“Energy Is a Luxury” — Spend It Like One!

Last night, while watching The New Heights podcast as brothers Jason and Travis Kelce hosted Taylor Swift to announce the upcoming release of her 12th album, I heard Taylor Swift say something that stopped me in my tracks:

“Think of your energy as if it’s expensive. As if it’s a luxury item. What you spend your energy on—that’s the day.” -- Taylor Swift on The New Heights Podcast

It’s such a powerful statement, especially in an age where critics, noise, and distraction are only a swipe away.

Your Energy Is Your Currency

We often treat our time as valuable, but we forget that energy — our emotional, mental, and creative capacity — is even more finite. Time might be scheduled, but ”energy” is spent. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.

If you pour your energy into every critic, every social media hot take, or every small frustration, you’ve already given away the best of what you had to offer — and that’s before you’ve invested in the work, relationships, and ideas that actually matter!

What You Focus On Defines You

Where your energy goes, your identity follows. If you spend your mental bandwidth on negativity, you train your brain to look for it. If you invest it in growth, purpose, and connection, those things become your center of gravity.

Attention isn’t neutral — it’s a vote. Each time you focus on something, you’re casting a ballot for what matters most in your life in that moment.

Practical Ways to Protect Your Energy

I created a few practical ways that you can use to protect your energy if you often find yourself giving away this critical resource: 

• Set some intentional boundaries by deciding in advance what’s worth your attention today — and what’s not.

• Audit your inputs:  The news, social feeds, and conversations you allow in will shape your mental state. Curate accordingly.

• Choose purposeful responses: While engagement on social media is important for building community and connection, not every comment, critique, or challenge requires a response. Sometimes, the most powerful response is no response.

• Prioritize high-return investments: Spend your best energy on people, projects, and practices that align with your long-term goals.

• Interrupt the spiral. When a negative comment triggers self-doubt, pause and name what’s happening. Ask yourself: “Is this feedback constructive?” or “is it just noise?” “Is this worth any investment of my time and energy?” Then, deliberately redirect your focus to one small, confidence-boosting action that reinforces your strengths. A good place to start is to focus on all of the positive reinforcement you have already received and the progress you’ve made.

The Influence Connection

Influence isn’t built in the comments section. It’s built through sustained focus on what you stand for, what you create, and how you show up. Leaders who inspire us aren’t reacting to every distraction; they are intentional with where and how they spend their energy.

If energy is a luxury item, treat it with the same respect you’d give your most treasured investment. Protect it. Spend it wisely. And make sure every “yes” is worthy of the most valuable resource you have.

ok, friend, I’d love to hear your thoughts or maybe an experience where a negative comment knocked you off track and caused you to spend more energy than truly warranted. Please share your thoughts in the comments.