The Energy Bus
4 min read ⌚
10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy
Find the perfect balance before you embark on a new adventure!!
About Jon Gordon
Jon Gordon is the author of several bestsellers like “One Word That Will Change Your Life,” “The Positive Dog,” and “The No Complaining Rule.”
Book Summary
“The Energy Bus” is a tale of negative George who got on the “energy” bus after his car tire went flat, and met the bus’s driver Joy.
Joy was upbeat, perceptive, and smart and picked up on George’s negativity, so she decided to help him live his life better by educating him about the ten rules that would change his life.
Overcoming negativity, and adversity and injecting your daily life with a dose of positive energy through a 10-step plan is what Jon Gordon attempts to deliver.
Drawing on his experience of interpersonal connections and encounters, Jon Gordon shares life-altering insights and actionable tips on how anyone can transform negative outcomes into almost unimaginable long-term victories and get the best out of any situation.
#1 – You are the Driver of Your Bus
You have to comprehend that you are responsible for your own life. Define your vision, and do not get trapped in the notion that someone else has control over where you end up.
#2 – Desire, Vision, and Focus Move Your Bus in the Right Direction
The focus is everything. After you define your vision, visualize that you have already achieved it, and plan a step-by-step approach to achieving it.
#3 – Fuel Your Ride with Positive Energy
The whole universe is made of energy. And people, as part of it, are made of energy as well. So, there are people who will expand your energy and people who will suck it up.
Surround yourself with those who make you feel more powerful and confident.
#4 – Invite People on Your Bus and Share Your Vision for the Road Ahead
Nothing in life can be accomplished individually. You always need to have someone by your side, or speaking in the language of this story, have someone on your bus.
Driving an empty bus has no point. When you form a team, make sure you are all on the energy bus.
#5 – Don’t Waste Your Energy on Those Who Do Not Get on Your Bus
There will be times when people will not want to get on board. When that happens, do not waste your energy trying to understand them.
Instead, just focus on those who already climbed and on your journey ahead.
#6 – Post a Sign that Says ’No Energy Vampires Allowed’ on Your Bus
Not all people deserve to get on board your bus.
As we already said, surround yourself with positive people, and do not allow energy vampires to drain the energy from your passengers.
Protect yourself and those who ride with you.
#7 – Enthusiasm Attracts More Passengers and Energizes Them During the Ride
This point is pretty self-explanatory – people love other people who fill them up with energy and enthusiasm.
#8 – Love Your Passengers
Love is what everything is made of. So to succeed in every area of your life, show your love to everyone that surrounds you.
#9 – Drive With Purpose
Energy buses run on fuel as well. That fuel is the purpose.
The purpose will keep you from getting tired and will make sure that you drive in the right direction, filled with energy and enthusiasm at all times.
#10 – Have Fun and Enjoy the Ride
Do not forget that you only get one bus ride. So enjoy every bumpy minute of it.
“The Energy Bus” by Jon Gordon is more than just an inspiring book—it’s an international bestseller that offers a transformative guide for personal and professional growth.
Through the story of George, a middle manager struggling with negativity, and Joy, the ever-optimistic bus driver, readers are introduced to ten powerful “Bus Rules” designed to fuel your life, work, and teams with positive energy.
From embracing positive thinking to managing “energy vampires” and understanding the importance of sitting in the driver’s seat of your own life, the book provides actionable steps to create a culture of enthusiasm and purpose.
Whether you’re a leader, a teacher, or just someone on a life journey, the principles of “The Energy Bus” can be applied across various contexts—be it schools, sports teams, or the workplace—making it a truly enlightening book.
With free delivery options available, there’s never been a better time to get on board and steer your bus in the right direction.
Key Lessons from “The Energy Bus”
1. The Ten Rules of the Energy Bus
2. The Five-Part Action Plan of Showing Love to Your Team Members
3. The Energy Bus Action Plan
The Ten Rules of the Energy Bus
- You are the Driver of Your Bus
- Desire, Vision, and Focus Move Your Bus in the Right Direction
- Fuel Your Ride with Positive Energy
- Invite People on Your Bus and Share Your Vision for the Road Ahead
- Don’t Waste Your Energy on Those Who Do Not Get on Your Bus.
- Post a Sign that Says ’No Energy Vampires Allowed’ on Your Bus
- Enthusiasm Attracts More Passengers and Energizes Them During the Ride
- Love Your Passengers
- Drive With Purpose
- Have Fun and Enjoy the Ride
The Five-Part Action Plan of Showing Love to Your Team Members
- Make time for them.
- Listen to them.
- Recognize them.
- Serve them.
- Bring out the best in them.
“The Energy Bus Action Plan”
- Create your vision
- Fuel your vision with a purpose
- Write down your vision/purpose statement
- Focus on your vision
- Zoom focus
- Get on the bus
- Fuel the ride with positive energy and enthusiasm
- Post a sign that says ’No Energy Vampires Allowed
- Navigate adversity and potholes
- Love your passengers
- Have fun and enjoy the ride
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“The Energy Bus” Quotes
You haven't failed until you stop trying. Click To Tweet The goal in life is to live young, have fun, and arrive at your final destination—as late as possible—with a smile on your face, because this would mean that you truly enjoyed the ride. Click To Tweet Thoughts are magnetic. What we think about we attract. Click To Tweet Remember, you have only one ride through life so give it all you got and enjoy the ride. Click To Tweet Enthusiasm comes from the Greek word entheos, which means ‘inspired’ or ‘filled with the divine. Click To TweetEmir is the Head of Marketing at 12min. In his spare time, he loves to meditate and play soccer.