The Energy Bus - Part 1
Good morning!
It’s the first Sunday of October. Wow! Can you believe it? This year has had its ups and downs. That doesn’t mean we need to throw a pity party though.
Actually, we need to work even harder to inspire and motivate those around us. We need to work harder to be the beacon of light for others. We need to work harder to bring positive energy to the world.
There is no secret if you’ve read my e-mails regularly or seen my posts that I love listening to Jon Gordon. Jon Gordon is a best-selling author and speaker and a positivity expert. The beauty of Jon’s books and talks are they are parables. He uses his characters in his short books to tell their story and illustrate important principles in life.
The book he is most well-known for and everyone should read if you haven’t already is “The Energy Bus.” Don’t have enough time? Well, it’s a short book so that’s no excuse! Don’t want to read? Listen to it!
In “The Energy Bus,” Jon teaches 10 principles to live a positive, more inspiring life. He uses his character George, who gets a flat tire and is forced to take the bus to work but little does he know the bus driver is going to take him on the ride of a lifetime.
Today, we are going to talk about the first five principles, what they mean and how you can start implementing them into your life.
You’re the Driver of the Bus - We all control the actions and decisions in our lives. No one is forcing you to work a job you are unhappy at, be around people you don’t like or live a life you don’t feel fulfilled. Start taking action in your life and taking control because ultimately whatever you want to accomplish, it’s up to you. You’re the driver. Maybe right now you’re letting others drive your bus and you’re unhappy. Take personal responsibility and control of the wheel.
Desire, Vision and Focus Move Your Bus in the Right Direction - As a gym owner and someone who works with people every single day to better themselves, it’s important to have goals and vision to where you want to be. It starts with the desire. How bad do you want it and WHY do you want to achieve it? What’s your vision? Are you leaving things up to chance or do you know where you want to go? Lastly, focus is everything. If you’re focused on a million different things, you’re focused on nothing. If you are going to achieve something, map it out, take action and be persistent as obstacles will be waiting along the way.
Fuel Your Ride with Positive Energy - Positive energy is premium fuel and negative energy is sludge. What do you want to fuel yourself with? It’s like when we should fuel our body physically with healthy foods as opposed to the processed stuff. We need good fuel to keep us going as positive energy is the key to overcoming challenges. Besides, having a negative attitude and bringing negative energy rarely accomplishes anything good.
Invite People on Your Bus and Share Your Vision for the Road Ahead - Who do you hang out with? Do you hang out with high performers who raise your game or do you hang out with people who drag you down? It’s up to you who you associate with so take responsibility and invite people you want on your bus. Out with the bad and in with the good. If you invite bad eggs on your bus, you will be held back.
Don’t Waste Your Energy on Those Who Don’t Get on Your Bus - Not everyone that you envisioned being onboard your bus will join you. The more you focus on the people that are bought in and the less time you spend focusing on people that don’t want to go along for the ride, the better off you will be. Focus your energy and serve people that are on your bus. You can’t change everyone in the world and you sure as heck can’t if you are focusing on people that aren’t on your bus. It takes away from the people who want and need you.
I could read this book over and over again and believe if every business, school department, non-profit, organization and sports team followed these principles, it would change their trajectory and the lives of the people on their buses.
What principle spoke to you most and what are you going to work on this week to make sure your bus is riding more smoothly?