10 Rules for the Ride of Your Life Companion Guide for The Energy Bus
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This booklet is a companion guide for The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon. The guide was written by Jon Gordon and Melissa Johnson.
Available where books are sold. Visit www.TheEnergyBus.com for additional information, free downloads, resources, and to sign up for Jon Gordonâ€&#x;s free Positive Tip newsletter. 10 Rules for the Ride of Your Life | The Energy Bus Companion Guide | www.TheEnergyBus.com
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10 RULES FOR THE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE Page 4
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YOU‟RE THE DRIVER OF THE BUS
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DESIRE, VISION & FOCUS MOVE YOUR BUS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
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FUEL YOUR RIDE WITH POSITIVE ENERGY
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INVITE PEOPLE ON YOUR BUS & SHARE YOUR VISION FOR THE ROAD AHEAD
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DON‟T WASTE YOUR ENERGY ON THOSE WHO DON‟T GET ON THE BUS
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POST A SIGN THAT SAYS, “NO ENERGY VAMPIRES ALLOWED”
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ENTHUSIASM ATTRACTS MORE PASSENGERS AND ENERGIZES THEM DURING THE RIDE
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LOVE YOUR PASSENGERS
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DRIVE WITH PURPOSE
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HAVE FUN AND ENJOY THE RIDE
10 Rules for the Ride of Your Life | The Energy Bus Companion Guide | www.TheEnergyBus.com
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1. YOU’RE THE DRIVER OF THE BUS “Where are you going?” It seems such a simple question, doesn‟t it? But if you look to someone else for the answer, it‟s nearly certain that their answer will be different from yours. Only you know exactly where you‟re going. No one knows the road better. No one else fully comprehends the distance or knows the terrain as well. No one else has studied the map as thoroughly and completely. So where are you going? Think about your answer. You are the driver of your bus, and therefore the most qualified to get that bus moving from where it is now to where you want it to go. No one else can drive it for you. And, since you‟re the one who knows best where you‟re going, you wouldn‟t want anyone else to drive it for you. As Joy the bus driver says, “if you‟re not the driver, then you‟ll always be at the whim of everyone else‟s travel plans.” A business owner talks about taking steps to launch her own company. She tells it this way: “There were friends I wanted to bring along for the ride. Have you done that before? Discussed your dreams and plans with a friend and included them in your mental picture? I was excited about my business idea, but I really wanted someone else to begin it for me. Finally though, I realized that this was my idea, not theirs. This was my journey, and if I didn‟t hop into the driver‟s seat, my business idea would never become anything more than simply an idea, a filmy and vaporous dream. If I wasn‟t driving, the bus was not going to move. There was no one who knew the directions better than I, but I had to be in the driver‟s seat to begin the journey. When I realized that, it made all the difference. My friends are definitely along for the ride. They sit in the passenger‟s seat on my journey and we cheer together when we succeed and we cry together sometimes when we lose sight of the road and wonder if we‟ll find our way again. I could never take this journey alone, but I know this for sure: I have to be the one to drive.” Today, determine to be the driver of your own bus. As The Energy Bus reads, “you can choose to make your life a success story, or one big soap opera.” So grab a hold of the steering wheel and determine which direction you want your bus to go. Bask in the knowledge that no one else is as qualified, empowered or as eager to drive your bus as you are. This journey is yours, but it will never get rolling if you don‟t decide to hop in the driver‟s seat, press the gas pedal and simply drive. Take action today. Look to the road ahead and know that you are the best driver of your bus.
