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The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy
The Energy Bus, an international best seller by Jon Gordon, takes readers on an enlightening and inspiring ride that reveals 10 secrets for approaching life and work with the kind of positive, forward thinking that leads to true accomplishment - at work and at home. Jon infuses this engaging story with keen insights as he provides a powerful roadmap to overcome adversity and bring out the best in yourself and your team. When you get on The Energy Bus you'll enjoy the ride of your life!
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
About the author
Jon Gordon
82 books557 followersJon Gordon is an American business consultant and author on the topics of leadership, culture, sales, and teamwork.
Jon Gordon's best-selling books and talks have inspired readers and audiences around the world. His principles have been put to the test by numerous NFL, NBA, and college coaches and teams, Fortune 500 companies, school districts, hospitals and non-profits. He is the author of The Wall Street Journal bestseller The Energy Bus, The No Complaining Rule, Training Camp, The Shark and The Goldfish, Soup, The Seed and his latest The Positive Dog. Jon and his tips have been featured on The Today Show, CNN, Fox and Friends and in numerous magazines and newspapers. His clients include The Atlanta Falcons, Campbell Soup, Wells Fargo, State Farm, Novartis, Bayer and more.
Jon is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a Masters in Teaching from Emory University. He and his training/consulting company are passionate about developing positive leaders, organizations and teams.
When he's not running through airports or speaking, you can find him playing tennis or lacrosse with his wife and two "high energy" children.
You can find him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jongordonpage
Jon Gordon's best-selling books and talks have inspired readers and audiences around the world. His principles have been put to the test by numerous NFL, NBA, and college coaches and teams, Fortune 500 companies, school districts, hospitals and non-profits. He is the author of The Wall Street Journal bestseller The Energy Bus, The No Complaining Rule, Training Camp, The Shark and The Goldfish, Soup, The Seed and his latest The Positive Dog. Jon and his tips have been featured on The Today Show, CNN, Fox and Friends and in numerous magazines and newspapers. His clients include The Atlanta Falcons, Campbell Soup, Wells Fargo, State Farm, Novartis, Bayer and more.
Jon is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a Masters in Teaching from Emory University. He and his training/consulting company are passionate about developing positive leaders, organizations and teams.
When he's not running through airports or speaking, you can find him playing tennis or lacrosse with his wife and two "high energy" children.
You can find him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jongordonpage
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December 11, 2021Why is it that I hate business self-help books written by motivational speakers? Is it because I receive them from my employer? Is it because I look at the $21.95 price tag for an hour reading and think "Why can't I get on this gravy train?" Is it because the grammar mistakes make me scream: "This publisher has illiterate editors!"? Is it because they take attributes I actually believe in and trivialize them? Is it because I hate anything that has a mission statement?
Perhaps. But the most important reason is that this book's message is summed up much better by the song so wonderfully sung by Michael Galanes at the Little Miss Perfect Pageant:
"If you think it,
And you want it,
Dream it,
Then it's real.
You are what you feel."
And a citrus colored rainbow to all of you.
Perhaps. But the most important reason is that this book's message is summed up much better by the song so wonderfully sung by Michael Galanes at the Little Miss Perfect Pageant:
"If you think it,
And you want it,
Dream it,
Then it's real.
You are what you feel."
And a citrus colored rainbow to all of you.
Read
June 26, 2014I work for a public school system. We are out for the summer. As we staff members joyfully fled the building, we were handed this book for summer reading. Evidently, next school year, we can anticipate fun activities based on the book's theme and message. Here is the email I sent my principal.
Dear ______,
You've been a great boss this year. I appreciate your sense of purpose, your pragmatic way of getting things done, and the support you give your staff.
But, oh my. I just finished reading THE ENERGY BUS.
Not only do I travel on a different bus, but it runs in a parallel universe. Certainly not the jolly universe of this book. In fact, my vehicle is not a bus at all. I would never burn fossil fuels in a combustion engine. Mine is sort of a hybrid time-travel & transporter machine.
I do not believe “Everything happens for a reason.” (7) I do not believe in a personal, benevolent god who responds when we follow "signs." (113) I do not agree that the goal of life is “to live young, have fun, and arrive at your final destination as late as possible, with a smile on your face.” (142) And, yes, it is physically possible "to be stressed and thankful at the same moment." (52)
It occurs to me that a lot of refugees in Syria right now would love to learn the magic of creating luck “by projecting lucky energy.” (44)
Please don't ask me to turn in a bus ticket, and please don't ask me to "trust in God." (128) Is it even legal for you to require staff to read a book that advocates a religious belief system? Or to use school funds to purchase multiple copies of said book? For the record, I am an existentialist with a keen interest in Buddhist philosophy. On spiritual matters, I prefer Shantideva's THE WAY OF THE BODHISATTVA from the 8th century. Or perhaps the 12th century Islamic Sufi fable by Farid ud-Din Attar, THE CONFERENCE OF THE BIRDS.
Have an excellent summer, and enjoy some good reading. I just finished Thomas Piketty's CAPITAL IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY and Anthony Trollope's THE WARDEN. I highly recommend both.
Your sincere if truculent employee,
Mary
Dear ______,
You've been a great boss this year. I appreciate your sense of purpose, your pragmatic way of getting things done, and the support you give your staff.
But, oh my. I just finished reading THE ENERGY BUS.
Not only do I travel on a different bus, but it runs in a parallel universe. Certainly not the jolly universe of this book. In fact, my vehicle is not a bus at all. I would never burn fossil fuels in a combustion engine. Mine is sort of a hybrid time-travel & transporter machine.
