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48 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
If you love parables, you'll love this book..., December 10, 2008
This review is from: The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy (Hardcover)
Middle aged man comes home one day and starts to take stock of his life - he is failing at his job, in his marriage and with his kids. One day his car breaks down on his way to work and he has to take the bus to work - he meets a bus driver and passengers who force him to reflect on his life and a better way forward. The author, through this parable, reveals "10 secrets" for success in life, at home and in work that lead to fulfillment and accomplishment. The 10 rules:
1) You're the driver of your bus
2) Desire, vision, and focus move your bus in the right direction
3) Fuel your ride with positive energy (negative energy is friction)
4) Invite people on your bus and share your vision for the road ahead
5) Don't waste your energy on those who don't get on your bus
6) Post a sign that says no energy vampires allowed on your bus (get rid of the malcontents)
7) Enthusiasm attracts more passengers and energizes them for the ride
8) Love your passengers by giving them your time, listening, recognition, service - work to bring out the best in them
9) Drive with purpose
10) Have fun and enjoy the ride
My assessment:
1) Easy to read, can finish in one 2 hour sitting
2) Initially comes off as "too cute" but author manages to pull you in with a simple but powerful message with some basic plays in a ground game that can win
3)Applicable to all ages from teenager on up
4)If you like parables, you'll love the story's messages. If not, you'll wonder why you didn't just jump to the excellent outline recap in the back of the book.
5) This story reminds me of the famous Albert Einstein quote: "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler." The author succeeds in taking a frustratingly easy trap to fall into with a simple and effective path forward.
Two of my favorite excerpts:
"The goal is not to be better than anyone else but rather be better than you were yesterday."
and
"Your positive energy and vision must be greater than anyone's and everyone's negativity. Your certainty must be greater than everyone's doubt. After all, George, there will always be the doubters who doubt, doubt and doubt and tell you you can't do this and you won't be able to accomplish that. They think that dreams were meant for others but not for people like you and them. And there will even be people who don't want you to succeed because it makes them see their own weaknesses and failures. So that's how important your positive energy is George. You can always kick people off your bus and you'll need to do that from time to time but just remember that there will always be more negative people who get on. And sometimes you will have an Energy Vampire on your bus like a boss or someone who you can't kick off. You got to deal with them. That's why you got to feed the positive dog and why you got to cultivate it every day and why we gave you the Energy Book. One day is not enough, George. It's got to be a habit. Positive energy is a like a muscle. The more you use it the stronger it gets. The stronger it gets the more powerful you become. Repetition is the key and the more you focus on positive energy the more it becomes your nature state. So when someone comes at you with negativity you will be able to respond with strength and positive energy."
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75 of 82 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Get Your Life Rolling Forward, April 22, 2007
This review is from: The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy (Hardcover)
I am the editor for a national newsletter and was approached to read this book to do a potential review for our readers. While I generally don't have the time to read everything I'm sent, I did glance at the first few pages of this book and, as the saying goes, "that's all she wrote."
First, the book is very easy to read and it can be read in small increments. In fact, I recommend you read a chapter a day to get the full affect. I found myself looking forward to taking 10 minutes and finding out what was going to happen next. (You would think I was talking about a mystery novel, huh?)
Second, the characters are amazing. These are people you would meet on the street (or a bus in this case). These are people you work with. These are people you have to interact with. These are REAL people doing REAL people things.
Next, the delivery of the underlying premise is excellent. This is not just a "here's your tip, now good luck making it work for you" book. Jon shows you what the main character does to change his life around the tips. He shows you the good, the bad, and the ugly - but in a wonderful way.
Finally, you will be different after you read it. I'm trying to not give away the story because I want you to experience it first hand. However, here's an hint at an example: there is a term used to describe certain people in your life. Once you've read the book, you'll be able to spot these people in a heartbeat and you will "drive a stake through their heart" for good. (My lips are sealed beyond that...so read the book to find out who these people are called!)
Now, the above was my editor's hat, quick review. Let me tell you what this did in my real life. The day I received the book, I sat down and read only 3 pages. I called to my husband, handed him the book and said, "if you read this, your life will change dramatically." This book was all about him - as if Jon had somehow gotten into my husband's psyche and understood just what he was feeling. My husband read through the book and each day we discussed it. I immediately begin to see the transformation. He became more positive. He started to believe in himself. He started to become more assertive in his relationships with his family (a MAJOR MAJOR accomplishment). He became more communicative with me. In a nutshell: MY HUSBAND GOT MORE OUT OF THIS BOOK THAN THE PAST YEAR OF CAREER/LIFE COUNSELING (that was costing us $35/week!).
As a writer, you would think I could find a way to tell you how this book is something you MUST HAVE. Yet, how do you express your feelings about something that has so substantially helped someone you love? The only thing I can say is that if you feel that you've lost who you are, and that the world is starting to overwhelm you, step onto the bus and reclaim who you are. It can only make your life better. Then, once you've changed, tell others about the book and sit back and enjoy the ride as you watch them change. Restore that belief in yourself and in your fellow humankind. Yes...you can get all that...just by reading a book!
P.S. Don't be surprised if you find that you want a bus where you live that offers all this. I know that I did! ;)
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27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Applies to organizational leaders AND eight-year-olds!, April 9, 2007
This review is from: The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy (Hardcover)
I love this book.
Jon Gordon has written a simple life parable that is as applicable to my eight year old (I'm reading it to her now) as it is to any adult. This parable gets you to think about the importance of positive energy in your life and how it affects every part of your life.
As a story it is engaging and fun to read, but it also mirrors real life. The story isn't all rose-colored glasses; it helps you think about your own personal habits and what hard choices might be required in order to create and maintain energy in your life.
The story is structured around 10 Rules that are easy to remember and extremely valuable. As the book ends it offers more than just a summary - it provides an action plan to help you implement each of the rules in both your work and personal life.
As I said, I am reading this book to my daughter, and I've recommended it to clients who are working on their organizational culture as well. I cannot say that about too many books - and feel that it will really be useful to both audiences - but I can say it about The Energy Bus.
If you want more energy and if you want better results (or both) I urge you to get on the Bus!
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