10 Rules for the Ride of Your Life | The Energy Bus Companion Guide | www.TheEnergyBus.com
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Action Steps:
Identify: Where am I going? In which direction is my bus moving? ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Detail: My vision for my personal life is ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Detail: My vision for my work/professional life is ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Assess: Is the road I am currently on taking my bus where I want it to go? ________________ Why or why not? ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Assess: What am I doing today that pushes me towards my vision/goals? ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Accountability: What steps can I take each day for the next seven days to ensure my bus stays on the right road? ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Accountability: What one step will I take every day for the rest of my life to ensure I am always the driver of my bus? ________________________________________________________________________________________________
“With Purpose and Intensity I race for my goal. I race, and yet mark out a steady and specific path to achieve this goal with integrity and diligence. Allowing no distraction to divert me from this path, I turn my face and heart nearer towards God, as I know God is the ultimate finish line.” 10 Rules for the Ride of Your Life | The Energy Bus Companion Guide | www.TheEnergyBus.com
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2. DESIRE, VISION, & FOCUS MOVE YOUR BUS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION “The more you see it, the more likely it will happen.” The fact that you are the driver and you‟re behind the wheel is empowering. Now you need to understand what will move it from here to there: proper, positive steering. Think of your thoughts and vision as the steering wheel that will guide your bus where you want it to go. What you think about literally determines where you end up. Let‟s look at Webster‟s definition for each of those: desire, vision and focus. Desire— “To wish or long for; want.” Vision— “The power of seeing; foresight.” Focus— “Adjustment of lens difference for clear image.” “To concentrate” When you think of Desire, think of how earnest you are about achieving the goals you‟ve set for yourself. What are you willing to do to make them happen? Are you willing to step out of a comfort zone and go for the “big ask”? Are you willing to work one extra half hour each day or make three additional sales calls per day? Desire helps you determine just how badly you want it. Desire makes you hungry to see your own success.
Vision is looking ahead to that goal and breathing actual life into it. Vision takes your one-dimensional desire and turns it into a three dimensional, fully animated motion picture of your goal. Vision changes the painter‟s tool from a large, sweeping brush, to a smaller brush which paints in the fine details of your masterpiece. Vision gives you the ability to see yourself having already reached your goal; it is dreaming with the full intention of achieving that dream. Sensory engagement will help this vision become real to you. Spend 10 minutes each day visualizing your goal. Breathe deeply and try to engage all of your senses. For example, if your goal is to give a winning sales presentation at your company, imagine who would be in attendance at the presentation. Spend a few moments imagining yourself engaging each of them with a smile. What noises would be in the room? Hear them. What “I am a success” clothing ensemble have you chosen to wear? Imagine the feel of your boss‟ handshake as he grasps your hand firmly within his and pats you on the shoulder with approval. Maybe that winning presentation eventually leads you to a new office. What does the new office smell like? Engaging as many senses as you can helps your goals come to life. In The Energy Bus we learn “the more you see it, the more likely it will happen.” It makes your visualization more powerful and more effective as you imagine and create the specifics of your goal.
10 Rules for the Ride of Your Life | The Energy Bus Companion Guide | www.TheEnergyBus.com
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You‟ve heard the saying, “if you aim at nothing, you‟ll hit it every time.” Focus is setting your aim, and intentionally setting your sights on the goal you‟ve laid out for yourself. During a horse race, the trainer places blinders on the horse so it cannot become distracted or scared by all that is going on around it. The horse remains singularly fixed on the goal ahead of it and therefore intent on reaching that goal. Focus is where you block out the distractions that may hinder you and concentrate fully on striving for the one thing you want. Focus is making a commitment to look through the windshield of your bus at the road ahead, and not be concerned with the rear-view mirror. Spending too much time looking into the past distracts you from what‟s ahead of you. So set your sights on the road ahead and drive! Desire, Vision and Focus are the elements that make up your steering wheel. Grab a hold of the steering wheel, put those elements into practice, and your bus will move exactly where you want it to go. Action Steps: Identify: Which have I been lately? (Circle One)
A Winner
A Whiner
Identify: Of Desire, Vision or Focus, which is my strongest point?_________________________________________________ Identify: Of Desire, Vision or Focus, which is my weakest point? _________________________________________________ Assess: How can I improve on the weakest of these? What steps will I take to improve? ______________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Assess: What specific steps will I take to keep my thoughts focused on my goals? __________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Commit: Make a decision to spend the same amount of time each day working on visualizing your goals. Make a commitment. Each day, I will sit down at (time) _______________ and spend (length of time) _____________________________ visualizing my goals. I will do this for (how many) __________ days.
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Assess: After the number of days youâ€&#x;ve committed to (recommended is at least 21 days) write down the successes youâ€&#x;ve attracted as a result of that visualization. New clients? Great coincidences? Improvements? __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Celebrate: Celebrate these successes and commit to visualizing your goals for the rest of your life. Even as the goals change, the visualization process does not and you will continue to see greater success all the time.
