Energy

The Physics of Personal Development: Vol. 1 – Conservation of Energy

June 26, 2018 By Julian Kaufmann

Who are we?
What are we here for and how does all this work?

Those questions have perplexed us from the beginning of time, and we continue to theorize and explore, searching for answers. Although I think we are making progress in our understanding.

The scientific field that seeks to answer these questions and explain the universe is called physics. The word physics evolved from the Greek and can be translated as knowledge of nature.

Knowledge of nature and of our selves has tempted us since the Garden of Eden.

“For there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” – Shakespeare

Saving lives through Physics

Physics provided me with a profession and imparted to me a fundamental understanding of energy that would serve me throughout my life. Physical and spiritual questions were answered.

Thanks to physics and my curiosity about how things work, I ultimately pursued electrical engineering in college and then embarked in a career in the energy field.

Before heading to college, my ambition was to be a rock-star and tour the country. We covered groups like Black Sabbath and AC/DC. It was loud and a lot of fun.

Ultimately I decided that I liked to eat and told my band mates of my departure to college, leaving the band without their bass player. We all make sacrifices, right?

Beyond a career, Physics gave me a framework and a logical perspective to explain the world.

Physics provides a scientific, mathematical explanation of how things work.

At its core physics provides a framework for analyzing and explaining the energy of the universe. Physicists study and develop new theories to offer new insights and models on how the world works. These theories are then tested and proven become laws.

One law to rule them all…

After a lifetime of observations and my academic pursuits, I have concluded that everything in our universe is a type of Energy.

But what is energy?

Energy can be defined as the ability to do work.

Our universe of energy and our ability to do work can be neatly summed up by THE LAW OF CONSERVATION OF ENERGY (LCE) which states that:
“For a closed system, energy cannot be created or destroyed but instead changes form.”

If you would like to learn more about how this law was formulated click here.

LCE is akin to a universal accounting system in which all of the inputs are accounted for, with any differences in energy inputs and outputs being accounted for by losses or conversions.

Energy efficiency is a measure of how much energy is converted into useful output after losses occur during that process. Efficiency is equal to the amount of energy that results from a process (energy output) divided by the amount of energy that went into the process (energy input).

To increase the efficiency of a process, we seek to reduce the energy amount of losses that occur during that process.

Personal development makes lives better.

Like Physics, the Field of Personal Development has its pioneers, and its theoretical practitioners and proponents. Personal development covers a broad range of processes and activities that seek to improve awareness and help people realize their potential.

At its core personal development and its advocates seek to help people work more efficiently and more effectively. That is, personal development encourages us to work on the right things and in the right way. Not to waste energy and effort, but to deliberately and selectively focus your power towards your goals.

Thoughts held in mind produce their own kind.

A core tenet of the personal development paradigm is that the quality of your thoughts determines the quality of your life. For example, If you think disempowering thoughts then you will experience a disempowered life. A few well-known personal development books with compelling titles include:
Think and Grow Rich – Napolean Hill
The Power of Positive Thinking – Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
As Man Thinketh – James Allen

Energy Flows Where Attention Goes.

This expression is a core element of the law of attraction from the popular book and movie The Secret.

Tony Robbins, the preeminent personal development pioneer, after substituting Focus for Attention invokes the commutative property refining the Secret’s not so secret expression yielding “Where Focus Goes Energy Flows.”

Tony “preaches” that your decisions make your destiny. And the act of deciding means that you are cutting off other possibilities. By eliminating the almost infinite possibilities available to us and instead focusing on our goals we can then take massive action towards realizing our objectives. You are focusing your efforts by cutting out extraneous outcomes.

A laser focuses light into a concentrated ray increasing its power. We do the same this as a laser when we eliminate distractions and focus our efforts.

“The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body. The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results.” Tony Robbins

Life in the Lab

Life is like an experiment, and we are the scientists and subjects – trying different things and getting different results.

If you do not like what your life is producing for you. Then consider how you are utilizing your energy. After all, energy cannot be created nor destroyed. Maybe you are wasting more of it than you realize?

What are you working on, what decisions have you made, and what is your goal? Lastly, how are you working towards it – are you efficient in your pursuit?

Power Points:
If you want to focus your work more try incorporating the Pomodoro technique into your workday. During each Pomodoro (a block of time), you stay focused on one task only for a set amount of time, taking a short break and then resuming the focused activity until completion. You single-task.