I do not believe “Everything happens for a reason.” (7) I do not believe in a personal, benevolent god who responds when we follow "signs." (113) I do not agree that the goal of life is “to live young, have fun, and arrive at your final destination as late as possible, with a smile on your face.” (142) And, yes, it is physically possible "to be stressed and thankful at the same moment." (52)
It occurs to me that a lot of refugees in Syria right now would love to learn the magic of creating luck “by projecting lucky energy.” (44)
Please don't ask me to turn in a bus ticket, and please don't ask me to "trust in God." (128) Is it even legal for you to require staff to read a book that advocates a religious belief system? Or to use school funds to purchase multiple copies of said book? For the record, I am an existentialist with a keen interest in Buddhist philosophy. On spiritual matters, I prefer Shantideva's THE WAY OF THE BODHISATTVA from the 8th century. Or perhaps the 12th century Islamic Sufi fable by Farid ud-Din Attar, THE CONFERENCE OF THE BIRDS.
Have an excellent summer, and enjoy some good reading. I just finished Thomas Piketty's CAPITAL IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY and Anthony Trollope's THE WARDEN. I highly recommend both.
Your sincere if truculent employee,
Mary
March 31, 2011
I was required to read this book by my principal. This book reminded me a bit of another book I listened to last summer on CD, A Complaint Free World. Both books are brimming with painfully uncreative (because they're so blatantly obvious) extended metaphors that one could surmise the meanings of without reading or listening to the book one iota. Their intention is purposeful and righteous, but the method of communicating the ideas just doesn't motivate me.
When I read self-help books, I like them to challenge and motivate me to think more deeply about a personal or professional issue, rather than be laid out in predictable fashion. When I read a title of a book, I want it to lead me on, grab my attention, entice me to read more. Without that mystique and depth, a book rarely appeals to me.
In addition, books are always more appealing when they are your 'chosen One.' Being forced to read this book was an encouraging reminder that it is a good thing that I allow my students to choose their writing topics for each project. They need to be intrinsically attached to their projects. I believe that 'Student Choice,' an element of Differentiation, is essential to good teaching. It would have been nice to have received options for self-help books and been able to choose the book that appealed the most to me. But alas, it is finished and I will never recommend this book to anyone.
To summarize:
1. A man named George is feeling discouraged and disgruntled about both his personal life and his professional life.
2. He has the bad luck of a flat tire and his wife won't take him to work because she's busy with the kids and the dog. He not only is going to be late for work, but also must ride the city bus.
3. George is greeted by the jovial busdriver, who not-so-coincidentally is named Joy. She also intermittently possesses a dialect which I believe is meant to stereotypically indicate something about her socioeconomic status and/or cultural background. The gist is that she has not had an easy life but is still glowingly optimistic and spreads her enthusiasm and JOY (See, not a coincidence at all!) to others.
4. George at first is not willing to try Joy's tactics for positivity and optimism.
5. Joy slowly but surely wins George over. She is persuasive, I tell you.
6. Joy gives George a children's book to read, which is named The Energy Bus. [You see, the ironic thing is, George is ON the "Energy Bus" with Joy, so it's like a literal book, a literal bus, but all a metaphorical ENERGY bus. Layers upon layers of metaphors...]
7. George begins to follow Joy's rules. These rules are dripping in metaphors relating transportation to life. Even the title is sopping wet: "10 Rules for the Ride of Your Life."
8. George is met with criticism and constructive criticism, but forges ahead.
9. George succeeds with his group of positive coworkers who were willing to jump on his bus. They no longer have any 'Energy Vampires,' and instead employ 'Chief Energy Officers.'
10. George's life has changed. He now knows it's "more fun on the bus."
Believe it or not, ladies and gentlement, I am a pretty optimistic person and can often find something positive in everything. Sometimes I'll lace my positivity with one form of humor or another, other times it will be brutally honest. On page 99, I found one concept that I value and take into consideration:
"God keeps breaking your heart until it opens."
"... Every struggle, every challenge, every adversity brings you closer to your heart, to your true self, to who you really are."
When I read self-help books, I like them to challenge and motivate me to think more deeply about a personal or professional issue, rather than be laid out in predictable fashion. When I read a title of a book, I want it to lead me on, grab my attention, entice me to read more. Without that mystique and depth, a book rarely appeals to me.
In addition, books are always more appealing when they are your 'chosen One.' Being forced to read this book was an encouraging reminder that it is a good thing that I allow my students to choose their writing topics for each project. They need to be intrinsically attached to their projects. I believe that 'Student Choice,' an element of Differentiation, is essential to good teaching. It would have been nice to have received options for self-help books and been able to choose the book that appealed the most to me. But alas, it is finished and I will never recommend this book to anyone.
To summarize:
1. A man named George is feeling discouraged and disgruntled about both his personal life and his professional life.
2. He has the bad luck of a flat tire and his wife won't take him to work because she's busy with the kids and the dog. He not only is going to be late for work, but also must ride the city bus.
3. George is greeted by the jovial busdriver, who not-so-coincidentally is named Joy. She also intermittently possesses a dialect which I believe is meant to stereotypically indicate something about her socioeconomic status and/or cultural background. The gist is that she has not had an easy life but is still glowingly optimistic and spreads her enthusiasm and JOY (See, not a coincidence at all!) to others.
4. George at first is not willing to try Joy's tactics for positivity and optimism.
5. Joy slowly but surely wins George over. She is persuasive, I tell you.
6. Joy gives George a children's book to read, which is named The Energy Bus. [You see, the ironic thing is, George is ON the "Energy Bus" with Joy, so it's like a literal book, a literal bus, but all a metaphorical ENERGY bus. Layers upon layers of metaphors...]