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3. FUEL YOUR RIDE WITH POSITIVE ENERGY “Desire, vision and focus help you turn your bus in the right direction but positive energy is necessary take you where you want to go.” Imagine for a moment that instead of an Energy Bus, you‟ve been given a hot, sleek and powerful car. Not just any car, but a thing of beauty; a fast machine, the car of your dreams. You drive it with energy and passion, but soon you need fuel for your ride. As you pull up to the gas pump, you look over the fuel choices and their grades. Which do you choose? Remember, your car is a priceless car. Would you choose anything but the best fuel for your ride? Of course not! You‟d pull up to the gas pump and choose the highest octane; the cleanest burning fuel you could get. You are the fast car in this journey. Your bus doesn‟t have to be a plain yellow bus; it can be the ride of your dreams! The kind of fuel you choose is a key component to how your ride plays out. Your thoughts are your fuel. Your energy is what powers your vehicle for the journey. Why not fuel it with the highest octane energy you can find? You‟ve got to make a choice to fuel up with positive energy. A choice? Yes, you‟ve really got a choice. As it says in The Energy Bus, you cannot control the events that happen around you, but you do have a choice in how you respond to them.
Remember the formula E + P = O. Events + Perception = Outcome. In the book The Energy Bus, George began his journey with a flat tire that led to the discovery of a brake defect. The mechanic at the service center told George that he was lucky the problem hadn‟t led to an accident. At first, however, George was so preoccupied with his frustration over the hassle of it all that he didn‟t take the time to be thankful he hadn‟t been hurt. It was his perception of the event that prevented him from seeing that his flat tire was actually a blessing and good fortune. He had a negative perception of the flat tire, which led to the outcome of a really rotten day. Further into the book, George begins to realize that he has the power to change his perception of the events around him, giving him a totally different outcome.
When we perceive our challenging events as blessings in disguise, we control our reaction to the event as well as the outcome. 10 Rules for the Ride of Your Life | The Energy Bus Companion Guide | www.TheEnergyBus.com
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Further, when you make a choice to fuel your ride with positive energy, choosing the positive road instead of the negative road becomes second nature. So what is positive energy? How can you get it? Here are some examples: A smile. Did you know that smiling actually increases your serotonin levels? And you can pass it on to others! The recipients of your smile also increase a rise in serotonin and happiness. A choice to turn a negative thought into a positive thought. Negativity surrounds us each day. The media wants to pretend there is no good news. Drama and chaos lead the news stories. You‟re the one who can make the choice to turn negativity into positivity. Your positive energy must be greater than any negativity. Your certainty must be greater than anyone‟s doubt. Your thoughts are powerful. When old dirty fuel of negativity tries to creep in, turn it into cleanburning, high-octane positive fuel and your engine will run better every time. As Joy says in The Energy Bus, “where there is a negative, there is always a positive.” Find the positive and you‟ll find the blessings all around you. Encouraging other people. When we turn inward, it‟s easy for us to put our own problems under a microscope. It‟s easy to go the “poor me” route. When you turn outward and make a choice to help other people, even with a simple encouraging word, you‟re not so focused on the problems plaguing you. Tell someone what a great job they‟re doing. Tell your kids that you are proud of them. Tell your garbage man that you appreciate what he does every day. By encouraging others, you lose negative focus and you begin to focus instead on all the great things and people who surround you. By acknowledging and encouraging others, you realize how blessed you are. Taking a Gratitude Walk. It‟s been said that wealth exists not in having many possessions, but in having few wants. A Gratitude Walk allows us each to fully comprehend just how rich we are. Some people call it a “Thank You Walk,” some call it a “Prayer Walk.” What you call your walk is not what matters, what matters is that you take it. Action Steps: Identify: Identify the three things you are most thankful for right now. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Identify: At the end of each day, think about your day. What mistakes did you make? What do you wish you would have done differently? Now ask yourself what you can learn from these mistakes. What will you do differently next time? Mistakes aren‟t really mistakes unless we choose not to learn from them. Note any patterns: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Identify: Next, think about what you did right. What were your successes for the day? Who did you inspire? What made your day great? What did you do that you are proud of? End your day on a successful note and you‟ll look forward to creating more success tomorrow. Note any patterns: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Assess: How are you reacting to things around you? Remember the Positive Energy Formula E + P = O. (Energy plus Perception equals Outcome.) What does that mean to you? _____________________________________________________________________________ Are you reacting the way you want to be, or do you need to make some changes?____________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Note your own E + P = O observations. ___________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Accountability: Positive Energy doesn‟t always come naturally. Sometimes you‟ve got to work hard to stay positive. Ask a trusted friend to help you stay on the Positive Road by gently reminding you when you find your bus veering towards the negative one. It may not be a pleasant reminder at the time but it will help you become a more positive person over time. ***Key: Your accountability person must be a positive and trusted friend themselves for this step to work correctly. My trusted Positive Accountability Partner is: ______________________________________________________________ When he/she reminds me I’m not on the Positive Road, I will remember that he/she is not criticizing me, but gently helping mold me into the Positive Person I want to be.
