For one of my coaching classes we were assigned two books to read, both of which are written by author John Gordon. One of which is titled The Energy Bus. This book, like all of John Gordon’s work, deals with being positive and the great impact it can have on both business and personal lives as well as sports teams. The specific book is kind of corny but the message is fantastic. It deals with a man who is in a personal rut, concerning both his family and his career. There are some great ideas and life advice in this book for people to use in many facets of life. After some car trouble, the main character, George, is forced to ride a bus to work for a few weeks. This is when he meets Joy (the bus driver) and goes through a life changing journey along with the rest of the passengers on her Energy Bus.

My dad has always been someone who has emphasized staying positive through adversity during sports and that carries over to other life situations as well. It was something that I have always believed in because of him, but how to go about it is sometimes extremely frustrating. In the case of sports, staying positive through the toughest points in a game or season can be very hard. Sometimes it feels like no matter what you try nothing works. It becomes very difficult to not just start yelling and dwelling on all the negatives.

It is also sometimes very difficult to stay positive at work, especially when you are self-employed. When you mess up or when things are not going well, such as weather or markets, there is no one else to blame and no way to immediately fix it. All you can do is continue to work your butt off. But working sucks if you become caught up in the negatives because that is all that is on your mind. You’ll drive yourself crazy if you let the bad things consume you.

Staying positive does not mean that you think everything is going great. It does not mean that you are always satisfied with the situation you are currently in. What it does mean is that no matter what happens, you will continue to persevere with an energetic and enthusiastic approach. And that is the approach that lends you to the best chance of achieving the best possible outcome. Being positive makes life more enjoyable and, in the end that is what we should all really be after. I am not a huge reader, but I loved this book. And I would recommend it to anyone who ever feels like they struggle with staying positive through adversity.