by Gina Maier Vincent, founder of Exquisitely Aligned
Navigating a startup is challenging. Entrepreneurs often find themselves overwhelmed and feeling drained despite their passion. Understanding and managing your divine resources — time, money, and energy — can be the key to not only surviving but thriving in this environment.
Here’s a structured approach to aligning your life for optimal performance.
Time: Your Finite Currency
Most people give at least some thought to how they spend their money. Yet how do you spend your time? Is your day filled with activities that light you up, bring you joy, and feel like needle movers for you? Or are you spending your time doing work you do not enjoy, spinning your wheels, or fulfilling obligations you don’t actually care about?
Unlocking Time Wealth
When I taught yoga, I loved sharing an ethical teaching called the Yamas. The third principle, Asteya, means “non-stealing.” When applied to time, it emphasizes not taking time that isn’t yours or that you don’t need.
Your time is the one resource you can never recover. If you are feeling like there’s not enough time in a day, the following is for you:
- Create a general list of all the things you do in a day, a week, a month, a year. What are you spending your time on?
- What percentage of your time is spent doing things you absolutely love and find fulfilling?
- Which of your current time commitments feel obligatory, draining, or a waste of your effort?
- If you had more hours in the day, how would you spend them?
- How many hours in your day/week/month are devoted to upleveling yourself?
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how aligned are your most common daily activities to your “more,” your purpose, and your magnificent future?
- How much time do you spend doing things that are not aligned with, or even actively contradict, your “more,” your gifts, or your purpose?
If your “more” is about freedom, it’s time to stop saying yes to things that restrict your freedom. If your “more” is about greater financial success, it’s time to stop doing things that don’t make you money. If your “more” is about changing the world, it’s time to stop doing things that don’t support that change.
Money: Your Power Currency
Your money is your power. What (and who) are you giving it to? When you spend your money on something, you are investing in its existence. Every time you spend money on something, you are saying to the Universe, “I want more of this to exist.”
Unlocking Money Wealth
No matter how much money you currently have, consider how you can be more intentional with it. How can you allocate money for experiences that create lasting memories? How can you leverage money to create more beauty, harmony, and peace in your life?
From now on, whenever you open your wallet or click “buy now” online, ask yourself the following questions:
- Is this purchase fully aligned with my “more” and my most magnificent future?
- Does it support my values and what I want for myself, others, and the planet?
- Is this purchase about instant gratification or long-term bliss?
- Will this purchase/investment light me up inside or leave me feeling darker?
Energy: Your Invisible Currency
Your third and final divine resource is energy — specifically, the life force energy you invest in various aspects of your life. Every intimate partnership, every friendship, every work relationship, every interaction, every task, every new venture… all of those require energy.
Unlocking Energy Wealth
You are the guardian of your inner flame. It’s vital that you protect it fiercely. If you are not feeling like the most energetically charged-up version of yourself, it may be time to reassess your commitments and take a courageous stand to remove any energy drains from your life. Your energy, even more than your time and money, is where you align with your desire for “more.” How you use your energy shows what truly matters to you. When your energy is pointed toward what is most important to you and to your magnificent future, you claim your “more” with every breath you take.
Take a moment to slow down, connect with your “more” and your purpose, then set an intention for the remainder of your day. Decide how you will direct your thoughts, actions, speech, and emotions toward what truly matters to you.
By aligning your time, money, and energy with your startup goals, you can transform from feeling overwhelmed to empowered. You have the potential to reclaim your vitality and drive your startup to success. Remember, every decision is an act of creation. Choose wisely, and watch your vision turn into reality.
Gina Maier Vincent is a Visionary Thought Leader, Master Motivator, Inspirational Speaker, Author, and Empowerment Entrepreneur. As the founder of Exquisitely Aligned, she offers a 3-step proven system that guides high achievers in aligning their time, money, and energy with their truths, desires, and gifts so they can live their most magnificent lives. Through her podcast, TV show, and monthly magazine columns, she reaches a global audience, empowering them to create the future they desire and deserve.