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4. INVITE PEOPLE ON YOUR BUS & SHARE YOUR VISION FOR THE ROAD AHEAD “Remember, you‟re driving the bus, George,” Joy said. “But as you drive you want to keep asking people to get on. The worst they can say is no. If you don‟t ask they won‟t know to get on.” Who do you want to accompany you on your bus? Who are the people who are vital to your journey? Taking the ride by yourself, while it might seem like fun at first, can be tiring and a little lonely. The solitude grows old quite quickly. The journey is so much more thrilling, full and rich when it‟s shared with others. Sometimes, such as in a workplace environment, it‟s a ride you simply can not take without others getting on your bus. You may think you have a big “S” on your chest and can do it all, but you need others on your bus to make a product or environment work. No one creates success in a vacuum. Let‟s use this as example. Perhaps you‟re a sales manager for a cluster of radio stations. If you didn‟t have a team of people on your bus who all functioned well in their own positions, you‟d be tasked with (take a deep breath) creating advertising products, selling advertising, collecting on invoices, accounting, caring for your clients, managing your necessary paperwork, deciding which music would play, deciding when and how often that music would play, scheduling radio spots, producing those spots, promoting your station and voicing every air shift on every radio station in your cluster. Oh, and did I mention you‟d also have to answer every phone call, email and inquiry from clients, listeners and music industry professionals? I‟m sure you recognize the absurdity of that example; no one can do it all and no one can do it alone. It doesn‟t matter how big or how small your goal or your business, you need a cohesive and dynamic team to propel your bus to its intended destination. Perhaps if it‟s a personal goal you are working towards, the passengers on your bus are your family members. Whether your passengers are your friends, your family or your workplace team, they‟ve got to understand and share your vision for the road ahead or you‟ll continually run into potholes, roadblocks and delays at every turn. It‟s vitally important that you ask the right people to get on your bus and tell them your vision of where you are going. But how do you convince people to get on your bus? It‟s rather simple: You clearly communicate and share your vision for the road ahead. In fact, Joy the bus driver talks about just how critical that clear communication of vision is: “If you don‟t clearly communicate your vision for the road ahead no one will want to travel with you.”
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You‟ve identified (in Rule #1) where your bus is going. You understand (from Rule #2) that desire, vision and focus move your bus in the right direction. And you‟ve learned (Rule #3) how to fuel your ride with positive energy. Your bus has got options; upgrades! It is moving in the right direction and it‟s going to be a thrilling ride of which people will want to be a part. So share that vision with them, convince them to travel with you, and get them equally as excited, energized and eager for the journey ahead. The key to getting them on your bus, in addition to sharing vision, is inviting them. People want to be invited onto the bus. Inviting someone onto the bus makes them feel important, worthy and valuable. Inviting someone onto your bus tells them “I want you on this great journey with me. It is important to me that you‟re with me. Are you in?” Countless times you‟ve heard it: “Be prepared to present your „30 second commercial‟ so that when an opportunity presents itself, you‟ll be ready with your pitch.” The same is true of clearly communicating vision. You can‟t clearly communicate vision while fumbling over words or struggling to explain. Clear vision is best communicated in clear, concise and confident language. When you‟re inviting someone onto your bus, tell them why they should ride. Tell them where your bus is going and what you see ahead. Action Steps: Identify: Think about your vision from rule #1 (Where Am I Going?) and identify the people who you want to help you on this journey. Write the names of these people. 1. _________________________________ 2. _____________________________________ 3. _________________________________ 4. ____________________________________ 5. _________________________________ 6. ____________________________________ 7. __________________________________ 8. ____________________________________ 9. __________________________________ 10. ____________________________________
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Identify: Write your “30 second commercial” here, sharing your vision for the road ahead. Once you‟ve written it, rehearse it out loud in front of a mirror or a trusted friend. Project your voice with confidence and enthusiasm. Remember, you are sharing your vision for the road ahead with the intention of inviting people onto your bus. Convince them how and why it‟s going to be a great ride! _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ In the book The Energy Bus, George learns there is a website where he can actually print bus tickets and invite people from his workplace team onto his bus. Visit www.TheEnergyBus.com and send bus tickets to the people you‟ve identified as vital passengers on your bus. Decide: How will you send your bus tickets? (Circle one) Electronic Tickets
Physically printed Tickets
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Some people require a little more effort to get them onto your bus. You know the type; it can be easy for someone to say “I didn‟t get that email,” or “I must have missed the memo.” Perhaps you‟d like to invite people onto your bus in multiple ways by sending them both a physical bus ticket and an e-ticket. Keep track of who is receiving a physical bus ticket and who is receiving an e-ticket here: Name
Printed ticket/E-Ticket/Both
___________________________________
________________________________
___________________________________
________________________________
___________________________________
________________________________
___________________________________
________________________________
___________________________________
________________________________
___________________________________
________________________________
___________________________________
________________________________
___________________________________
________________________________
___________________________________
________________________________
___________________________________
________________________________
Visualize: Focus on the road ahead. As you spend your ten minutes each day visualizing your goals and adding the fine details, imagine looking into rearview mirror and seeing the smiling faces of those who are on your bus, accompanying and assisting you on this journey.