7. George begins to follow Joy's rules. These rules are dripping in metaphors relating transportation to life. Even the title is sopping wet: "10 Rules for the Ride of Your Life."
8. George is met with criticism and constructive criticism, but forges ahead.
9. George succeeds with his group of positive coworkers who were willing to jump on his bus. They no longer have any 'Energy Vampires,' and instead employ 'Chief Energy Officers.'
10. George's life has changed. He now knows it's "more fun on the bus."
Believe it or not, ladies and gentlement, I am a pretty optimistic person and can often find something positive in everything. Sometimes I'll lace my positivity with one form of humor or another, other times it will be brutally honest. On page 99, I found one concept that I value and take into consideration:
"God keeps breaking your heart until it opens."
"... Every struggle, every challenge, every adversity brings you closer to your heart, to your true self, to who you really are."
February 26, 2013
FML I am on a short bus to hell..
June 5, 2010
this book is just painful. the latest thing for managers to do, it would seem, is pass around these business fable books -- fairy tales for the cubicle world -- and they are just plain BAD. badly written by motivational speakers with product tie-ins, these facile little tales take common sense ideas and turn them into Words Of Wisdom which are apparently supposed to lance their eternal truths into our souls through a folksy tale written at the fourth grade level. i can only hold out the hope that my boss got this book recommended to her and passed it on without reading it, because if she did read it and found it so enlightening that she had to share it with the rest of us, i will be very depressed.
i am also going to recommend she read Drive.
i am also going to recommend she read Drive.
February 5, 2015
Forced to read it for work. Slammed head into desk. I'm not a third grader.
November 18, 2011
I'm not an energy vampire this book is just bad.
February 18, 2013
The underlying message of the book is positive, if delivered in a pedestrian manner. Reading this book is like having someone beat you over the head repeatedly with a metaphor.
My main complaint which overrides most of the positives from the book is the same thing with all this author's works--the religious themes that go along with it. If this book is supposed to inspire workers to work hard, then it should not assume us all to be Christian. As a non-believer I see what my company was going for in giving us this book to read, but I can't help but feeling marginalized since it is just ASSUMED in this country that we are all on board with the God thing.
I think that inspiring workplace productivity in a team requires extreme inclusion for all religious viewpoints and beliefs and find it extremely shortsighted for this author to continue throwing his religious beliefs into his books.
I'm really trying to spend 2013 focusing on being a more positive person in general so I am going to try to take what I can use and leave the rest. It does have a good core message of positivity. Just wish people would realize we don't need the big boss in the sky to teach us right from wrong.
My main complaint which overrides most of the positives from the book is the same thing with all this author's works--the religious themes that go along with it. If this book is supposed to inspire workers to work hard, then it should not assume us all to be Christian. As a non-believer I see what my company was going for in giving us this book to read, but I can't help but feeling marginalized since it is just ASSUMED in this country that we are all on board with the God thing.
I think that inspiring workplace productivity in a team requires extreme inclusion for all religious viewpoints and beliefs and find it extremely shortsighted for this author to continue throwing his religious beliefs into his books.
I'm really trying to spend 2013 focusing on being a more positive person in general so I am going to try to take what I can use and leave the rest. It does have a good core message of positivity. Just wish people would realize we don't need the big boss in the sky to teach us right from wrong.
August 2, 2017
Would have been a nice pamphlet.
May 16, 2015
I'm not typically a fan of corny self-help books, but this was recommended, and I support the message of positive energy, so I gave it a try. I didn't hate this book, but geez...it is just SO corny and contrived and simplified. The fictional story of a positive energy guru driving an actual bus (yes, the conceit is that obvious) carrying passengers who are positive energy converts is kind of lame, and the few references to actual scientific and social research are not expanded in any detail. The theme of positive energy is valid, and might benefit some people, but mostly this book just insulted my intelligence.
April 22, 2019
One of the Managers of my job gave me this book to read as I’m one of the team leaders involved in changing the culture of our section and focusing it more on appreciation, cooperation and collaboration. This is a really short and simple books that is also pretty cheesy but it does have a good overall message for team leaders, which is basically you have the power to control the mood and direction of your team and it is your responsibility to get the team to where it is going.
I think that all of these are good ideas and yes I was totally hit over the head with the same metaphor over and over again in this book but the idea of it was there.
You are responsible for everything happening with your team on in your life. You have to change your own thinking and actions if you want others to join in, lead by example.
Shut down the naysayers in your group, this is not the people asking questions and looking for answers but the people who complain and criticize with no specific data to back up their claims.
Let your team know where you are headed. If no on knows what the final product/idea/outcome wanted is how are they going to envision a way to get there. Also care about your employees and what they are doing, give compliments and encouragement when needed or deserved. Be invested in their life outside of work as well as inside.
So again, this has some good ideas in it, told in a pretty cheesy way. I’m never going to print bus tickets for my group and ask them to get on my bus. But I will always tell them what is expected of them attitude wise and redirect when things start to shift from the main focus of collaboration, cooperation and appreciation. On my team we do not point fingers and play the blame game, instead we state the problem, who is impacted and brainstorm ideas on how to improve that policy, process, or situation in a way that will help everyone involved. It seems simple but it is harder than it seems.
If you are looking for a short, sweet version of positive team building then this might be good for you. I already had a head start on that so this wasn’t as useful as some other things I’ve read but still had some valid ideas that built on what I was already doing.
10 RULES FOR THE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE
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.
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.
