Have you ever had one of those days when your energy seems determined not to flow?

It feels like there's an impenetrable barrier between you and your goals.  And someone's got an electric whisk and mischievously stuck it in your brain and given it a whirr, so it's all turned to mush.

Sometimes it's a sign for you to be easy on yourself, for you to back off and give yourself a  low-key day to re-charge your batteries, ready to come back, all guns blazing and firing on all cylinders.

Other times...

...you may hear a little voice from the genie standing on your shoulder, urging you to push on through, to not let yourself be overcome by the fatigue that can come uninvited, like an unwelcome intruder, from the always-on demands of modern life.

It's at times like those your strength of purpose will come shining through.  If it's weak, you'll struggle to find a way to be productive and move forwards, instead frittering away your time on distracting activities that have no real benefit or return.

But if your purpose is strong, it will act like a tractor beam, drawing you inexorably towards it.

You'll be able to identify the key tasks you need to accomplish that will make a difference so, by the end of the day, you can look back and know you've achieved something worthwhile, despite the odds being loaded against you.

It's on days like these you need to turn on your laser-beam focus, set aside all the mountain of things calling on your time and say, "Today my energy is only available for the things that will move me positively towards my goals.  All the rest can wait until I have a high energy day when I'll be able to do my usual octopus-like juggling act."

If you struggle...

...to do that, perhaps the most productive thing for you to do with your day would be to sit down and really examine your goals, and make sure they're linked to your purpose and values.

Problems occur when we're not working in full alignment.

Often our goals are based on what we think we should do, rather than what we truly believe in.  Then, when we really need to dig deep to find the motivation to push on through, there's simply nothing there; the well is dry.

You need to...

...have a strategy that will help you fulfil your purpose.  And once you've got that, put in place meaningful goals as your milestones along the way, goals you find compelling enough to pull you through whenever the going gets tough.

Anything less means you're wasting your life on stuff that doesn't really do it for you.

So get real and start living your life on purpose!