Increase Your Stamina for Life

If you define success as achieving what you set out to do, then all of us desire to be successful in some shape or form. We’d all rather our efforts be productive than lead to failure. 

Of course, the modern use of the word “success” has connotations of fame, wealth, and power— but these shallow pursuits are far from the only accomplishments on the menu.

We can aim for success in our marriages, our friendships, our faith, or in accomplishing work that leaves the world a better place. We can be successful in savoring life, growing in virtue, or living generously. 

I believe we should be encouraging each generation to be as ambitious as possible for the kinds of success that really matter. And in order to do so, we need thoughtful conversations about what character traits actually lead to success.

What Successful People Do Differently

If you’ve spent much time up close with a successful individual, one of the primary things you’ll notice is that they have a lot more energy and stamina than the average person. Successful people are often oozing with energy— physical and emotional.

Of course, stamina isn’t the only thing you need to be successful, but any worthwhile pursuit is going to require tons of it. There is work to be done and obstacles to overcome, and all of that requires a steady input of human energy.

Success tends to follow those who stick with an idea for a long period of time, and who are hungry to keep learning and growing along the way. 

If you make a race long enough, it’s not the fastest car that wins, but the one with the biggest fuel tank. I’d suggest that this is the most useful model for thinking about success in our modern world. Stamina is an undervalued trait, and a key to success.

Stamina Is Not a Fixed Trait

Stamina is nothing more than your ability to sustain effort over a long period of time. High energy people are described as such because they appear to have a bottomless source of enthusiasm for the activities in their life.

For a long time I thought energy levels were a relatively fixed trait. Some people had high energy and some people didn’t. There wasn’t much you could do about it.

But I discovered some holes in that theory as I reflected on my own life. Even greater than the differences in energy levels between one person and another is the energy delta I observed in myself depending on my emotional state.

On days when I was discouraged or stressed, my energy was completely zapped. But on days when I was excited by progress or hopeful about a new idea, I felt I had enough energy to take on the whole world. 

My physical well-being seems to have a role to play as well, albeit less dramatic, and with some delay from the actual inputs. I can get away with less sleep and mindless eating for a while, but eventually the bill comes due.

Between my emotional state and my physical readiness, it’s as if there are two entirely different versions of myself living inside of me. Imagine the wildly different trajectories my life could take if one of these “selves” were to take the upper hand and begin to call the shots.

That thought has had a profound impact on my approach to productivity, and sent me on a quest to permanently raise my energy levels. 

Practical Ways to Increase Your Stamina

The most fundamental shift in my thinking has been letting go of a popular, but unhelpful model— that our energy is like a tank that gets depleted with use.

I’ve come to see that energy spent is not necessarily lost, but, like an investment, can become a compounding source of new energy. Looking for positive feedback loops that multiply your vitality, and avoiding negative ones, has become  an important part of managing my energy for life.

Here are the practices that have been most helpful to me:

Physical Practices

Get your heart pumping. Build up to an hour a day of moving your body and elevating your heart rate. Regular exercise is a reliable way to increase feelings of energy and decrease fatigue. For me, long walks around my hilly neighborhood have become one of the best parts of my day, and are a great stress relief.

Make sleep a priority. That means not frittering away the evening hours in front of a screen and getting to bed too late– a tempting activity in the moment that rarely produces wellbeing the next morning.

Eat and drink for energy. Eating for energy means listening to your body and eating the foods that make you feel good consistently and don’t lead to crashing energy levels in the middle of the day. 

Psychological Practices

This is where the real magic happens. I believe most people aren’t even close to maxing out their true energy potential, and what’s holding them back is simply what they have come to believe is possible. 

Is there a component of the placebo effect at play here? Absolutely. The placebo effect is a proven phenomena that appears to be growing stronger over time. The fact that we’re surprised by this shows how deeply we’ve underestimated the power our beliefs have to shape and activate our physical bodies.

Change your mental scripts. For example, if you are constantly saying “I’m tired” you are reinforcing the belief that you are someone who gets tired easily. That’s why I rarely use that phrase anymore. Instead, I tell myself that I’m the kind of person who has boundless energy. And when I really am tired, I tell myself that a night of rest is just what I need for another day of action.

Be optimistic in the face of challenges. Research shows that a person’s stamina is correlated with having a positive outlook during periods of adversity. Optimism multiplies our energy while pessimism is a drain.

Act like the person you want to be. In his book, “Outliers,” Malcolm Gladwell points out that the majority of the best hockey players are born between January and March. An early age advantage made these kids and everyone around them think they were the better players. It’s no surprise they ended up developing the stamina to eventually become the best of the best.

Make early progress. Humans are hardwired to be rewarded by clear indicators of progress— a big reason why video games are so popular, and why we love checking items off a list. I try to start each day by working for two hours on my most important tasks. This practice has drastically altered my energy levels for the rest of the day.

Have an outlet for stress. Not only is chronic stress bad for your long-term health, it puts a powerful damper on your energy levels. It’s like carrying an emotional weight around your neck and trying to go through the day. Find a way to diffuse stress that works for you— maybe it’s going for a long walk, taking a hot shower, or talking with a friend— just don’t allow the stress to build without addressing it.