The Energy Cycle
These winter months kick in. Limited light. Limited energy. Limited capacity.
While German politicians debate "Lifestyle-Teilzeit," most of us are just trying to hold our everyday lives together.
AI makes us more efficient than ever. We do in minutes what used to take hours. And yet — life still feels rushed. Crunched. Never enough. Why? Because efficiency was never the problem. Energy is.
We're careful about money. But careless about energy. We say yes to projects that drain us. We chase revenue and forget to ask: Is this actually worth it?
A Festanstellung used to be the recipe. Steady salary. Eigenheim. Security.
But that recipe changed.
Because money doesn't buy you the life you want if you're exhausted. If you have no time. If you never found out who you are.
The new recipe includes what we forgot: Time. Energy. Self-realization. Space to breathe.
Energy is the most precious currency we have.
So maybe the question isn't just "How do I make more money?" The answer got more complex. Because it's not just about money anymore. It's about time. Energy. Self-realization. Space to breathe.
Maybe the real question is: What am I building that's actually worth my energy?
I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Not just as an observation — but as a fundamental shift in how we need to think about value creation.
Because here's what I realized: We're still operating under an old logic. Time for money. Hours for income. The more you work, the more you earn.
But that logic breaks when energy is the bottleneck. Not time. Energy.
And if energy is our most precious resource, then the question isn't "How do I optimize my time?" The question is: "How do I build a model where my energy creates the most value — and comes back to me?"
THE ENERGY CYCLE
That's what I call the Energy Cycle. And it's at the heart of what a Signature Business does.
Here's how it works:
You focus your energy on what you're uniquely good at. The work that only you can do. The perspective only you bring.
You create value that's clear, distinct, recognized. Not generic. Not interchangeable. Yours.
You set a clear price for that value. Not hourly. Not per project. But for the transformation, the insight, the outcome.
You get back not just money — but recognition. Appreciation. The feeling that your work matters. That it's seen.
And that recognition? It creates new energy. It fuels you. It makes you want to keep going.
That's the cycle. Energy → Value → Recognition → More Energy.
And when that cycle works, you're not just making money. You're building something sustainable. Something that holds you when life gets wild.
THE HELL YES PRINCIPLE
But here's the hard part: Building that cycle requires saying no. A lot.
And most of us are terrible at that. We say yes because we feel obligated. We say yes because it's what's expected.
Here's a simple principle I use to check if my energy is well spent: The Hell Yes Principle.
Ask yourself: Is this a Hell Yes?
Not "I guess I could do this." Not "I should probably say yes." Not "It's good money."
But: Does this make me think "Hell yes, I want to do this"?
If it's not a Hell Yes, it's a No.
I know. That sounds extreme. And I'm not saying you should only do work you love every second of. Life doesn't work that way.
But I am saying this: We're social beings. We live in community. We have obligations.
And the tendency to prioritize obligation over conviction is the fastest way to drain your energy. It keeps you from building what you actually want to build. It keeps you from your Signature Business.
So the question isn't "Should I say yes to everything I'm asked?" The question is: "What am I saying yes to that's killing my energy — and why?"
WHAT A SIGNATURE BUSINESS REALLY MEANS
This is what building a Signature Business is really about.
It's not just about "opening up new market space" or "building IP" or "scaling without a team."
It's about building a model where your energy is protected. Where it's focused on what matters. Where it creates value that's recognized. Where you get back more than you put in.
It's about asking:
How do I work with clients in a way that keeps my energy high?
Where does my energy create the most value — and where is it appreciated?
What do I need to say no to?
And it's about building a business that reflects that. Not just structurally. But fundamentally.
A business where you're not just optimizing time. You're optimizing energy.
I don't have this figured out. I'm still learning where my energy goes — and what I get back.
But I do know this: The old recipe doesn't work anymore. Time for money. More hours, more income. That logic breaks when energy is the constraint.
The new logic is harder. It requires focus. It requires saying no. It requires building something that's truly yours.
But it's also lighter. And in these winter months, when energy is scarce — that's what matters.
So here's my question for you: What are you building that's actually worth your energy?
Warmly,
P.S. Want more like this?
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