Multi-tasking does not work. In fact, you lose productivity due to losses that occur due to task switching, making you less efficient.

If you want to do more with your energy and your life, take your power back by becoming a Prime Mover. Sign-Up and receive Julian’s Cleaning The Connection ebook and more life-enhancing resources.

Tuning In To The Hum Of The Earth

December 10, 2017 By Julian Kaufmann

“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration.” – Tesla

The earth is a cosmic orb in flux. Consider how we are hurdling through space at a speed of about 67,000 miles per hour. Yet for most of us, our physical world seems fairly stable. We are blissfully unaware and in fact, there is much that happens to our world that we can not perceive.

Recently scientists have made breakthroughs about the mysterious “humming” that the earth makes. Ultra-low-frequency waves are occurring that we can not hear and are a result of the ocean waves and other factors.

As I was reading the Washington Post article on the Earth’s hum, I became aware of the humming ballast in the overhead fluorescent light at the coffee shop. This made me think of the hum that you can hear if you are near most utility transformers as the flowing electrical current is stepped-up or down.

From here my brain went to the humming sound you make when you chant.

All these examples, and for life itself, have something in common and can be explained by energy and frequency.

Which brings me to the last point and that is the frequency of our brain waves.

During most of our day, we are on high-alert and operate in a brainwave state characterized by high-frequency brain waves.

Contrast this with the state of peace and calm we feel when we meditate and are generally relaxed. As we meditate we lower our brain’s energy requirements by lowering our brainwave state. The higher the frequency the higher the energy requirements. Check out my blog post WHAT’S THE FREQUENCY KENNETH for more information.

Thinking About Your Brainwaves

The table below lists the typical brainwave frequencies associated with the various states:

Brain Wave State	Frequency (HZ)	Notes
Beta	14-30	Awake, normal alert to anxious
Alpha	9-13	Relaxed, calm, lucid, not thinking *(Flow)*
Theta	4-8	Deep relaxation/ meditation, Mental Imagery
Delta	1-3	Deep, Dreamless Sleep

If you would like to enhance your meditation practice, please sign up here for a FREE 100-Day program that starts on January 1.

Namaste

Resetting Your Clock After Spring Has Sprung

March 12, 2017 By Julian Kaufmann

Now that we have sprung forward, now what?

I love the changing of the seasons and nature’s awakening that occurs in the Spring, but I confess the clock resetting in response to Daylight Saving time can be disruptive to me. I struggle with the Springing forward ( setting the clocks ahead by one hour) because I am prone to not get enough sleep throughout the year as it is and this time change further steals an hour of sleep creating even more of a deficit for me. Given a choice, I would prefer to keep falling back an hour, but I am joking here mostly.

Daylight Saving time (“DST”) has its origins in allowing for more time for harvest when agriculture was a dominant force in the economy. The season of DST has been expanded, now from the second Sunday in March until the first Sunday in November, to allow for more energy conservation since there is more sunlight available to us and we would not need to use as much electricity at our homes and business. It is debatable how effective these energy savings measures are but nevertheless, it is the law of the land at present.

While our economy and energy efficiency are worthwhile endeavors to justify the inconvenience of having to reset all our non-smart appliances that automatically synchronize themselves, it is important to note the negative effects of the changing of the clocks. In fact, Dr. Ilene Rosen of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine called the time change a “society-imposed jet lag.” Consider the following:

The New England Journal of Medicine reports that there is almost a10% increase in traffic accidents following the time change.
A similar increase in heart attacks was noted by the University of Alabama, Birmingham after springing forward.

Sleep is such a vital component for optimal functioning and I know when I am sleep deprived I tend to want to overindulge in caffeine and sweets, both of which only give you a short-term spike in energy and often leaving you feeling more depleted than you would feel otherwise.

So instead of gulping coffee or “energy” drinks throughout the day, here are some other things try to help the transition of time:

Go to bed earlier and get better rest:

Since you are getting up an hour earlier, to keep things balanced you should, in theory, go to bed an hour earlier. This, of course, is easier said than done. If you would like more information please click here to receive my e-book Cleaning the Connection which lists some products and tips to help you get a good night’s sleep. By clicking you will also receive access to other valuable resources.