7. Enthusiasm attracts more passengers and energizes them during the ride.
8. Love your passengers.
9. Drive with purpose.
10. Have fun and enjoy the ride.
I think that all of these are good ideas and yes I was totally hit over the head with the same metaphor over and over again in this book but the idea of it was there.
You are responsible for everything happening with your team on in your life. You have to change your own thinking and actions if you want others to join in, lead by example.
if you want to change your situation you must first change your thoughts.
Shut down the naysayers in your group, this is not the people asking questions and looking for answers but the people who complain and criticize with no specific data to back up their claims.
Your positive energy and vision must be greater than anyone’s and everyone’s negativity. Your certainty must be greater than everyone’s doubt.
Let your team know where you are headed. If no on knows what the final product/idea/outcome wanted is how are they going to envision a way to get there. Also care about your employees and what they are doing, give compliments and encouragement when needed or deserved. Be invested in their life outside of work as well as inside.
So again, this has some good ideas in it, told in a pretty cheesy way. I’m never going to print bus tickets for my group and ask them to get on my bus. But I will always tell them what is expected of them attitude wise and redirect when things start to shift from the main focus of collaboration, cooperation and appreciation. On my team we do not point fingers and play the blame game, instead we state the problem, who is impacted and brainstorm ideas on how to improve that policy, process, or situation in a way that will help everyone involved. It seems simple but it is harder than it seems.
If you are looking for a short, sweet version of positive team building then this might be good for you. I already had a head start on that so this wasn’t as useful as some other things I’ve read but still had some valid ideas that built on what I was already doing.
March 7, 2012
The book seemed to rehash many age old values into a parable style that seemed under developed and haphazardly put together. What the story lacked in depth it made up for in monotony. So I'm thankful it was very short. At times it seemed so blatant in it's reuse of "The Secret" and Covey teachings that I felt bad for them. It's very religious narrative and constant reiteration of providence was a bit off putting, especially if it's supposed to be a book used by businesses to help emerging leaders. I do acknowledge that in writing a poor review I run the risk of being labeled as negative or in the case of the book an energy vampire. I beg to differ however and offer into the people's evidence as well as for perspective's sake, that I have read Covey's Seven Habits several years ago and still use many of those principles to this day.
May 23, 2020
با ترجمه فريبا جعفري خوندم
July 6, 2014
I had to read The Energy Bus for work and am so sad to see that works rife with neuromyths and quasi-scientific nonsense are still being peddled throughout school districts and other businesses throughout the country. The whole premise of the book can be boiled down to this: if you are positive you will attract positivity to your life, which you are in control of, but only when you're positive. What makes things worse is the author's poorly written parable that he uses to explain all of his "rules."
I feel a huge amount of frustration with the fact that schools are increasingly asked to drive instruction based on data and scientific research. Yet neuromyths like the ones presented in this book still abound. I was often quite offended by the author's idea that if you just act positively enough then you can have anything through the rule of attraction. This smacks of the absurd book, The Secret, that came under fire in the mid 2000's. While being positive and wanting to have positive people around you are good things, I doubt the author's claims that they can totally transform your life can be backed up. Of course we never find out in the book because there is absolutely no scientific evidence presented.
I feel a huge amount of frustration with the fact that schools are increasingly asked to drive instruction based on data and scientific research. Yet neuromyths like the ones presented in this book still abound. I was often quite offended by the author's idea that if you just act positively enough then you can have anything through the rule of attraction. This smacks of the absurd book, The Secret, that came under fire in the mid 2000's. While being positive and wanting to have positive people around you are good things, I doubt the author's claims that they can totally transform your life can be backed up. Of course we never find out in the book because there is absolutely no scientific evidence presented.
April 20, 2019
I give this book 3.5 stars. It's a business 'parable' to teach the 10 rules:
1. You're the driver of the bus.
2. Desire, vision and focus move your bus in the right direction.
3. Fuel your ride with positive energy.
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.'
7. Enthusiasm attracts more passengers and energizes them during the ride.
8. Love your passengers.
9. Drive with purpose.
10. Have fun and enjoy the ride.
The content isn't particularly original nor motivational. The rules are probably more applicable to life than the work environment.
1. You're the driver of the bus.
2. Desire, vision and focus move your bus in the right direction.
3. Fuel your ride with positive energy.
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.'
7. Enthusiasm attracts more passengers and energizes them during the ride.
8. Love your passengers.
9. Drive with purpose.
10. Have fun and enjoy the ride.
The content isn't particularly original nor motivational. The rules are probably more applicable to life than the work environment.
March 5, 2010
This book was first given to me (and the rest of my co-workers) by our school principal. I was very reluctant to read it because self-help books typically do not hold my interest very well. My mom had read it and told me that I should too. As soon as I began reading this book, I found it difficult to put down. It was a very quick read and made me look at everyday situations in a more positive way. I would suggest this book to anyone who needs a new perspective on life and work. Stay away from "energy vampires" and get on the energy bus! :)
August 24, 2010
The message is a good one in this short book, but it is a real shame that the editing (or lack thereof) is such a distraction. Wiley Publishing should be ashamed of themselves for the horrendous job they did... there's no excuse for the lack of commas (several passages could be used in the next "Eats Shoots and Leaves" edition) and very blatant errors throughout.
December 12, 2017
I read this for a work thing, even though we already had the discussion group and I could probably have gotten away with "forgetting". Conscientious, that's me.
