Some businesses and people seem to have an unlimited amount of energy and are always exploring and growing. Others struggle to get through a day. Energy is internally generated, and no matter how hard you push from the outside, internal energy must be stoked. As a leader, your ability to stoke this fire in yourself, those you lead, and your business is vital for enduring success.
Active Knowledge Question:
What gets people out of bed in the morning?
Energy
In life, in leadership and in business, finding energy is the core to being able to move. Low energy can only seed low levels of movement but find the right source of energy and the change is amazing. Have you ever noticed how it is almost impossible to get out of bed on some mornings, whereas on other days, you fly out filled with excitement for what lies ahead?
We pay very little attention to the sources of our energy and that of others, but it does represent the difference between success and non-achievement. Note, I didn’t say failure because failing at something actually requires energy and movement.
Have you also noticed that when you walk into a room filled with energised people that the vibe in the air is so different to walking into a room with people who really don’t want to be there? Anyone who frequently speaks in front of people knows how that latter group just sucks the life out of you as you try to stir up some movement in the room.
As an individual, you want to be able to tap into sources of energy within that will allow you to achieve what is important in your life. As a leader, you must be able to inspire those you lead to ignite a source of energy within them, enabling them to achieve all they possibly can. And within the business you lead, you need to muster its full potential being the combined talent and effort of everyone working within and with that business.
Achievement and success rest in your ability to tap into the energy that exists within all of us so that movement starts, momentum is built, compounding occurs, and the impossible is achieved.
Barriers
Many barriers prevent people, and therefore the businesses in which they work, from tapping into the energy that exists within them; here are some:
- We are and have been actively encouraged throughout our lives to not try, not chase, and not achieve.
- To believe first in our inability, all the things that we can’t do well, rather than our capabilities.
- We have been burnt and have seen others burnt through failure and now hesitate.
- Settling for average is often the path of least resistance and the complaint choice.
- We simply do not have the self-confidence to try, and no one around us encourages us forward.
- As providers, our obligations, duties, and responsibilities do not allow us to pursue what we would really like to do.
- If you grow too tall, you will be cut down – tall poppy syndrome.
- We lack imagination and the passion that it brings and simply do not know where to start.
But all of these barriers can be overcome by recognising what stokes the energy within us and taking the first step to ignite the fire. Energy is ignited by the desire to succeed.
Internally Generated
Success is the fuel of life, and it is earned through hard work. It energises and enlivens us. Without success, our lives can become dull and then dead.
Without success as a catalyst in our lives, we will not and cannot reach our potential. Striving for success is an enabler. It draws our best to the surface and allows us to see what we are really capable of achieving.
Success comes from within. Only we can make ourselves successful through our beliefs, thoughts and actions. Success cannot be given to you by others.
Success is a renewable resource. We can generate it every moment of every day and can bring an abundance to our lives that we never thought possible.
Enduring success is our prize to be claimed but be careful with how you define success.
At the end of each day, you want to feel a real satisfaction in the effort you have put in and the rewards you have achieved. You want to feel an abundance within, a real joy and quiet knowing that you have worked hard for the rewards earned. This is what achievement and being successful is all about.
Wealth is, at best, an outcome – a product of being successful. But it is not the ultimate outcome that everyone seeks. Wealth is pursued as a means to an end. Often that end involves things such as a magnificent home, an expensive car, overseas travel to the best destinations. But is this really what is sought from success?
I believe the real end sought is the freedom to pursue and achieve happiness in life. Society tells us to chase wealth as this will provide us with freedom, and the wealth can be spent on all the things that can deliver that happiness. But I don’t think any of us are silly enough to believe that wealth will, by itself, deliver a life of enduring happiness and success.
Right and Wrong Energy
In striving for success, I believe there is a right and wrong energy, and that energy turns on how you define success and the goals you are pursuing.
It takes wisdom to set the right goals for you as an individual and to not be led by others, marketing hype, popular beliefs or societal pressure. It often requires courage to take that first step and each step thereafter, building a powerful momentum. And it always requires strength to endure through the inevitable challenges and obstacles until your goal is won.
Success is your reward for the thought and effort you put into your life. But if you persevere, you can craft a life of enduring success. A life in which you do not just have one or two great successes but ongoing achievements in all aspects of your life.
The Wrong Energy
Today, maybe more so than ever, life for many is about quick riches and chasing the dollar. Success is almost exclusively defined by wealth, and the game is to get as much wealth as you can, as quickly as you can, with the least effort.
It seems for many that work is what you must do so you don’t have to work anymore. The dream is to be able to retire, and only then can life commence.
Success is reflected in wealth, position and power as only through these can you be free to do as you want, surround yourself with the possessions and experiences you desire, and create the life you dream of.
Others often define success. It is highly competitive and seems to be elusive for many, no matter how old. Age and time do not necessarily yield success, and there is a tipping point where many abandon all hope of being successful.
Chasing this form of success typically seeds self-interest, which is the antithesis of success.
The Right Energy
The right energy comes from simply trying to be the best you can be and seeking to always do better every day. And in helping others to also be successful.
I call this energy ‘to compete’, but it is competing against yourself. Striving for an outcome you believe is worthy and stretching your capabilities. The energy you achieve from completing a task you considered worthwhile and take pride in is the energy you want to nurture.
Nurturing
Nurturing the right energy starts with setting the right goals and then developing the habits that will allow you to deliver on those goals. These habits are only built through:
- Wisdom: Knowing what is right for you and where your strengths and passions lie.
- Courage: Overcoming your fears and doubt, being adventurous and stepping forward in faith – faith in yourself.
- Strength: Taking step after step and building your stride with each step until an unstoppable momentum is achieved.
And from habit, through repetition, traits are built which become deeper and stronger, and suddenly you look back and recognise a trail of success.
In life, you want to achieve, in leadership you want to enable others to achieve, and in business you want the entire business to be one where achievement is natural and expected.
If you are seeking success at any level – life, leadership, business – stoke the right energy that will fuel passions and success will be a natural and enduring outcome.
An entirely new level of performance.
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All the best in the success of your business,
Richard Shrapnel
