Core value · Health family
Energy
Having the fuel to do what matters
Also covers Vigour and Vitality
What does energy mean as a core value?
Energy as a core value means paying close attention to your vitality, what fuels it and what drains it, so you can bring real life to whatever you’re doing.
Time, skills and good intentions only go so far without the fuel to use them. If energy is a core value, you pay close attention to what gives it and what drains it: certain people, certain meetings, one late night too many. You value vitality in yourself and in others, and you feel low when you’ve been running on empty for too long, even if everything is technically fine. Being fully alive to what you’re doing matters to you.
What does energy look like in practice?
- You schedule demanding work for the time of day when you’re sharpest.
- You protect an evening off after a heavy week and leave it empty.
- You notice which people leave you buzzing and which leave you flat, and you act on it.
- You take a walk at lunchtime because the afternoon goes better when you do.
- You bring pace and life into a room, and people often remark on it.
When is energy overplayed?
High energy can wear others out. You set a pace that suits you and forget it doesn’t suit everyone, and quieter or slower colleagues may feel steamrollered. There’s also a risk of treating your own energy as limitless, pushing on with caffeine and adrenaline until you crash. Some things that matter, like grief or a slow afternoon with a child, don’t reward speed. The healthier approach spends energy well and replenishes it deliberately. One way to keep it in check is to ask someone who works with you how your pace feels from their side.
Often confused with
Energy vs Health
Health is the underlying condition of body and mind. Energy is how much fuel you have to spend today, and it can dip even when you’re perfectly healthy.
Energy vs Enthusiasm
Enthusiasm is excitement about something in particular. Energy is the capacity to act, and you can be enthusiastic about a project while too drained to start it.
Energy vs Drive
Drive is the inner push towards a goal. Energy is what powers that push, and people with strong drive often spend energy faster than they replace it.
Questions to sit with
- What drained your energy most in the last week, and are you planning to do it again?
- What restores you so reliably that it’s odd you don’t do it more often?
- Who around you is paying the cost of keeping up with your pace?
More values in Health
Looking after your body, mind and energy.
About the author
Matt Rutherford is a Career and Leadership Coach. The Values Finder is the same exercise he uses with his coaching clients. He also writes Stuff that MattRs, a weekly newsletter with practical ideas to help you think clearer and work better.
Find your own
Is Energy one of your core values?
Choose from 155 values, narrow them down to the few that matter most, and get a personal report to keep. Free, and it takes about 15 minutes.
Find your core values