Anyway, this is an extended conversion fable walking us through the fictional "George" who needs to turn his life around or be fired and lose his wife and family. He's such a grump, is George, and all that negative energy is killing his relationships. Good thing he gets on the bus after his car breaks down and meets "Joy" the bus driver who proselytizes the boo-hoo out of him. And yes, all the didacticism of this is fairly blatant. To the book's credit, really, as it isn't trying to hide that it's an extended allegory or convince us this is true-life experience (except when it is, but I'll get to that).
The core of the message isn't that bad, really. If you boil things down to "look for the good" and "love other people" and "do the best you can and then do your best with the consequences" then I suspect it works out pretty well. As a paradigm for selecting actions, you could do worse. And I even found myself thinking "yeah, I should do this" a time or two, and that's no small thing.
That said, this isn't anything you can't find in any other motivational book. And the veneer is very thin on the "story" with a lot of people doing and saying things that make them sound like marionettes activated by a hippie cult after a hit of "the good stuff". And then the author has this tick where "Marty the googleman" would pop in with "research" that, even if true (and at least half of it is complete bunkum), is bent into a pretzel to make Joy's point—like going from "scientists can sense heartbeats between five and ten feet away from your body" to "the people around us pick up on our love for them because they can literally feel it".
Also, I suspect this works better for people whose work isn't "make this emotionless machine do what you want it to". A positive outlook isn't going to impress Mr. Computer out of his reluctance to just do the thing and stop griping about "out of memory" and "key already exists" and "I dunno man, something happened and I barfed".
So like any conversion fable, this will play best with those who already mostly believe its central tenets. I doubt this will be convincing or useful for someone who doesn't already believe in a benevolent God or for those who are skeptical about thankfulness as an antidote to stress. Personally, for all I found a few things I want to keep in mind, that doesn't mean I found this valuable or worthwhile. Which will probably disappoint (though not really surprise) some of my coworkers who found this to be life-changing. I can see how this might be valuable to others. But for me, it's scraping by on a weak 2½ stars for being "okay".
Anyway, this is an extended conversion fable walking us through the fictional "George" who needs to turn his life around or be fired and lose his wife and family. He's such a grump, is George, and all that negative energy is killing his relationships. Good thing he gets on the bus after his car breaks down and meets "Joy" the bus driver who proselytizes the boo-hoo out of him. And yes, all the didacticism of this is fairly blatant. To the book's credit, really, as it isn't trying to hide that it's an extended allegory or convince us this is true-life experience (except when it is, but I'll get to that).
The core of the message isn't that bad, really. If you boil things down to "look for the good" and "love other people" and "do the best you can and then do your best with the consequences" then I suspect it works out pretty well. As a paradigm for selecting actions, you could do worse. And I even found myself thinking "yeah, I should do this" a time or two, and that's no small thing.
That said, this isn't anything you can't find in any other motivational book. And the veneer is very thin on the "story" with a lot of people doing and saying things that make them sound like marionettes activated by a hippie cult after a hit of "the good stuff". And then the author has this tick where "Marty the googleman" would pop in with "research" that, even if true (and at least half of it is complete bunkum), is bent into a pretzel to make Joy's point—like going from "scientists can sense heartbeats between five and ten feet away from your body" to "the people around us pick up on our love for them because they can literally feel it".
Also, I suspect this works better for people whose work isn't "make this emotionless machine do what you want it to". A positive outlook isn't going to impress Mr. Computer out of his reluctance to just do the thing and stop griping about "out of memory" and "key already exists" and "I dunno man, something happened and I barfed".
So like any conversion fable, this will play best with those who already mostly believe its central tenets. I doubt this will be convincing or useful for someone who doesn't already believe in a benevolent God or for those who are skeptical about thankfulness as an antidote to stress. Personally, for all I found a few things I want to keep in mind, that doesn't mean I found this valuable or worthwhile. Which will probably disappoint (though not really surprise) some of my coworkers who found this to be life-changing. I can see how this might be valuable to others. But for me, it's scraping by on a weak 2½ stars for being "okay".
July 2, 2019
I went into this book with an open mind. My school district bought us each a copy and encouraged us to use this mentality in the upcoming year. Although it would be a quick fix to become a Chief Energy Officer, this positivity mantra masks more insidious problems.
I find it difficult to buy into platitudes that tell me if I run into a systemic problem that I should simply think about how I can personally grow from that challenge. This mindset might work with small workplace and relationship setbacks, but does little to solve systemic issues. What would Gordon say about racism, sexism, ableism? Why should I be happy that I have a job while others are unemployed if the larger issue is capitalism’s flaws? I agree with his point about finding purpose, but find his didacticism weak when it comes to the root issues of larger problems.
Plus, this book is just terribly written. Nothing is an original idea and the parable is laughable.
I find it difficult to buy into platitudes that tell me if I run into a systemic problem that I should simply think about how I can personally grow from that challenge. This mindset might work with small workplace and relationship setbacks, but does little to solve systemic issues. What would Gordon say about racism, sexism, ableism? Why should I be happy that I have a job while others are unemployed if the larger issue is capitalism’s flaws? I agree with his point about finding purpose, but find his didacticism weak when it comes to the root issues of larger problems.
Plus, this book is just terribly written. Nothing is an original idea and the parable is laughable.
September 28, 2014
Oversimplification of suggested action if one needs to address severe cultural problems. Calling dissenters wolves and vampires doesn't address problems. Maybe the leader is unethical and should not be allowed to drive a bus?? It would be good for those in a rut who want some quick encouragement and don't want to read something substantial. A few good nuggets of trite advice in an overly simplistic format.
