Short Summary
- "The Energy Bus is a transformative guide aimed at infusing your life with boundless positivity through its ten straightforward principles. It will help you enhance your work, relationships, and overall life experience."
Jon Gordon is a famous keynote speaker and author of several books like “You Win In The Locker Room First,” “The Power Of A Positive Team,” “One Word That Will Change Your Life,” “The Positive Dog,” and “The No Complaining Rule.” The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon is included in the wall street journal best-sellers.
The Energy Bus Book Detailed Summary
Joy, the bus driver, shares ten rules to fuel his life with George. George applies these rules in his professional and personal life. Let us see how it changes his life for the better.
Rule#1 You’re the Driver of Your Own Bus to be in Control of Your Life
When George takes the bus to work the next day, the first rule Joy teaches George is “Always remember that you are the driver of your bus,” and his destiny is not fate or other people but his own character. It’s the most important rule because if you don’t take responsibility for your life and control of your bus, you can’t take it where you want to go.
If you’re not the driver, you’ll always be at the whim of everyone else’s travel plans. You can take advice from others, but you have to take full responsibility for your life. You will miss out on all the lessons of failure if you do not control your life. So be in the driver’s seat and know your destination. Joy explains to George that the main reason for people’s unhappiness is that they don’t have a say in their lives.
Rule#2 Desire, Vision, and Focus Move Your Bus in the Right Direction.
Desire, vision, and focus are key to achieving your goals. Without focus, paintings don’t get painted, buildings don’t get built, and your good energy gets scattered. Everyone has some desire and vision but translating that vision into reality requires concrete actions, starting with thoughts. Joy explains the importance of thoughts and gives the example of Olympic athletes who visualize their actions before executing them on the field. Unless we sort out our thoughts, we can focus on our destination.
Rule#3 Create Positive Energy and Avoid Negativity
Joy tells George that the whole universe is made of energy. We all are made of energy. She shows a big sheet of paper with the third rule, E + P = O, written on it. E stands for events in your life, P stands for positive energy, and O stands for the outcome. So always surround yourself with positive thoughts by avoiding negative energy.
Our usual approach to problems is to blame external factors rather than look inward. Positive energy is the fuel that keeps us going. Gordon gives an example of two dogs representing positivity and negativity inside all of us. One should only feed the positive dog and ignore the negative one. Fueling our everyday life with a passion that is beyond a specific thing keeps us motivated.
Rule#4 Invite People on Your Energy Bus and Share Your Vision for the Road Ahead
Driving an empty bus has no point in it. You need to keep asking people to get on your bus and share your vision for the future. The more people you pick up to ride the bus, the more energy you will create during your ride. This example explains the idea of team building, sharing the same goals, and working collectively in their realization.
George learned that his team members were willing to work harder after he shared his plan to complete the project on time. When George invites his team members to join him on that troubled project, only two join him, and three refuse. Instead, they wanted to badger him and watch him fail. He learns that he must confront the doubters on his team who refuse to work overtime for three days. Joy also tells her about a website that prints bus tickets he can hand over to his family and friends, but tickets are only good when people know where they are headed on their bus ride.
Rule#5 Don’t Waste Your Energy on Those Who Do Not Get on Your Bus
We are not blessed with an unlimited pool of energy. So, you should not waste your precious energy on those people who do not share your goals. Wasting your energy trying to convince them to get on board will make your journey futile. Instead, focus on those who share your goal and save your energy by not persuading doubters to get on board.
Rule#6 Post a Sign that Says ’No Energy Vampires Allowed’ on Your Bus
Joy calls negative people and doubters energy vampires who drain your energy. They suck on your energy with their doubts and negative criticism. According to Joy, this rule is not for the faint heart because avoiding negativity in this world is no mean feat. One should have the courage to say no to toxic people who suck up on your energy.
Rule#7 Law of Attraction: Enthusiasm Attracts More Passengers and Energizes Them During the Ride
Energy and enthusiasm are contagious, and all the passengers look up to their driver like team members look up to their leader. There is no substitute for enthusiasm when it comes to teamwork. Your entire bus must feel your enthusiasm. Apathy and passivity by a leader make his team members find excuses for their failures, while enthusiasm increases accomplishments. Constructive energy is much deeper, which means optimism and enthusiasm rather than just having a big smile on your face.
Rule#8 Love Your Passengers by Leading From the Heart
Joy says that enthusiasm is necessary, but love is the answer that perplexes Gordon because he had never listened to the word love in business. But she explains and chalks out the five-part action plan to show love to your team members by leading from the heart.
- Make time for them.
- Listen to them.
- Recognize them.
- Serve them.
- Bring out the best in them.
George would change his life consequently by applying these principles in his workplace and personal life.
Rule#9 Drive With Purpose
Every journey needs to have a well-defined purpose; otherwise, there is no point in covering distance without any well-defined purpose. The purpose is the fuel that keeps your bus going. It provides you with the drive to carry on and keeps you filled with energy throughout your journey on a bumpy road.
Rule#10 Have Fun and Enjoy the Ride
Fun and lightheartedness are as important as focus and vision to enjoy the ride of your life. Maintaining a healthy distance from your work and spending quality time with family and friends is crucial to keep you focused on your job. Because getting too stressed out and disappointed at temporary failures is counterproductive. George also learns rule 10, and his troubled relationship with his wife improves.
