My virtual mentor team and I decided on reading The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon for our summer reading program. Throughout the summer you will be seeing 3 posts from me regarding my sections of reading. I hope you all enjoy these and take something away from them!
In the first section, we are reading Chapters 1-14. Before I even began Chapter 1, I read the Introduction. Here, Gordon talked about positive energy and how it starts on the inside. It isn't just the cheerleader kind of energy; it is love, purpose and the spirit to live at a higher level, etc.
Chapter 1
The context of the story is that a guy (George) is going to be late to work unless he takes the bus, which happens to be the "Energy Bus" driven by Joy. The 10 Rules are told through George's life. Jon Gordon says on page 7, "...you can see the big picture here. Everything happens for a reason. Don't forget that. Every person we meet. Every event in our life. Every flat tire happens for a reason. You can choose to ignore it or ask what that reason is and try to learn from it..." This is so important; if you have positive thoughts then everything else will slowly become positive.
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Chapters 2 and 3
These two chapters were on George's negativity and how his life was falling apart. He was always feeling down and when every little bad thing happened to him, he took it out on everybody else around him. It just wasn't good for anybody.
- Looking back at my life, I can see all the times I have been negative and the effects that it has had on all of the people in my life. It wasn't good.
Chapter 4
In this very short chapter, George finally woke up and realized he needed to change.
- It takes just one little thing or one person to change the outlook on your life. You may not know it or may not want to believe it but surely your life will change!
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Chapters 5 and 6
When George found out that there was more wrong with his car than originally thought, he had to ride the bus to work again! He was disappointed that Joy was not the driver and was actually worried. At this point, he realized he needed to change his life but he wanted to talk to Joy about it. The next day, Joy was back. Her and the riders of the Energy Bus convinced George to learn the rules of the bus.
- Once you realize the impact someone has on you, you want to talk to them about it more. You expect to see them in a certain place but they aren't there so you are then disappointed. I believe this happens to everyone but it is especially true for me.
- My Gram would always go to Fairs to watch me show. Even when I didn't win, she would encourage me to keep going and doing what I love. She really was an Energy Bus rider; she didn't have the list of rules obviously but nonetheless she was still a positive energy ambassador. I would give anything to talk to her again; she was a huge influence on me.
Chapter 7
Rule 1: You're the Driver of Your Bus
You decide what your life will be like and where you are going to go. Whatever you do and however you do it will determine the benefits you get out of your life. We need to figure out what our life goals are; short-term, long-term, everything. The other rules will make more sense and it will be easier to live them out if you know your goals. On page 27, Gordon says, "More people die Monday morning at 9 A.M. than any other time...More people would rather die than go to work." That can definitely be true if there isn't positive energy in the workplace.
- For me, this chapter is about getting into the mindset that I am in control of my emotions and moods. Don't let circumstances or other people get in the way of having a positive attitude. This is something I need to keep telling myself.
- This is especially true when it comes to teaching. If I have a positive attitude while teaching, my students are more likely to also have positive attitudes!
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Chapters 8 and 9
Everything in the universe is made of energy. Every part of us is energy. That's why you "feel" the energy when you walk into a crowded sports stadium or everyone talks about the team's energy. George shared his goals with Joy and his fellow bus riders.
- There were several lines that really stuck with me. On page 39, "Sometimes we have to see what we don't want, to know what we do want." That could mean anything; relationships and friendships, taking classes (then switching majors in college), even something as simple as technology. In this case, it is specifically relating to goals and what you want out of life.
- Page 38 states, "'Just trust' she said calmly. 'Trust'" This brings me back to when we started the whole process of student teaching. Everyone said "Trust the Process." It was hard but it brought me to know more about myself and to meet so many great students almost a year before I start student teaching! It is one of my goals to make a difference through agriculture and this is one step closer to what I want. It wasn't that I didn't want to make a difference through the field of animal science, I just didn't know how or what and because of that, I am where I am now.
- On page 40 Gordon says, "...this is your crisis but it's also your opportunity...to reach deep within and discover a better you that will create a better outcome." When one door closes another opens. That is so true. I can't even pick one time that that has happened to me as there have been so many times. I want to apply this the whole way through this book as I think this is the basis behind positive energy. You need to take every opportunity that comes your way even if it means sacrificing something you've done before and enjoyed.
Chapter 10
Rule 2: Desire, Vision, and Focus Move Your Bus in the Right Direction
You have your dream in mind so now you need to focus on it. This is your life and you determine what you get out of it. Things will fall into place with focusing on what you want (not on what you don't want). Get rid of the negativity, that's what causes problems.
- This is part of what I said about getting in the right mindset. Focus on one thing and it will become your life. You will have a better/easier time if you focus on what you want. You will go great places!
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Chapter 11
Joy shares a formula; E+P=O or Events (uncontrollable)+ Perception (controllable)=Outcomes (controllable). Even if the life event is negative, you can have a positive perception and therefore a positive outcome. You can either learn from the event or use it to make your life miserable.
- There are a lot of things that have happened in my life that could definitely have a negative impact on my life. For example, my Gram passed away my senior year of high school. It didn't really make a huge difference right away but being in college and doing so many new things makes me want to tell her. She was a positive energy agent and knew what you wanted before you did. I always want to tell her what happens and ask her for advice but I can't now. I could think about the fact that she isn't here or I can find new ways to cope with it.
- Another example is how I ran for Fair Queen 3 different times. I got Fair Ambassador my first year and Fair Princess the second and third years
Rule 3: Fuel Your Ride with Positive Energy
Just like a vehicle is filled with gas/diesel fuel, your life needs to be filled with positive energy. The other analogy that was made in this chapter was positivity and negativity are like two dogs inside of you that are constantly fighting. The nice, gentle dog is the positivity dog and the mean, angry dog is the negativity dog. Which dog will win? The one that you feed more, so feed the positive one (pages 49 and 50).
- Again, focus on your goal and focus on only the positive thoughts related to it. For me this means focusing on my career goals which is to one day have "my own" classroom and make a difference in students' lives. Everything I'm going through now is going to get me to where I need to be in order to impact those students.
Chapter 12
This was all about feeding the positive dog. Do things that have a physically positive affect on your body. The specific example used was walking around and being outwardly grateful.
- I think it would be a bit awkward randomly walking around but if it made a positive impact on my energy then I would give it a try. How I am thinking about it is is someone would come up to me and start randomly talking about how grateful they are about things in their life. I would be saying to myself, "Why is this person telling me this? Do I even care?" Well, the answer: It shouldn't matter why they're telling me, I should be thankful that someone else is thankful for their life.
Chapter 13
Always reflect on the one great thing that happened to you on that day.
- Today, for me, it was that my crossbred cow, Miss Alexis, had a big beautiful bull calf!
Chapter 14
Rule 4: Invite People on Your Bus and Share Your Vision for the Road Ahead
This is especially important for a team to join someone's bus. You can't do it alone; just like George can't do his product pitch alone. One of Joy's passengers started a website with tickets for you to invite people onto your bus.......by the way, it IS an actual thing! Go to http://www.theenergybus.com/ and see for yourself! Send tickets to the people on your team but do not explain anything in the email. When you meet in person do explain it and hopefully they'll want to be on your team!
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