December 12, 2016
I saw this title while browsing for some audio books to download for my commute. This was only 3 hours long, and I'd had lots of people ask about it in my bookselling days so it jumped out at me. I'd never read any "business fables" (or "business jerk books" as I always mentally referred to them), so I thought it would be interesting to see what all the hype was about. I'm truly not sure why or how I made it through all three hours, but wow. If books like this are keeping America's corporations afloat, we have bigger problems than I thought. I despised this book so much that I made a bullet pointed list of reasons why it was terrible, but I eventually got too depressed to keep writing it.
Reason number one, though, was that the audio book is narrated by the author and he is TERRIBLE. I couldn't understand why no one bothered to tell him that the word "especially" DOES NOT CONTAIN THE LETTER X. Or that words that end in -ing HAVE A G AT THE END.
While the narration was grating, the content was even more painful. The whole book had the air of a student desperately trying to pad out an essay to meet a minimum page count requirement. The chapters must be about 3 pages long, because every few minutes there was a chapter break. Also, "George" accounts for about half the words in the book (he's the central character in the 'fable'). Seriously, his name is repeated so often I can't describe it.
Then there's the totally weak "facts" that back up the 10 energy bus rules. The ones I could remember are that the law of attraction is real, most people die on a Monday because they'd rather die than go to work, your heart emits a frequency that can somehow be positive or negative (which affects your cells! somehow...), and more such garbage. And let's not forget that "everything happens for a reason" and "God is looking out for you" and you will be "too blessed to be stressed." How is this a mainstream "business" title?
We (and George, don't forget George!) learn all this from a bus driver named...Joy. Joy calls people "sugar" a lot and was done with a slightly southern accent in the audio book, which was vaguely unsettling. She's super passionate about the 10 rules, even when those rules are creepy, like "love your passengers." This allows Joy to tell George that he should deeply and passionately love all his employees. Please don't, George, HR is gonna get called. Sure, respect your employees, reward them for a job well done, etc., etc. But this is not true love. Stop being weird. But the real point is that all the rules are feel-good, positive thinking mumbo jumbo that aren't actionable or practical or groundbreaking or even interesting.
If you are at all interested in this book, just read the list of the 10 rules and extrapolate. Then read something useful, which this isn't. Maybe listen to the audio book if you really hate yourself.
Reason number one, though, was that the audio book is narrated by the author and he is TERRIBLE. I couldn't understand why no one bothered to tell him that the word "especially" DOES NOT CONTAIN THE LETTER X. Or that words that end in -ing HAVE A G AT THE END.
While the narration was grating, the content was even more painful. The whole book had the air of a student desperately trying to pad out an essay to meet a minimum page count requirement. The chapters must be about 3 pages long, because every few minutes there was a chapter break. Also, "George" accounts for about half the words in the book (he's the central character in the 'fable'). Seriously, his name is repeated so often I can't describe it.
Then there's the totally weak "facts" that back up the 10 energy bus rules. The ones I could remember are that the law of attraction is real, most people die on a Monday because they'd rather die than go to work, your heart emits a frequency that can somehow be positive or negative (which affects your cells! somehow...), and more such garbage. And let's not forget that "everything happens for a reason" and "God is looking out for you" and you will be "too blessed to be stressed." How is this a mainstream "business" title?
We (and George, don't forget George!) learn all this from a bus driver named...Joy. Joy calls people "sugar" a lot and was done with a slightly southern accent in the audio book, which was vaguely unsettling. She's super passionate about the 10 rules, even when those rules are creepy, like "love your passengers." This allows Joy to tell George that he should deeply and passionately love all his employees. Please don't, George, HR is gonna get called. Sure, respect your employees, reward them for a job well done, etc., etc. But this is not true love. Stop being weird. But the real point is that all the rules are feel-good, positive thinking mumbo jumbo that aren't actionable or practical or groundbreaking or even interesting.
If you are at all interested in this book, just read the list of the 10 rules and extrapolate. Then read something useful, which this isn't. Maybe listen to the audio book if you really hate yourself.
November 9, 2020
The Energy Bus is a brief parable about a man for whom everything is going wrong at home and at work but who finds meaning and direction from a bus driver named Joy and her regular crew of riders. Joy's answer is to amp up the positive energy and watch what flows from it. It's easy to call The Energy Bus simplistic, but that would be missing the point: If we're busy criticizing, we're losing an opportunity to move forward with something productive and positive.
February 9, 2023
0 stars - Imagine if a corny corporate training was turned into a mediocre essay written by a high school sophomore who thinks they’re a philosopher. We get it dude, you’re not that deep.
For context, this whole story is about a negative guy that gets on a bus of positivity when his car breaks down; the bus driver then becomes his positivity coach along with a cast of unhinged passenger who serve roles of shouting out random research or repeating whatever the bus driver says. It’s culty and uncomfortable, not to mention the “rules” for positivity and happiness have no actual content / are all just bus analogies. Not to mention there was a weird god piece in the middle- thanks but no thanks.
On top of everything else it was full of grammatical errors and poor writing. I listened to this on audiobook and I even noticed the writing. Excuse me how the fuck did this get published?
For context, this whole story is about a negative guy that gets on a bus of positivity when his car breaks down; the bus driver then becomes his positivity coach along with a cast of unhinged passenger who serve roles of shouting out random research or repeating whatever the bus driver says. It’s culty and uncomfortable, not to mention the “rules” for positivity and happiness have no actual content / are all just bus analogies. Not to mention there was a weird god piece in the middle- thanks but no thanks.
On top of everything else it was full of grammatical errors and poor writing. I listened to this on audiobook and I even noticed the writing. Excuse me how the fuck did this get published?
