The scientific method was introduced in the 17th century and brought undoubted benefits. Its focus on controlled experimentation and rational analysis allowed humanity to understand the world better and brought breakthroughs in medicine, physics, and technology.

But it also came with a cost.

The belief that if something can’t be measured or observed, it doesn’t count as valid knowledge meant that mainstream western thinking was and is always a few steps behind what ancient wisdom traditions have known for centuries or even millennia.

In ancient cultures, the idea of energy was central to a good life. From qi in Chinese medicine, to prana in yogic traditions, to mana in Polynesian philosophy, to similar concepts in various indigenous beliefs, vitality was seen not as a nice-to-have but as the essence of being.

When energy flowed freely, humans thrived.

When it was blocked, imbalance followed.

These systems furthermore viewed humans as multi-dimensional beings, composed of body, mind, spirit, and environment.

The ancient Greek philosophers also talked about different aspects of the 'self', including physical, rational and emotional/spiritual aspects.

Modern science is only now catching up and validating with data what these traditions have known all along.

There are now several Western psychological and developmental frameworks that map human needs, including Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Barrett's values model, Spiral Dynamics from Graves and later Beck & Cowan, and Ken Wilber's Integral Theory.

The most well-known is Maslow's 5-level model, which consists of physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization needs. It gave the modern world a framework for understanding human flourishing more holistically.

But what’s often misunderstood is that the hierarchy of needs is not linear. Beyond core safety needs like food, water, and shelter, you often try to meet all needs at once, especially in adulthood.

You can probably relate to the desire of focusing on physical well-being, financial security, social belonging, independence, achievement, and deeper meaning at the same time.

You were taught how to solve equations, analyze data, and meet deadlines.

You were rewarded for knowing the right answers and working hard.

Modern work rewards your mental capacity.

But sustained performance is multi-dimensional.

You don’t just burn out mentally.

You burn out when you are mentally, emotionally, physically, or spiritually out of balance.

That's why you need to build your inner edge, on top of your technical and professional skills.

To sustain high performance over time, you need to build awareness and capacity across four energy domains:

Physical energy – your fuel and recovery system

Emotional energy – your ability to feel, regulate, and connect

Mental energy – your clarity, attention, and focus

Spiritual energy – your sense of purpose, values, and alignment

I cover these 4 energy domains and how to master them fully, in my 8-week Sustainable Peak Performance course. Find more info here.

Let's now explore each of the four briefly.

Physical energy is the most basic form of fuel. It’s the foundation that every other domain builds on. Without it, your emotional stability, mental clarity, and spiritual sense-making all suffer. When physical energy is low, everything feels tough. When it’s high, you feel lighter, clearer, more resilient.

It includes:

Movement: Regular activity boosts circulation, mood, and energy flow

Nutrition: What you eat either fuels or fogs your system

Sleep: This is when your body repairs and your mind integrates

Recovery: Micro-breaks and macro-resets replenish your system

If physical energy is your fuel, emotional energy is the quality of the fuel. Emotional energy is shaped by your ability to process feelings, stay grounded under stress, and connect meaningfully with others. Unprocessed emotions leak into your behaviour. But regulated emotions become your superpower. It’s often what determines your impact as a leader, partner, or parent.

It involves:

Emotional awareness: The skill of naming your emotions precisely and understanding what's driving them consciously or subconsciously

Emotional regulation: The ability to manage your emotions in the moment and choose a wise response

Relationships: Your ability to empathise with those around you and build strong connections

Mental energy is your ability to focus, make decisions, and stay clear on what matters. When you’re mentally scattered, even small tasks feel overwhelming. When you’re focused and deliberate, you enter flow. That’s where your best work happens.

Mental energy requires:

Mindfulness: The ability to observe your thoughts from a distance rather than be controlled by them, viewing them as objects of awareness rather than identifying with them as the subject of your experience

Mental mode matching: The ability to change your brain state depending on what's required for the activity at hand

Aligned deep work: Prioritising the right things and protecting time for undistracted thinking

Spiritual energy is the alignment of your energy. It is about knowing deeply who you are and connecting to something bigger than your to-do list. Without it, even success feels empty. With it, even hardship feels meaningful.

