Sergeant Hulka: “You know something soldier, I’ve noticed you are always last.”
Private Winger: “I’m pacing myself, Sergeant.” -Stripes
Bill Murray’s character in the movie Stripes understood what we at BTL also know. Life is an energy management problem. For Private Winger, basic training was one giant drain, and so he drudged through each task with as little enthusiasm and effort as possible. Tom Cruise’s Jerry Maguire understood this as well, but rather than pacing himself, he authored his manifesto, grabbed his goldfish, secured one client, and set off to chase down his OPUS. He connected his work to his passion and was drawn to create the relationship-based sports agency of his dreams.
Spend your time engaging in activities that drain you, the things you dread, and you are left overwhelmed, depleted, and just hoping to make it through the day. Engage in the activities you love, and everything picks up, from your eyes and the corners of your mouth, to your energy, attitude, and zest for the day. This is why “love tos” are a part of your BTL core. We know that love is pure energy.
The thought of recruiting used to leave me drained like a shorted battery. I loathed the idea of selling, and for a long time that is how I viewed recruiting. But, I loved getting to know junior athletes and connecting them to our vision and our purpose for Ohio State Rowing. Once I changed my belief about what recruiting meant and attached it to something I loved, that drain became a charge and the strength of our recruiting classes grew as well.
Whether it’s changing the way you engage with an activity, like making a big party intimate by only interacting with a few guests, or altering your mindset so that what you loathed is now connected to what you love, you have more control over your energy supply than you might think. Can’t make either of these changes? Then balance some of the activities that drain you by sprinkling in some of those you love. This problem isn’t going away, so it’s up to you to figure out the equation that works for you.
As you rinse and re-rinse your “love tos” (and “loathe tos”), take a look at how many of them are in your control. Life is an energy management problem, and the more you can tap into your pure energy, the easier it will be to fly through your day.
BUILT TO LEAD 
There is a beauty and majesty in a life that has been destroyed. In the bitter ashes of destruction, a clarity of opus arises. This is the great miracle of life… as long as we live there exists a love to pursue.
I choose to embrace the pain. Embrace the “loath to”. Embrace the doubts and fear. All in the pursuit of my “love to”.
There’s only one path to heaven. And it takes us through the deepest pit of hell. And I will walk that path, in pursuit of opus. (thank you Miles).