Table of Contents
To my mother, Nancy Gordon Nicolosi
Your strength and courage in the face of cancer will always inspire me. I love you from the depths of my heart.
Foreword
In many of my seminars I begin by asking people to stand up and do two things. First, I ask them to greet other people as if they are unimportant. After an initial chuckle or two, theres a dull hum as everyone walks around trying to ignore each other. Then I stop them and ask them to continue to greet people, but this time, to do it as if the people they are greeting are long-lost friends theyre glad to see. The room erupts with laughter and the volume rises as people run around, smiling, hugging, and chatting with each other.
When the people in the audience sit down, I ask them, Why do you think I had you do those two thingsbesides the fact that Im from California?
After the audience laughs, I tell them that the answer is positive energy. To run a successful organization, I say, you must learn to manage peoples energy, including your own. When was there more energy in the roomduring the first activity or the second?
Of course, everyone shouts out, The second!
What did I do to change the energy in the room? I ask. Then I answer: All I did was change your focus from a negative thought to a positive thought, and the energy of the room increased tenfold.
What I just described to you is why Im excited about Jon Gordon and The Energy Bus. Every morning you have a choice. Are you going to be a positive thinker or a negative thinker? Positive thinking will energize you.
When you get to work, you have another choice. You can catch people doing things right, or you can catch them doing things wrong. Guess which of those two activities energizes people more?
If you want to fuel your family, your career, your team, and your organization with spirit, read this book. Jons energy and advice will leap off the page and help you cultivate positive energy in everything you doand you will make the world a better place for your having been here.
Thanks, Jon, for pumping us up and making sure we get on the right bus.
Ken Blanchard
Co-author of The One Minute Manager and Leading at a Higher Level
Acknowledgments
I truly believe that no one ever creates success alone. Everyone needs a positive team with supportive people at their side. I am thankful that I have been blessed with truly amazing people on my bus and journey through life.
First I must thank the driver of my familys bus, my wife, Kathryn. You are the glue that keeps us together. Your support has made all the difference. Without you I would not be the man I am today. And I thank my children, Jade and Cole, for reminding me what matters most. Every day you make me want to be a better father. My favorite part of the day is asking about your success at bedtime. I love you.
My parents get a big thank you for always cheering as my bus drove on. You were invariably there supporting and loving me every step of the way.
Thank you to my brother for always challenging me and helping me improve this book. Your ideas, suggestions, and encouragement helped make this book the best it could be. I look forward to seeing your book next to mine in the bookstore. Also, special thanks to my grandfather Eddy, who at the age of 89 inspires me to live young, have fun, and enjoy the ride.
Thank you to my Chief Energy Officer, Daniel Decker. You are not just a business partner, but a true friend who has helped me grow as a leader and as a person. I appreciate every ounce of energy you pour into our mission. I am thankful God brought us together on the same bus.
Thank you to my friends and agents, Arielle Ford and Brian Hilliard. You have helped me pave the way to do the work I am here to do and I am forever grateful. You helped open the gates so my bus could drive through. Thank you for your confidence in me.
Thank you to Kate Lindsay, Shannon Vargo, Matt Holt, and the incredible team at John Wiley & Sons for seeing my vision for the road ahead and for making it possible.
To the other members of my team who not only provided fuel for our bus ride but who also got out and helped push when the bus broke down: Francis Ablola, thank you for all your hard work and web site creation. Shawn OShell, thank you for your amazing talent and design. Vince Bagni and Jim Careccia, thank you for continuing to spread the energy. Susan, thanks for the gifts you share with others.
Thank you to all my clients who allow me to work with your companies, organizations, teams, and people. I am grateful every day to get to work with so many wonderful people.
Id like to thank Ken Blanchard, Danny Gans, Pat Williams, Dwight Cooper, Fran Charles, Linda Sherrer, Tom Gegax, Mac Anderson, and all the people who read and supported the book.
Id like to thank all the subscribers to my weekly newsletter and the readers of my books. You have shared your life stories, your hearts, your pain, and your triumphs with me and I am honored that you trust me to be a part of your life and growth. We are all teachers and students and I learn so much from you.
Most of all Id like to thank God. Thank you for the signs that show me the way. Thank you for the gift of Jesus. Your holy spirit flowed through me as I wrote this book. You strengthen me and you are the ultimate driver of my Energy Bus.
Authors Note
It is fun to look back at your life and see how certain events led to where you are right now, like the inspiration to write this book. I was traveling on a 28-city book tour for my first book, Energy Addict: 101 Ways to Energize Your Life, when I met an actual bus driver who took me from the Denver rental car lot to the airport. The bus driver not only had the biggest smile I had ever seen but dispensed life-changing wisdom that truly impacted me. This bus driver embodied the positive energy I was traveling the country talking about. I wrote an article about this meeting in my weekly e-newsletter called 10 Rules for the Ride of Your Life and was inundated with enthusiastic responses calling it the best newsletter yet. Then one day while taking a walk the idea and story for this book just literally jumped into my head. And once I started writing, I couldnt stop. The words flowed through me, and now you are holding this book.
So it is my pleasure to invite you on the Energy Bus as we take a short, fun, meaningful journey together. I hope you use this book not only to fuel your life, work, and team with positive energy but also to enjoy the ride of your life. After all, the goal in life is to live young, have fun, and arrive at your final destinationas late as possiblewith a smile on your face, because this would mean that you truly enjoyed the ride.
Id like to also give credit to the following people and work for inspiring certain ideas in this book.
Words from the Energy Bus childrens book were inspired by Richard Bach, the author of Illusions and Jonathan Livingston Seagull, who said, You are never given a wish without the power to make it come true.
The positive energy formula was inspired by the formula E + R = 0, which Jack Canfield, author of The Success Principles, shared with me.
The information from the Energy Book referred to in the story is from my book
