The force is with her

Young Chang

Sue Podany has a light fountain, the kind where orange light sprays up

and down like water, because it “creates energy.”

Near the door of her Balboa Island home, she has another fountain with

water cascading down a small stone wall. This creates calming energy.

Her freshly cut orchids add to the positive energy and so do her many

many candles -- some lavender, some red, each set in a creative candle

holder.

From a Japanese mobile adorning the ceiling to the shooting star

placed above her brick mantle, the touches that pop up in the corners

(and more obvious areas) of Podany’s home attest to her faith in creating

good energy through the littlest things.

The author of “Energy,” released last September, says the force is our

most precious gift.

“If you don’t have energy, you can’t accomplish the things you want in

life,” she said. “You don’t have as much fun, you’re more open to

illnesses and . . . you don’t attract fun, energetic people in your life.

We’re just all little walking balls of energy interacting with other

balls of energy.”

Her book, subtitled “120 Easy Ways to Get It . . . Keep It, and Keep

from Giving It Away,” explains how different attitudes and nutritional

habits can affect one’s energy, how “energy breaks” can help rejuvenate,

how certain things can zap your energy and how you can maintain high

energy.

“This isn’t just about having it but learning how to keep it and also

learning how to not give it away,” said Podany, a professional speaker

for more than 10 years.

She was inspired to write her book because audiences, following her

energy-themed talks, would ask if she had ever written one. Podany then

saw a need.

With a background both in fitness and business management, the author

also had experience observing how people take seven to 20 seconds to form

opinions about other people.

“Too often, if a person is not projecting good energy, it becomes a

bad opinion,” Podany said.

One of her tips on retaining energy is not wasting energy on people

you don’t like. When you don’t get proactive about confronting the person

and instead simmer with your complaint, you end up suffering while the

other person has no idea something’s wrong.

“I’ve usually been better in being assertive in my business relations

and not so good at my personal relationships,” Podany said. “So it’s a

learning experience for me too.”

Her favorite energy breaks involve deep breathing, because she can do

it any time, anywhere and it helps her focus; journaling, to organize all

the thoughts that occupy her head; and exercising.

“I get the circulation going again,” she said. “I get oxygen in my

brain, I get refocused and I can let go of my negative energy.”

The book is available at Martha’s Bookstore on Balboa Island and

through Amazon.com.

The writer, who is working on a second book titled “Help, My Life is

Out of Balance,” often steps onto the beach that borders her home and

sits in front of the water to relax.

There was a time, a decade and some years ago, when life wasn’t as

simple. She raised two sons on her own, held three jobs and never let on

how “crazy” things got. She was conscious of creating and keeping good

energy back then and says her methods worked.

“We were never really aware of the workload or the sacrifices she was

making because every time she was with us, that was all that really

mattered,” said son Michael Podany, of Manhattan Beach.

Like his mother, Podany also visits the beach a couple times a week to

sit and have coffee and “cleanse the soul” before he starts the day at

work.”

“I don’t necessarily use the tips that are in the book because I have

a lifetime of experience with that,” he said. “I’ve picked up a lot of

those habits.”

One of those is being grateful -- something Sue Podany champions.

“I think it’s one of the most important ways to stay in your own

energy and your own power,” she said. “If you focus on what isn’t

working, you’ll get more of that. If you focus on what is working, you’ll

see more of that and attract more of it into your life.”