July 5, 2018
An easy read, probably a one-sitting job for most people. There's a layer of cheesiness you have to scrape away to really let the message in, but I like that it's presented in the form of a fictional story. It's all pretty exaggerated (the people on that bus drank the coolaid HARD) but it works in the way that it helps you to relate to the situations and apply it to your own; whether it be work, life, career or whatever.
It's a pretty well-rounded lesson on positivity and perspective, how your attitude effects everyone around you, and how you can turn it around to influence your work/life/relationships for the better.
I kind of want to force a few people to read it ;)
It's a pretty well-rounded lesson on positivity and perspective, how your attitude effects everyone around you, and how you can turn it around to influence your work/life/relationships for the better.
I kind of want to force a few people to read it ;)
July 30, 2017
A self-help book that uses a fable about an individual who is having difficulties seeing the positive aspects of life and is ultimately told basic life concepts to get over the bump in the road. Part of the problem is that these concepts are nothing new, the fable is poorly conceived (the writing, characters and "logic" are terrible--I know those are not the main purpose of the book, but they are very obvious), and businesses should focus on team building exorcises rather than wasting their money on junk (instead of spending $20 on this book, there are free articles on the web that are shorter and to the point) like this that forces their employees to read outside of work, not that it's difficult, but it doesn't get anyone to become better at their job and, seriously, if someone is already having a difficult time at work and home (like the main character), how is adding extra work any better? I think businesses would be better off being more personable with their employees so books like this wouldn't have to exist and they wouldn't have to rely on outside sources to motivate their employees. Now, I can focus on reading materials for work that actually relate to my field which I thoroughly enjoy and make me motivated, self-help book not required.
January 15, 2020
Unbelievably cheesy. It's a good book for kids in 5th grade or below, it didn't offer anything that I didn't already know. The two reasons I kept reading it was that the rules were nice refreshers/reminders to have a positive mindset and I finish what I start (no matter how long it may take me, and how painful reading it may be (like this).
I'd also like to mention that I agreed to read this with someone that was required to read it by their coach, never again.
I'd also like to mention that I agreed to read this with someone that was required to read it by their coach, never again.
March 21, 2009
Had to read this book for work - it was passed around as part of the 'managers' series of books we share.
All ideas one could already know based upon reading siginificantly better written 'energizing your self and your team' books.
Also, don't bother reading if you don't like mixing god and mgmt style.
All ideas one could already know based upon reading siginificantly better written 'energizing your self and your team' books.
Also, don't bother reading if you don't like mixing god and mgmt style.
August 5, 2019
I don’t typically read “self-help” books, but I read this one in advance of a presentation I am part of at a conference in September. While cheesy at times, The Energy Bus has a lot of great reminders of how to make your daily work and personal life better for you and those around you. Always good to freshen up on living life with joy and positive energy!
February 23, 2023
i read your favorite book on your birthday, daddy. you always told me i needed to read it, but i never did. but you’re right—it’s a game changer and it’s the push i needed at school. thanks for always knowing everything.
February 2, 2021
(Get ready for a major rant full of sarcasm and laughing-yelling through words.)
For certain people, this book is amazing. It will speak to you and inspire you to fill up your life with positive energy! For me? Nope. I definitely had some struggles with agreeing with this book, and thus it wasn't my favorite. It was incredibly cheesy and had no acknowledgement of the realistic struggles people go through. Rainbows and sunshine was taken to a whole new level by means of this beep-boppin ENERGY BUS. YEAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
Okay, so some lovely backstory for you all: my family decided to read The Energy Bus for a little book club, and it was amusing how half of our family strongly criticized this book while the other half enjoyed reading it and was appalled at the complaints. It was interesting to see because this book will apply to certain people, and sometimes not others, and that's perfectly okay and understandable. Unfortunately, this book did not speak to me at all. Maybe a teeny-tiny bit in some parts, but overall no. With that in mind, this review is incredibly subjective to my own opinions, so don't base the whole book off of what I think.
What I got from this book:
- fake it till you make it
- kick the more pessimistic people in your life (they don't deserve you and are ruining your positive energy)
- only focus and love on the good people!
Meanwhile, we have a flawed main character who all of a sudden doesn't associate himself with the "negative people," so of course in this book's view, he's worthy of love. What a mess.
First of all, emotions are soo important. I think choosing to hide them and cover with positive energy is so harmful to yourself, as you're not giving yourself the time you deserve to process the negative change, to think about it and find a solution to it. Instead, this book considers sadness, anger, and frustration bad and must be covered up with positive energy. I could see this being helpful for CERTAIN PEOPLE - maybe an individual does not do well with feeling deep emotions and needs to find some upbeat alternative once in a while. That's totally fine! But to consider this as a book for all people? Some prefer, and even NEED, to process negative emotions rather than treating the thoughts as insufficient and stuffing it deeper. This book seems to criticize those sorts of people, thinking that this positive-energy-rainbows-and-sunshine process will work for every single individual. IT DOESNT.
Secondly, it's very hypocritical. I couldn't help but laugh at certain scenes because of how bad it is. Here we have George, the main character. (Hello George.) You see, George began the book as a "negative person." He was grumpy, depressed, and not a nice fella to be around. But then, Joy decides to befriend him and teach the ways of positive thinking, and he began to be transformed. Not bad, right? I'm happy for George.
BUT THEN IT GETS HILARIOUSLY MESSED UP...
Joy creates these sets of rules, one of them being: "kick out the Energy Vampires," meaning George should kick out people who portray negative energy and suck all the positive energy. So, okay... why didn't Joy kick out George then?! He's negative. Instead, she brought him into her life and encouraged him while GEORGE HERE WAS THE ENERGY VAMPIRE. Please explain, honey. Are there certain people that are exceptions of this rule?? Can I be one of them, just as a precaution??
