Continued from Part I
So, first is the need to identify truthfully something that we are passionate about, not what other people are passionate about or would like us to be passionate about. You are not trying to impress anyone; you want to engage in something that will arrest your attention when you do it. Now, I have to mention that there are things we need to do in life as human beings in order to live. We need to know how to do our taxes, boring as this maybe. We need to learn how to drive, to study a variety of subjects so that we acquire general knowledge and become more relevant to society and enhance our chances of a better life but that is not what I am talking about. I am talking about over and above the minimum that life demands from us, we need to have a hunger, a passion for something; something to live for; something that causes us to look forward to getting out of bed in the morning and hurry off to do it.
When you reach that state of passion and have become very driven, you will realize that you won’t have much time for things that do not contribute to your goal much less those that try to destroy it.
Another way to generate this positive energy is to hang out with people that possess it. Just as negative energy is contagious, positive energy is also contagious. You will then realize that these positive energy carrying people are very inspirational in word or deed or both. We all like to see things being done. We admire achievers. So by hanging around them, we pretty soon want to be like them and find ourselves restless until we start doing something meaningful with our own lives. Once we enter that mode, positive energy has been generated. The key now is to make sure that we propagate, intensify and concentrate it on what we have identified as our passion.
Back to Physics 101. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed; it only changes from one form to another. What this statement says is that energy moves in a circular motion. In our case, the key is to make sure that POSITIVE energy moves in a circular motion, which means it needs conduit(s). This is why you need to choose positive and relevant people to network with when you are driven to accomplish your goal. As you hang out with these vibrant go getters, you will find that their energy will fuel yours and yours will fuel theirs. Whereas before you were just generating positive energy, you have now become an energy carrier and more importantly a conduit of that energy to others. Keep that energy alive in that clique. Do not let the fire burn out. See, since everyone in this particular network is busy with something in their life that they are passionate about, even if one of you is discouraged, the others are there to pass on the positive energy.
I have learnt that it is possible to dissipate energy. There is a need to keep the energy flowing in that network, whether it’s with a colleague at work who inspires you, an author whose work inspires you, biographies or business success stories you love to read. The fact of the matter is you cannot burn long without the right support network. The positive energy has to keep flowing and therefore prioritize spending time with people who spur you forward rather than those that bring you down.
Once you are flowing in this positive energy and are hard at work towards your goal, you will realize that as the successes come, they will light a fresh burst of positive energy in you; success begets success. It will become a chain reaction. So, when you are discouraged, your support network is there to keep you energized and when you succeed, a chain reaction is triggered. Is it any wonder therefore, that the positive energy carrying people seem to become more and more energetic, to accomplish more and more, faster and faster? If there are three things that I should emphasize about positive energy, I would say first, generate positive energy, second, become part of a network that fuels your positive energy and third avoid people carrying negative energy, specifically if they are affecting your vision, clarity and energy.
In simple terms; Energy is defined as the ability to do work. And work is said to be done when the point of application of a force moves in the direction of the force. What the definition of work implies is that you can spend the whole day pushing against a concrete wall, and make no mistake, you are burning energy, even sweating but the net result is the wall hasn’t moved an inch! And that is why losing is never pleasant for anyone. You expended energy but did not recoup it through the realization of a goal and the accompanying satisfaction. It feels like you have wasted energy.
I am not going to dwell on the dangers of being a negative person or hanging out with one. Suffice it to say negative energy is destructive, is anti-achievement and always ends up in failure. Usually it can be traced to an experience that was not handled well, and has since become a poisoned oasis for others. We need to watch out that we do not become this person no matter how hurt or disappointed we are. Negative people are unattractive.
On the other hand I can’t think of anyone who does not love a person carrying positive energy.We love people with positive energy because they tell us that we can do it. They motivate us and encourage us to reach higher. When we speak to them, we feel we can do anything. I have friends that I always tell that they are healthy for my ego because every time I speak to them, I always feel like the most success- bound person in the world. When you carry positive energy, you are driven to accomplish. You want to expend that energy and see work done, so you won’t waste your energy on activities that do not bring a tangible return. How many times have you been so busy in a day and at the end of it, sit down and ask yourself what you have actually accomplished and can’t find it? Oh yes, you were sitting in a rocking chair; demonstrating lots of kinetic energy but in reality not going anywhere!
But to carry positive energy, you first need to generate it. And I do not know a better way to generate this energy except by having a hunger for life in general and more importantly for something specific. It has been scientifically proven that people who have lost hope in life or something dearly loved and have given up on life, die sooner than otherwise. This is because the body also begins to shut down, faculties that would normally generate huge amounts of energy shut down and instead of being alive the person begins to exist. The body was not created to be idle but active and when it becomes idle, we won’t get far in life.
