Discovering the Art of Life: Time, Energy, and the Wisdom We Earn
Time to shift your focus? It's all a matter of mindset and perspective
Based on my current life expectancy and actuaries, I might have about 1,200 Saturdays left, give or take. Depressing? Nope. Because I live in the now, and I’m here to share something that’s dawned on me in later years.
It’s about energy. Mine. Yours. And in general. What you’re about to read is about the art of life. I’ve been far more focused on my photography and digital artwork than writing lately. And it’s all good because I’m energized as heck.
Time
Most of us are glued to a calendar; life, work, and what little else. Time. “Oh no, I’m going to be late.”
But a calendar does not make a life. It is one way to track time. It sure beats a sundial.
Energy is beyond time. It simply changes form, like my face and everything else that’s aging in my 6-foot-1-inch frame. When we shift to thinking about life as energy and attention, we have the opportunity to discover the ultimate gift, the best present of all.
The here, and now.
Awareness
Some people are more aware of this than others.
Highly sensitive, bright, and often introverted people tend to notice energy shifts early. Psychologist Elaine Aron, Ph.D., who coined the term Highly Sensitive Person, found that roughly 15 to 20 percent of the population processes sensory and emotional information more deeply.
Guess what? I used to be so highly sensitive that I believed something was seriously wrong with me.
However, that has consequences. And consequences for me led me to do tons of inner work, which partly explains why I read and write about psychology and metaphysics.
Arousal
Let’s talk about what you notice the most. Psychologists call it arousal.
Do noise, light, emotional tone, loud sirens, conflict, and overstimulation register quickly, sometimes instantly, for you? If so, your body knows before your mind can explain what’s going on.
It’s as if you have a sixth sense more developed than most. The real you inside is not fragile. It’s light. It is sensitivity paired with awareness.
Aron’s research shows that highly sensitive people are often more attuned to what drains them and what sustains them, especially with age. Many learn this the hard way. I know I did.
The Shift
I’ve experienced this shift in my energy awareness the most over the last 15 years. 60+ years in the school of life offers a few lessons for any willing student. How you develop your awareness of energy is up to you.
You have to be intentional.
Ignore energy long enough, and it shows up as burnout, illness, irritability, or quiet disengagement. Pay attention, and something else happens. Life becomes more sustainable. Choices become clearer.
Even if you do not identify as highly sensitive, experience teaches a similar lesson. Longevity, physical and psychological, depends on self-awareness. You begin to notice patterns. What fuels you? What costs you more than you want to admit? What environments support you, and which ones quietly wear you down?
Asking
Ask, and you shall receive more insight into who the heck you genuinely are. (Warning: Requires believing in something far bigger than us.) This kind of awareness is not indulgent.
It is sacred wisdom.
The early Greek philosophers understood this long before modern neuroscience gave us language for it. The Stoics primarily wrestled with the same existential questions we still face. Who are we? Why are we here? What are we supposed to be doing with this limited time?
Seneca cut straight to the point: “It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste much of it.”
Boundaries, Energy Efficiency
Waste does not always look like idleness. People pleasers often sacrifice their most precious energy, giving it away. Same with do-gooders and perfectionists. Think of all the tension of their energy.
Boundaries created huge efficiency for me over the years. That required being more self-aware, OK, and confident in who I am vs. who I am not.
It seems like overcommitment. It looks like saying yes too often. It looks like pouring energy into work, relationships, and habits that no longer align with who you are becoming.
And you are drained. That’s not the real you.
Marcus Aurelius framed the internal side of the equation: “You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
That insight sits at the heart of energy management. You cannot control most external circumstances. Trust me, as a recovering control freak, one of the fastest ways to drain your energy is to argue with reality.
Shifting Yourself
You have to shift yourself into a higher gear of self-awareness. You find the “real you.” That requires looking in the wrong places and facing some tough lessons.
Consequences. Suffering. Change.
Change yourself, how you see yourself, and the world around you. You can get to the point where people, places, and things don’t bother you like they once did.
You can learn how to better observe, filter, interpret, how long you carry thoughts and certain feelings, and how much energy you allow them to consume. Over time, that discipline becomes a form of freedom.
When you see life as eternal, infinite energy working through your mind and body, and learn to work with it rather than against it, life becomes nearly effortless.
Life
Oscar Wilde captured what happens when this awareness never develops: “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
Existing is easy. Living well takes attention. Better yet, it takes intention.
Energy shows up everywhere. Again, I ask you to ask …
Does your work give you more energy as the day unfolds, or less? Are there people who leave you calmer and clearer, and others who leave you tense and depleted?
Think about this stuff, but don’t overthink it.
What you read, watch, eat, and scroll through all register in the nervous system. The body keeps score long before the mind catches up.
Physics tells us that energy is never destroyed; it is only transformed. Human beings are no exception. Burnout is rarely caused solely by effort. More often, it comes from prolonged misalignment, giving energy to things that do not nourish meaning or growth.
Age Benefits
I love this stage of life. If life is hard for you right now, believe that your life will get better.
With age, if we are paying attention, we get better at this. We simplify. We protect our attention. We choose environments more carefully. We learn when to engage fully and when to rest without guilt.
It’s not withdrawal from life. It is a more skillful way of participating in it.
When work, relationships, and creative practices energize you, something shifts. Time feels less oppressive. Effort feels cleaner. You may still get tired, but you are not empty. That difference matters more than most productivity advice will ever admit.
The art of life is not about squeezing more into fewer hours. It is about aligning limited time with what sustains your energy and deepens your awareness. That alignment is what allows a life to feel long, meaningful, and fully lived.
Like when I create new art.
For now, I will leave you with the wisdom of our Dog. He’s stretched out in the sun, recharging his seventy-three-year-old dog body without apology or hurry. He understands something many humans forget.
He observes all. Rest is not wasted time. It is how wisdom keeps the lights on. It’s like Under Dog basking in the glory of the light.
Follow the light in your heart.
I’m an author, photographer, visual artist, and mentor. Discover the power of the Clarity S.H.I.F.T. Method® for improving yourself, your career, business, and life at www.CliffordJones.com.