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5. DON’T WASTE YOUR ENERGY ON THOSE WHO DON’T GET ON THE BUS “It was Monday and this Monday was very different from last Monday. Instead of dread George felt a nervous excitement.” In Chapter 16 of The Energy Bus, George has set his bus on the right course and has invited people onto his bus. He‟s handed out the tickets and Monday is “moment of truth” day. Who will hand in their bus tickets? Who will get on the bus and join George on his journey? It was natural for George to feel some nervous excitement. He was sure there would be a number of people committed to boarding the bus, but he was also a bit leery there would be some resistance from others. He was right; not everyone was willing to get on the bus. It‟s a gamble, reaching out to someone without having a clear picture of how they might react. Putting yourself out there can be a bit scary. You‟re going out on a limb. Will they climb all the way out to meet you? Meet you halfway? Take out a chainsaw and cut off the limb? You‟ve established where your bus is going, but who will accept your invitation, climb aboard and join you on the journey? You need to realize that not everyone is willingly going to get on your bus. Some may not see your vision. Some may not want to go where you want to go. Some may even ruin your ride if they got on the bus. You can‟t waste your time or your energy on those who don‟t get on your bus. By spending time worrying and wondering about the ones who didn‟t get on, you‟re allowing yourself to be distracted from your vision of the road ahead. If you spend too much time looking in the rearview or side mirrors, you‟ll quickly lose sight of the road you‟re on and may veer off course. Chasing after people who don‟t want to be on your bus is a waste of energy. It makes you stop and start the bus often, back up and circle around again just trying to convince people to get on. You don‟t have time or energy to waste on those who don‟t get on your bus. Instead, spend time in joy and excitement thinking about the people who have joined you and who have said they are committed to the road ahead.
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Identify: Instead of thinking about the people who didn‟t get on your bus write down a list of those who recently joined you for the journey. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Identify: Each Energy Bus needs a good set of tools in its toolbox. Let‟s face it: the bus will break down, run out of gas or get a flat tire from time to time. When that does happen, you need a great group of people who can help fix the bus or even get out and help push it towards that next mile. For each of those people who recently joined you, what unique talents, skill sets or tools do you think each of them will bring to the ride ahead? Name
Set of Tools I Think They Will Bring to the Journey
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Assess: Have I done everything I can do to share my vision and create excitement for the road ahead? (Circle One)
Yes
No
If no, what do I need to continue my work to improve upon? (Circle One)
Communicating Vision
Creating Excitement
Finding Focus
Cultivating Positive Energy
Remember: Not everyone is going to get on your bus. Don‟t waste your energy on those who don‟t. Instead, focus on and invest in those who do.