AND THEN...oh my goodness...IT GETS EVEN BETTER - Joy gives George a dark and dirty rock and tells him to keep it. Eventually, George rubs off the dirt and realizes it's gold. Wow! That means, inside ALL PEOPLE are people who are worthy of love, no matter how dirty they are on the outside.
...HAHA WHOOPS - I misinterpreted it. Basically, Joy implies that this ONLY is for the positive people, the ones that George didn't kick out of the company because of their personality (and it was totally valid because George here wasn't being a good manager for God knows how long, and the employees had to be frustrated at that point). Anyways... truly lovely. Thanks, Joy!
I need to stop typing before I begin to go through the whole book and point out all the things I dislike, so I shall come to a conclusion. Positivity is so needed in this world - to encourage and lift up people who are down. I think this book has some really good points but the implications in the book seem to really ruin the whole goal. The book distinguishes "positive" people as good and "negative" people as bad. While they are attempting to create an inspiring and welcoming atmosphere, the deeper meaning is really concerning and I just can't forget about it. I mean, surely there are struggles that have caused people to be negative, right? So instead of taking them out of our lives, shouldn't we love them more and care for them just as Jesus did with sinners? Just a thought for the mind.
I apologize for this insane review (this is once in a lifetime, so enjoy it, folks), but I hope it was somewhat entertaining.
: )
For certain people, this book is amazing. It will speak to you and inspire you to fill up your life with positive energy! For me? Nope. I definitely had some struggles with agreeing with this book, and thus it wasn't my favorite. It was incredibly cheesy and had no acknowledgement of the realistic struggles people go through. Rainbows and sunshine was taken to a whole new level by means of this beep-boppin ENERGY BUS. YEAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
Okay, so some lovely backstory for you all: my family decided to read The Energy Bus for a little book club, and it was amusing how half of our family strongly criticized this book while the other half enjoyed reading it and was appalled at the complaints. It was interesting to see because this book will apply to certain people, and sometimes not others, and that's perfectly okay and understandable. Unfortunately, this book did not speak to me at all. Maybe a teeny-tiny bit in some parts, but overall no. With that in mind, this review is incredibly subjective to my own opinions, so don't base the whole book off of what I think.
What I got from this book:
- fake it till you make it
- kick the more pessimistic people in your life (they don't deserve you and are ruining your positive energy)
- only focus and love on the good people!
Meanwhile, we have a flawed main character who all of a sudden doesn't associate himself with the "negative people," so of course in this book's view, he's worthy of love. What a mess.
First of all, emotions are soo important. I think choosing to hide them and cover with positive energy is so harmful to yourself, as you're not giving yourself the time you deserve to process the negative change, to think about it and find a solution to it. Instead, this book considers sadness, anger, and frustration bad and must be covered up with positive energy. I could see this being helpful for CERTAIN PEOPLE - maybe an individual does not do well with feeling deep emotions and needs to find some upbeat alternative once in a while. That's totally fine! But to consider this as a book for all people? Some prefer, and even NEED, to process negative emotions rather than treating the thoughts as insufficient and stuffing it deeper. This book seems to criticize those sorts of people, thinking that this positive-energy-rainbows-and-sunshine process will work for every single individual. IT DOESNT.
Secondly, it's very hypocritical. I couldn't help but laugh at certain scenes because of how bad it is. Here we have George, the main character. (Hello George.) You see, George began the book as a "negative person." He was grumpy, depressed, and not a nice fella to be around. But then, Joy decides to befriend him and teach the ways of positive thinking, and he began to be transformed. Not bad, right? I'm happy for George.
BUT THEN IT GETS HILARIOUSLY MESSED UP...
Joy creates these sets of rules, one of them being: "kick out the Energy Vampires," meaning George should kick out people who portray negative energy and suck all the positive energy. So, okay... why didn't Joy kick out George then?! He's negative. Instead, she brought him into her life and encouraged him while GEORGE HERE WAS THE ENERGY VAMPIRE. Please explain, honey. Are there certain people that are exceptions of this rule?? Can I be one of them, just as a precaution??
AND THEN...oh my goodness...IT GETS EVEN BETTER - Joy gives George a dark and dirty rock and tells him to keep it. Eventually, George rubs off the dirt and realizes it's gold. Wow! That means, inside ALL PEOPLE are people who are worthy of love, no matter how dirty they are on the outside.
...HAHA WHOOPS - I misinterpreted it. Basically, Joy implies that this ONLY is for the positive people, the ones that George didn't kick out of the company because of their personality (and it was totally valid because George here wasn't being a good manager for God knows how long, and the employees had to be frustrated at that point). Anyways... truly lovely. Thanks, Joy!
I need to stop typing before I begin to go through the whole book and point out all the things I dislike, so I shall come to a conclusion. Positivity is so needed in this world - to encourage and lift up people who are down. I think this book has some really good points but the implications in the book seem to really ruin the whole goal. The book distinguishes "positive" people as good and "negative" people as bad. While they are attempting to create an inspiring and welcoming atmosphere, the deeper meaning is really concerning and I just can't forget about it. I mean, surely there are struggles that have caused people to be negative, right? So instead of taking them out of our lives, shouldn't we love them more and care for them just as Jesus did with sinners? Just a thought for the mind.
I apologize for this insane review (this is once in a lifetime, so enjoy it, folks), but I hope it was somewhat entertaining.
: )
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