It includes:

Purpose and values: Knowing who you are, why you're here, and what truly matters to you

Courage: Aligning behaviour with inner truth

Peace and acceptance: Ability to find peace in the moment, regardless of what is happening to you or around you

Since you're reading this far, you probably feel that everything is not "ok" or at least not as good as it could be.

The problem is not that you're not good at what you do.

The problem is that you're playing the wrong game.

You're focusing on excelling in the outer world (work deadlines, maintaining harmony, keeping up appearances) but aren't managing your inner world.

You've been trained to deliver, not to self-regulate.

The shift that's needed is to become aware and manage all four energy bodies in a holistic and consistent way. It's to work on yourself beneath the surface and become aware of the stories you tell yourself, the identities you hold, the patterns you're stuck in, and the deeper growth aspirations you have.

These four energy bodies are interconnected. When one suffers, the others feel it. For example:

Low physical energy makes emotional regulation harder.

Poor emotional regulation clouds your mental focus.

Scattered mental energy disconnects you from purpose.

And when you lose purpose, even rest and nutrition don’t restore you.

That’s why sustainable performance isn’t about hacking one part, it’s about building a rhythm that integrates all four.

Managing your energy is not a checklist.

You need to take a holistic approach.

Don't focus on short-term and quick fixes (tactical).

Focus on identity, lifestyle, and courageous choices (strategic)

A lot of the time, it's about coming "back" to your core essence and focusing on what really matters, once you strip away all the noise of what you think you need to do or be.

Strategic choices that are aligned with your deeper needs and what you know is right for you can unlock multiple dimensions at once.

For example:

A morning walk in nature (physical) grounds your nervous system (emotional), opens mental space for ideas (mental), and reconnects you with gratitude (spiritual).

Saying “no” to a draining meeting honours your time (mental), your values (spiritual), and protects your mood (emotional).

Spending an uninterrupted evening with a close friend (emotional) deepens your sense of connection (spiritual), helps you decompress from mental noise (mental), and often leads to better sleep and recovery (physical). Scrolling on your phone does the exact opposite.

Dedicating a 90-minute deep focus block during the day (mental) boosts your sense of progress and purpose (spiritual), and helps you fully switch off and sleep better at night (physical and emotional).

Get radically honest about where you are. Rate yourself from 1–10 in each energy domain - physical, emotional, mental, spiritual. Where are you thriving? Where are you drained? Awareness is the first step toward alignment.

Choose one small ritual in each domain. Don’t overhaul your life. Instead, add one micro-habit per domain (e.g., mindful breathing before coffee, journal one emotion before sleeping, daily physical activity). Small steps compound.

Track energy, not just productivity. At the end of each day, ask: What fueled me today? What drained me? Begin noticing the patterns. Performance improves when you view energy as a dashboard and manage it daily.

Create space for weekly balcony moment. Protect time each week for quiet reflection, where you review the past week, make any adjustments needed, and set intention for the week ahead.

Commit to identity-level change. Ask yourself: Who am I becoming? Let your daily choices align with that future version of you

You were taught how to execute, how to think, and how to deliver value. But no one taught you how to manage your inner state, align with your purpose, or sustain your energy in a complex and fast-paced world.

The new frontier of sustained performance is grounded in self-awareness, intentional energy management, and aligned action.

It’s about leading from a place of wholeness, where your body is fuelled, your emotions are regulated, your mind is clear, and your spirit is grounded in something that actually matters.

The Sustainable Peak Performance (SPP) course is a powerful 8-week journey that guides you through this exact transformation, across all four energy domains.

You’ll learn how to:

Reclaim your energy and rhythm

Break free from reactive patterns

Clarify your values and inner compass

Build a lifestyle that supports sustained clarity, creativity, and calm

Next cohort launches soon.

👉 Read more and express interest here