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6. POST A SIGN THAT SAYS, “NO ENERGY VAMPIRES ALLOWED” “If you want to be successful you have to be very careful about who is on your bus. After all, there are people who will increase your energy, and there are people who will drain your energy. I call these people Energy Vampires and they will suck the life out of you and your goals and vision if you let them.” There are some people who just seem to thrive on negativity. It seems complaining fuels them nearly as much as positive energy fuels the rest of us. But their fuel is toxic. It‟s toxic to them, it‟s toxic to the environment, and it‟s toxic to you. Their reach might not even seem that great, but negativity spreads like a cancer; it‟s insidious and sneaky and pervasive. People who create negativity soil and spoil most everything they are allowed to touch. Think of an Energy Vampire like the guy who gets on your bus holding an open can of sticky soda in his hands and smoking. He‟s got mud on his shoes and proceeds to not only walk through the bus, but climb over and through all the seats as well, kicking people in the face as he goes. He ruins the interior of the bus, he smells the place up, and he makes for some really angry and upset passengers. The Energy Vampire, while only one person, has the power to make the ride really miserable for everyone. This rule is not for the faint of heart; it can be the most difficult to swallow for some. But it is so important, if your goal is to succeed, that you follow through with it. You simply cannot allow Energy Vampires on your bus. As Joy says, if you allow them onto your bus, they will suck the life out of you and your goals and your vision. Action Steps: Identify: Identify the Energy Vampires in your life. Are they at work? On your team? At home? Friends?
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There are several different strategies to deal with Energy Vampires: First Step: Tell them you want them on the bus, but there are some things that will need to be changed before you can move ahead. Give them a chance to become a positive influence. Help them change. Buy them a copy of The Energy Bus, have them read it, and walk through the process with them. If you help create positive change, think of the impact you are making on their entire life! Itâ€&#x;s a great gift. Second Step: If encouraging them to make some positive changes doesnâ€&#x;t work, you may need to give them a list of rules they must follow when on your bus. Identify: If you are at Step Two with one of your passengers, what rules would they need to follow to remain on your bus? Rule #1: ________________________________________________________________ Rule #2: _________________________________________________________________ Rule #3: _________________________________________________________________ If they successfully begin following these rules while theyâ€&#x;re on your bus, it may become habit, even second nature for them to follow those rules of positivity in all of their life. Again, what a gift you are giving them in impacting their entire world with positive energy! Third Step: Some people just need to find another bus. You may need to pull your bus to the side of the road and calmly ask them off. Perhaps there is another bus that will be a better fit for them and their negativity. It may be a tough conversation, but the journey is too important to be compromised by Energy Vampires. Strategize: For each of the Energy Vampires you identified above, which approach will you take with them? __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________
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7. ENTHUSIASM ATTRACTS MORE PASSENGERS AND ENERGIZES THEM DURING THE RIDE “Being around happy and positive people makes people feel happy and positive.” “A life touches a life that touches a life. It spreads one person at a time.” People love to take rides. Think back to the last time you were at an amusement park and there was a new roller coaster or popular attraction. Did you see the hordes of people waiting in line for hours just to get their shot at experiencing a ride of their own? Maybe you yourself were one of those people waiting in line. Though the line may have been long, you were content to wait because you knew the payoff was going to be great, right? While you waited in line, did you hear the pitched screams and squeals as the thrill ride darted up, roared down, and swirled sideways? I‟m betting your anticipation grew with each step closer to the front of the line. Even when the ride is a little scary or unknown, people are attracted to the thrill of the experience. Most people desire to be a part of something bigger than themselves. At the amusement park, people wait in line for hours just to be a part of something thrilling, exciting, and great. The thrill of the big payoff helps build that excitement. And when you see the thrilled faces of people exiting the ride, there is an almost palpable, sizzling energy that creates more anticipation in those who await their pass through the turnstile. The same is true of your Energy Bus. When you are energized about something, others are energized too! It spreads, from one person to the next. That key ingredient, that bit of “spice in the stew” that makes a good ride become a great one is enthusiasm. It‟s the knowledge that you have a dream, you‟re taking action on that dream, and you‟re making things happen. Enthusiasm is attractive, like the thrill ride at the amusement park. People love to be a part of something great. Think of the things that energize you and create enthusiasm in you. What do you love about the goal you are reaching for? What is the seductive power that keeps you committed to reaching forward, and loving it even when the ride gets a little rough? 10 Rules for the Ride of Your Life | The Energy Bus Companion Guide | www.TheEnergyBus.com
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Action Steps: Identify: Write down 5 things that energize you about your goal. (Whether that be work-related, business, product, team or company overall.) What are you enthusiastic about? What creates passion and excitement in you? __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________
