Last week, we covered the necessary parts that make up reliable fuel to help us achieve great outcomes, but what does the lack of fuel do to us? I’m sure many of us have seen that side as we’ve come short of our goals, but let’s break it down so we have a better understanding of four ways the lack of fuel negatively affects our ability to progress:
1. There’s No Catalyst
Going back to Junior High School where we originally learned about catalysts in science class, the process involves: 1. “A catalyst [which is] a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction, or lowers the temperature or pressure needed to start one, without itself being consumed during the reaction”, 2. “During a chemical reaction, the bonds between the atoms in molecules are broken, rearranged, and rebuilt, recombining the atoms into new molecules”, 3. “Catalysts make this process more efficient by lowering the activation energy, which is the energy barrier that must be surmounted for a chemical reaction to occur”, 4. “As a result, catalysts make it easier for atoms to break and form chemical bonds to produce new combinations and new substances” (1).
As I learned a little more about catalysts, I couldn’t leave any of this information out as it all pertains to fueling ourselves so well. Having a substance to create a “chemical reaction”, or permanent change, as well as lower the amount of energy that we ourselves have to put towards producing change, is HUGE in making that change actually happen. If you want to check out the article that I pulled this information from (here), it dives in a little deeper and reveals more fascinating information about catalysts, such as creating a faster and more-efficient change process, which again is exactly relatable to fueling ourselves in creating lasting change.
Any form of change starts with a desire of some sort which is often that catalyst. No fuel means no desire which means no catalyst and ultimately no change. See how important this is?
2. Lack Of Quality
Let’s say someone is forcing you to complete a goal. Maybe it’s a boss that wants a report from you by the end of the week. You might be a good employee and will do your best no matter what, but is it really going to be your best work if you don’t really care about doing it?
Where else might you see this in your life? Is there anyone prompting you to complete something that you don’t care about very much? How is or has that affected you and your progress in getting that task done? If it’s something you know is important but don’t necessarily care about, it’s critical to know how to find that care and do so.
3. No Energy
I’ve lost countless hours over trying to complete assignments for school or work that I had no energy doing at the time, but refused to do anything else until it was finished. Sure the desire and care were there, but the lack of energy (mind and body) made these tasks difficult (and nearly impossible) to finish it the moment I was demanding them.
When we need to work to get something done, we have to keep in mind the energy we have to do them. We waste so much time towards one thing when that time could’ve been better used towards something else. To demonstrate this a little more, a few weeks ago I was sick but refused to rest and instead wanted to work. What should’ve only taken a couple of days to recover, turned into over a week. Not only did I have to deal with sick symptoms for a much longer time than originally required, but the quality of my work was also really poor. It’s so hard to stop sometimes and focus our energy on something else, but like in this situation, it was a lose-lose and I definitely learned to not do it again.
How can you reorganize your tasks to use your energy to your benefit?
4. Resentment
Finally, the last way that the lack of fuel can negatively affect our ability to progress is that we end up having resentment if we don’t have that fuel.
No desire, no care, no energy, but you still have to do something? Whether that something is pushed by you or someone else, how can you see yourself achieving that without having resentment towards yourself or that someone else? All the joy and fun is taken out of it!
This leads to poor relationships either with yourself or the others involved and is not good long-term. A way that this can be avoided though, is if you have a strong understanding of the “why” of getting this certain thing done. That “why” is fuel!
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Can you see how important it is to have a reliable source of fuel? And how the lack of fuel has personally affected you or others?
Other than answering the questions I’ve asked throughout this post, what are you going to do now to apply this information to your life?
Citations:
- “Doe Explains…Catalysts.” Energy.Gov, www.energy.gov/science/doe-explainscatalysts. Accessed 5 Oct. 2023.
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