My new friend Michelle Currie of Meditative Arts just asked me to answer this question for her upcoming e-book: How do you stay refreshed during the day? What keeps you energized?

I thought it was such a great question, it deserved its own post.

People ask me all the time how I accomplish all that I do in life as a Pink Medicine Woman coach, author, workshop leader, doctor, artist, mother, and entrepreneur. And my standard answer is “ass in chair” -- as in, you gotta work your ass off. But this question got me thinking. What allows me to get my ass in that chair so that I can finish that book/complete that solo art show/write that e-course/book those clients? Well, I make efforts to stay refreshed and feel energized!

What’s the secret sauce?

Well, I wake up feeling energized every morning because I am doing what I love and owning who I really am at my most essential, authentic core. But I wasn’t always this way. On the contrary, in my old life, when I was practicing medicine full-time but not in a way that resonated with my authentic core, I woke up exhausted, even after eight hours of sleep. Now, I might have nights when I get way less sleep, and yet I still feel energized and refreshed in the morning because I am living my dreams. Honestly, if I knew I was going to die in three months, I wouldn't change a thing about my life.

While my purpose -- to empower, inspire, and catalyze change in women -- keeps me energized emotionally and spiritually, I also make efforts to energize my body. I drink four glasses of fresh-squeezed green juice every day. I eat a healthy, whole foods diet light on sugar, caffeine, or processed foods. I take a hike out in nature as part of my daily routine. And I pretty much suck at it, but I try to meditate (see I need you, Michelle!).

The whole kit-and-kaboodle keeps my get-up-and-go revved up and kicking, which keeps me on task to do what I'm here on earth to accomplish -- to love and be loved, to make a difference helping people overcome fear so they can leap into their dreams, to have a blast, and to ROCK this wild and precious life I'm blessed to live.

To stay refreshed and energized, I consciously make efforts to Own Pink by owning all the facets of what makes me whole -- my creativity, spirituality, health, relationships, sexuality, career, and life purpose. So how do I do that?

Tips to Keep You Feeling Refreshed and Energized So You Can Do What You Love

1. Express yourself creatively. I don’t care how you do it: decorate the table beautifully, make a scrapbook, paint, sculpt, garden, blog, make candles. Whatever floats your boat. But getting your creative juices flowing is better than a double latte with an extra espresso shot. Try it!
2. Nurture your bod. This vessel you’re blessed to inhabit is the container for all the divinity that is YOU. Feed it with healthy organic, whole foods meals. Eat your veggies. Limit sugar, alcohol, caffeine, and anything with a chemical your grandmother didn’t eat. Drink your green juice. Get out and MOVE! Sleep at least seven hours every night. Talk to your doctor about optimizing your thyroid, adrenal, and sex hormone balance. And don’t forget to manage your stress in healthy ways (try meditation, guided imagery, exercise, and massage).
3. Connect spiritually. When you feel connected to the Divine, you automatically feel more energized and refreshed because you know you’re here for a reason. You’re part of something bigger than yourself. Your life matters because the Divine is working through you. You are a channel for something BIG. Get out of the way. Let it flow through you. Try meditation, prayer, writing letters to the Big Mama In the Sky, getting out in nature, going to church, joining a spiritual community -- whatever makes you feel connected in a way that resonates with the authentic core of who you are.
4. Surround yourself with love. Hang with the people who actively adore you. Release or limit your contact with the ones who are toxic. Love is arguably the biggest energizer of all!  Seek out the people who make you feel energized and refreshed, and steer clear of the ones that suck the life out of you.
5. Get turned on & get off! Nothing like a good romp in the sack, good fantasy, or self-pleasure session to leave you feeling refreshed and energized. Let your freak flag fly!
6. Make your work playtime. When you do what you love professionally, you discover a wellspring of energy you never knew you had. Let go of fear and worry and leap into the life you dream of living.
7. Find your calling. I believe we’re all here on earth for a reason, a purpose in life. What’s yours? Once you find it, you’ll be infused with massive amounts of energy, and you’ll have the support of the Universe behind you.

What about you? What refreshes and energizes you on a daily basis?

Kickin’ up my heels,

Lissa

Lissa Rankin, MD: Founder of OwningPink.com, Pink Medicine Woman coach, motivational speaker, and author of What’s Up Down There? Questions You’d Only Ask Your Gynecologist If She Was Your Best Friend and Encaustic Art: The Complete Guide To Creating Fine Art With Wax.