Detail: Try to determine why you are enthusiastic and passionate about the things you listed above. What makes them attractive to you and keeps you committed? __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Strategize: Write down 5 ways you can share your enthusiasm about the things listed above with others. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Review: Go back to your “30 second commercial.” When you are Sharing Your Vision for the Road Ahead with others, do you include passion, energy and enthusiasm in that vision? Yes
No
Assess: Determine what you‟re doing well (if yes) or what steps you need to take to improve (if no) to inject your vision with passion and enthusiasm. _________________________________________________________________________________
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8. LOVE YOUR PASSENGERS “When you love someone you want the best for them. You want them to shine. And the best way to do this is to help them discover the value inside them.” It has been said “people don‟t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” If you want your Energy Bus to roll along as smoothly as possible with an entire busload of passengers who will gladly push the bus if it ever does need it, you need to lead with your heart and love your passengers. But how do you love your passengers? “Love” and “business” are not two things typically thought about or thrown around in the same sentence. In The Energy Bus, Joy the bus driver tells George, “You become a Love Magnet by loving your employees, your customers, your company, and your family. You become a Love Magnet by „sharing the love generously‟.” Love your passengers seeing them as investments to be nurtured, not checks to cash. When you make investments in people, the dividends you receive in return are vast and far-reaching. Pour into people and you‟ll win their trust, their respect and their friendships. Whether its coworkers, family, teammates or friends, people simply want to know you care about them. When they know that, you will receive care and love in return, generously. George is handed a sheet of paper with Five Ways to Love Your Passengers. 1. Make Time for Them. Making time for someone means making an investment in them. If it‟s a workplace environment, do you come out of your office and visit with your employees? At home, do you shut off the TV or log off of the computer long enough to spend true quality time with your family? Being “home” is not the same as being “present.” A single dad talks about it this way: “I realized that, though I had been with my daughter Anita all day long, I hadn‟t once looked her in the eye. I thought that by being with her while I did my errands, that was enough. I was sad when I first realized it, but now know that I need to just stop what I am doing and actually engage with her.” 2. Listen to Them. When someone brings an idea to you, how do you usually respond? Are you open to it? Do you give it some thought, little thought, or dismiss it before its even been considered? Leading with heart means listening with heart. Truly hearing what your customers, employees or family are saying makes all the difference in the world. 10 Rules for the Ride of Your Life | The Energy Bus Companion Guide | www.TheEnergyBus.com
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3. Recognize Them. Trophies and awards are nice to work towards. A raise is nice. But those things are quickly forgotten. Perhaps your retail floor manager has a thing for making sure all the hangers line up just right on the racks. She takes just a little extra time making sure the sweaters are all folded so that the seams donâ€&#x;t show. You realize this, but have you ever told her? People love to be told theyâ€&#x;re doing a great job, or that you recognize and see the worth they bring to your organization each day. When you begin to recognize people for the things they do, it encourages them to do more. 4. Serve Them. The higher you climb in an organization, the easier it is to remove yourself from day to day operation. While a certain amount of that is necessary simply for time and efficiency, be careful not to get so far removed that you forget what itâ€&#x;s like in the trenches. Loving your passengers means you want the best for them, and the key is to serve them by cultivating their growth, their future, their career and their spirits. 5. Bring Out the Best in Them. This is the most important of all five strategies for loving your passengers. Good leaders inspire others to believe in them; great leaders empower others to believe in themselves. Provide your passengers with environments in which they can excel and use their talents and skills fully. Bringing out the best in others may begin with believing the best in others. Believe you have the best passengers on your bus that the world has to offer, and they will become the very best. Action Steps: Identify: What are 3 actions you can take to love your employees, customers, team and family? Make Time for Them _________________________________________________________________________________ Listen to Them _____________________________________________________________________________________ Recognize Them ____________________________________________________________________________________ Serve Them ________________________________________________________________________________________ Bring Out the Best in Them___________________________________________________________________________
