. It might just stay with you all day.
• Go for 10 minutes of quiet to sit and breathe. It might be enough.
• Have one bite of chocolate....to treat yourself. (Good luck with this one!)
• Make one short call per day to a friend who needs encouragment. We don't have to be on long...it's our message they want to hear. I have one friend that calls family and friends on their birthday. Quick 2 minute messages that really make the person feel special.
• Sign up for motivating messages to be e-blasted to you daily.
• Start a project but enjoy the process and commit to working on it in very small amounts of time to savor the experience.
• Have a cup of your favorite tea or coffee dring every day at the same time and sip it slowly.

The point is... to refill our tank, we do not have to wait until we have the perfect idea to fill it up. We do not even have to be alone to do it. We might even be in the midst of daily chaos. A little effort and positive abundant thinking will sustain us for our next moment in time. That is all we need, to get to our next destination. I have a new little book called "the Art of Abundance" that has many short quotes to remind me of abundant living. These mini messages help keep me going. I would love to hear what works for you!

"Some people despise the little things in life. It is their mistake, for they thus prevent themselves form getting God's greatness out of these little things. " Meister Eckhart