Breathe Better

If you need a little pick me up, try the “Breath of Fire” technique. No this does not mean to eat some jalapenos, although that may wake you up. Breath Of Fire is a type of pranayama yoga that oxygenates your blood and can increase your energy. Youtube has a collection of videos that provide better instruction if you want to see how to do it. Tony Robbins morning “priming” routine includes a variation of the Breath Of Fire in which he pumps his arms down while performing the rapid breath. If you have ever seen Tony, you know that man has abundant energy so he must be on to something, right?

Meanwhile, enjoy the extra daylight and look for me to be napping under a budding tree.

Baby It's Cold Outside, Keep The Fire Burning Inside

January 8, 2017 By Julian Kaufmann

Winter is no longer coming. It has arrived with a vengeance. Here in the South, we do not get much cold weather, but today we are in single digit temperature with sheets of black ice covering the roadways. Wherever you, I hope you and your families are safe and comfortable.

We are fortunate to have heat and power and I am grateful that I can share this with you from the comforts of my home while admiring the frozen beauty outdoors.

As we kick off the new year I wanted to revisit energy efficiency and conservation with you. Since everything around us is comprised of energy, how we utilize energy is extremely important. Waste not, want not as the saying goes.

But more importantly, as we learn to better harness our energy better we can produce more, higher quality work.

According to NASA, Thermodynamics is a branch of physics which deals with the energy and work of a system. And the First Law of Thermodynamics is based on the conservation of energy which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed but merely changes form. I describe the conservation of energy concept as an energy accounting systems with a ledger of debits and credits. What goes into the system is accounted for by adding up what comes out of the system and any losses that may have occurred in the system. My goal is to help you waste less of your energy (have fewer debits) to make the credits you have available to you go further.

A simple way to think of energy efficiency and conservation for your home would be this –

Conservation: By regulating your thermometer you conserve energy by adjusting the temperature that triggers your HVAC unit to run. We keep our home set around 68 in the winter and when it is 5 degrees outside the inside feels great at 68. As long as the inside temperature of my house stays above 68, my heat does not come on. I am conserving energy by not consuming it.

Efficiency: If I left my den door open to the outside while trying to heat my home’s interior that is not a very efficient process. It is obviously wasteful, akin to driving your car with the brakes on. The home’s heated air that consumed energy to be produced is being released to the outside while even more, colder air is rushing in probably lowering my home’s temperature caused more demand for heat to maintain my desired temperature.

In our daily routines we can practice both energy conservation and efficiency. We can practice conservation by getting adequate rest, proper nutrition and spend times with friends and family. We are not meant to work all day. We need to let our bodies recharge and keep our powder dry for when we are ready to fully unleash our power. Think of a tiger or lion. They sleep and rest most of the day and then surge with incredibly powerful and directed force. Humans are endurance creatures but we need our rest and recovery as well.

We can become more efficient in many ways but one way I would recommend is by practicing deep work. If you would like to learn more about this read Cal Newport’s Deep Work. Multitasking takes more time and energy than a single, deeper focused effort.

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
by Cal Newport

Meanwhile, it’s time for me to put another log on the fire, hug my wife, play with the kids, read a book, drink more hot cocoa, and enjoy the hibernation.

Namaste

Lightbulb To Enlightenment

September 20, 2016 By Julian Kaufmann

Ideas are often depicted as a light bulb going off inside your head. When we have ideas, a new way of thinking or a new creation is turned on, and the world looks different as a result of the energetic transformation.

Enlightenment, according to Merriam-Webster, can be defined as, “a state of having knowledge or understanding.”

I woke up after experiencing a prolonged dark period in my life when I realized that I was not my thoughts and was able to reconnect with my higher power – God. Beyond the awareness and resulting transformation in me, I saw parallels between science and spirituality that I want to share with you.

A lightbulb works by allowing electrical energy to flow through it. We can vary the intensity of the light given off by changing the amount of electrical resistance in the lighting circuit.

Similarly, we are vessels of the Holy Spirit, and God’s energy flows through us. We can vary the amount of spiritual energy radiating from us by changing the amount of resistance we offer to life. The 4-Flowgates of Peace, Acceptance, Thankfulness, and Helping regulate the flow of the Divine through us.

Here is a brief video with more information:

https://vimeo.com/183245400

Please sign-up and join me in the next energy revolution and become a Prime Mover Today. My latest book, Let Go! Let It Flow a PATH to Peace and Personal Power is currently being edited and will be released soon, and I will be providing early members with free copies.

Namaste – from my light to yours!