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9. DRIVE WITH PURPOSE “Purpose is the ultimate fuel for our journey through life, George. When we drive with purpose we don‟t get tired or bored and our engines don‟t burn out.” Purpose is, quite simply, the “why” you do what you do. Purpose is the ultimate fuel for your life and career. When you and your bus are driven by purpose, you find the extraordinary in the ordinary, the passion in the mundane and the excitement in the everyday. Purpose is not only your road map; it‟s your preciously cherished leather-bound atlas. Purpose keeps life and work fresh. It keeps you energized when your tank is running on reserve and you haven‟t had a pit stop in days. Purpose leads to growth and success. Further, it‟s far easier to lose sight of vision if you lack purpose than if you have it. When you have purpose, you can see the bigger picture. So what is your purpose? That is as personal a question as “Where are you going” from Rule #1. Only you can answer that. Consider that question for a moment. Ponder it. If you‟ve been without purpose, perhaps you‟ve been frustrated that your bus isn‟t cruising along at the pace you‟d hoped. Action Steps: Determine your Purpose. Write a Purpose Statement as it relates to your work, your personal growth, and your family right now. An effective purpose statement is usually short, succinct and easy to recite to your self or others when you need a reminder. If you are a mother, is your Purpose for your family right now “to get everyone up, dressed, fed and where they need to go at the beginning of the day, then reverse that process at the end of it”? Maybe you‟re a foodservice manager and your Purpose right now is “to get our new product successfully launched and integrated by Holiday.” My Purpose for my work/team is: ___________________________________________________ My Purpose for myself/my life is: ___________________________________________________ My Purpose for my family is: ______________________________________________________
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Now we‟ll think a little “longer-term.” In The Energy Bus, George and his team came up with a bigger purpose for making light bulbs. Consider what your bigger purpose might be. Your bigger purpose is where you find the most fulfillment. Your bigger purpose is your cause bigger than yourself. If you‟re a mother, your Bigger purpose for your family might be, “To raise kind, compassionate and respectful children who can think for themselves and stand on their own.” The foodservice manager‟s Bigger purpose statement for his team might be, “To ensure every customer can leave here and tell their friends, „You‟ve gotta eat there!‟” Your bigger purpose is your high-octane fuel additive to keep your engine running smoothly over the long journey. Howard Schultz, the Chairman of Starbucks said, “We are not in the coffee business serving people. We are in the people business serving coffee.” My Bigger Purpose for my work/team is: __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________
My Bigger Purpose for myself/my life is: __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________
My Bigger Purpose for my family is: ______________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________
Strategize: Read your purpose statements daily and remind yourself every day why you really do what you do.
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10. HAVE FUN AND ENJOY THE RIDE “The goal in life is to live young, have fun, and arrive at your final destination as late as possible with a smile on your face.” In Rule #7, we talked about roller coasters and thrill rides at amusement parks. In this life, we only get one shot at the amusement park ride. We can‟t ride it, get off, and then decide to go hop back in line; there‟s only one go-around. So how are you going to ride the ride while you‟re on it? Are you going to ride it with your eyes closed, white-knuckling it on the lap bar, or are you going to open your eyes, breathe deeply, and take a look at what‟s going on all around you? Once you‟re at the top, the view really is beautiful. And when you‟re in those slow times of climbing to the top, you really do see a lot of scenery and learn about the landscape as you ride. Meet a few passengers on the ride with you. Share some positive energy, gift people with your smile and radiate love. Action Steps: Strategize: Slow Down. Slowing down doesn‟t mean decreasing productivity. Sometimes slowing down means you actually increase it. When you slow down and take time to enjoy your life and work you are actually more productive. Write down 5 ways you will slow down to enhance joy and productivity. _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Commit: Have fun! Commit to making time for fun. Life is made of memories. When you look back on yours, will it be filled only with work, or with the sweet rewards of having achieved a life/work balance? Commit to fun. It seems we shudder to think of missing a work deadline, but easily push “fun” down on the priority list. Will you take a vacation in the next six months? Set a play date at the park with your dog in the next week? Take your wife out for a romantic evening within two weeks? 10 Rules for the Ride of Your Life | The Energy Bus Companion Guide | www.TheEnergyBus.com
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Write down 3 things you will do to make your work and life more fun. I‟m going to
I‟ll make time for fun (timeline):
__________________________
________________________________
__________________________
________________________________
__________________________
________________________________
Adventure: Identify one action you are scared to take, but if you did it, would enhance your life, career and family: __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Is acting on this step possible right now?
Yes
No
Why or why not? ______________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________
What would you have to do to make it possible to take that leap of faith? _______________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thinking of dreams and setting your sights on new and higher landscapes; it all works together to create a great adventure in life. Even thinking of new possibilities revs up the engine on your Energy Bus. Never stop dreaming. Remember: Don‟t try to drive anyone else‟s bus and don‟t compare your ride to anyone else‟s journey. Everyone has their own path. Just drive your bus with the best of what you have inside, focus on your ride and enjoy it.
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“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and blaze a trail.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
BLAZE A TRAIL WITH YOUR BUS AND ENJOY THE RIDE!
Download free inspirational posters at www.TheEnergyBus.com
Order The Energy Bus book online or where books are sold. Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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