Manage your energy to strengthen your will.

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” 
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NIV

I love competing in triathlons, but I’ve never trained for the full Ironman distance. Swim. Bike. Run. Each discipline has its own unique challenges.

In my first triathlon, I remember thinking I could actually drown. I was an experienced swimmer, but I got gassed early and was overcome by dozens of other swimmers; many swam right over the top of me. I did my fair share of praying that day.

By the time I got off the bike and started the run, I was totally fatigued. I wanted to give up.

Vince Lombardi, legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers, once told his players, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” He wasn’t just talking about tired legs. He was talking about what happens to a man’s will when his tank runs empty.

Triathlon taught me that energy runs out in three places, not just one. Mind. Body. Spirit. We manage all three or we manage none of them. Weakness in one drains the other two. We are only as strong as our weakest link.

Paul understood this before triathlon ever existed. He told the Corinthians that everyone who competes goes into strict training. He disciplined his body and made it his slave so he wouldn’t be disqualified after preaching to others.

Paul wasn’t just talking about muscle. He was talking about the whole person. Mind, body, and spirit, trained and ready, so fatigue wouldn’t compromise his will and resolve to do the right thing and finish the race.

As leaders, others are counting on us being at our best.

Mentally, we need to be rested and sharp. Our attitude and problem-solving depend on it.

Physically we need to have strength and endurance. Our energy flows from this.



Spiritually we need to be rooted and anchored in God’s truth. We need to apply wisdom in our daily decisions.



Managing your energy in all three areas gives you what you need to lead others.

1. Which tank – mind, body, or spirit – is running lowest for you right now?
   
2. What fills that tank, and are you actually doing it, or just talking about it?

As a leader, what’s one energy drain – mental, physical, or spiritual – you need to cut this week so your tank is full when your team needs you?

"The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle." – Anonymous

"Under duress, we don’t rise to the level of our expectations. We fall to the level of our training." – Archilochus

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." – Hebrews 12:11