Beware the Energy Vampires

It’s getting close to Halloween. The chill is in the air and I’ve even spotted a few 12 foot skeletons spookily scattered about—mine is apparently lost in shipping somewhere! But around our office, Halloween or not, we have a year-round Candy Bar.

It’s a unique way to interact with donors and county visitors when they walk in to drop off donations, mail, or simply to learn more about Grant County. We ran into a donor at lunch who said he was going to be stopping by soon and hoped we would have his favorite York Peppermint Patties when he came by. (Meagan ran over to CVS right after lunch and we were ready when he came in to make his donation a few days later.) Our little Candy Bar is just part of an overall philosophy of (a) being easy to do business with and (b) delighting our customers. It’s amazing how small gestures can turn something ordinary into something extraordinary. And it helps to keep a little garlic handy to ward off the Energy Vampires.

 I learned about Energy Vampires in a book I read called The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy by Jon Gordon and Ken Blanchard. Early in the book Gordon tells the tale of young man traveling to a village seeking wise counsel. This man says to the wise one, “I feel like there are two dogs inside me. One dog is positive, loving, kind and optimistic and then I have this fearful, pessimistic, angry and negative dog and they fight all the time. I don’t know who is going to win.” This man of great wisdom thinks for a moment and insightfully says, “I know who is going to win. The one you feed the most. So feed the positive dog.” The one you feed the most! Brilliant! And it’s true. Every single day we make a choice, don’t we?

Now, I’m not saying the choice is easy; I’m just saying that the choice is yours. Yet, even though we know this and often try our best to feed the positive dog, life happens. You decide to be a positive influence and proactively problem-solve. You strive to be solution-oriented, forward-moving, difference-making and that’s when Energy Vampires strike.

If you love your community (and if you’re reading this blog, I bet you do) Gordon gives some great ideas about how to prevent Energy Vampires (EV’s) from stealing your positive energy so you can get on with the work of making amazing things happen. You see, it’s the negative energy that EV’s have that suffocates all things positive. Perhaps they’ve just been feeding their negative dog for too long. So, I wonder what would happen if we tried to understand them, love them, and fill them with positive energy? It won’t always make a difference and many EV’s won’t change, but like Mother Teresa once said, “Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.”  It’s worth a shot. Let Halloween be a day you get it right…then just keep doing that.

There’s no doubt that negative energy can sabotage progress. We see this in sports all the time. But we also see it where we live, work, play, and pray. So, remember what Gandhi said and don’t let anyone walk through your mind with their dirty feet. Instead use positive energy as the antidote. Gordon has a simple rule for this, “Your positive energy must be greater than all the negativity.” That positive energy fosters quality communication and an overall proactive culture. Besides, everyone knows that vampires hate the light!

So, why is this primer on Energy Vampires important now? Because when you do this, you become an organization that people would miss if you were gone. That kind of daily work isn’t for everyone. But it is for us—you and me!

Sure, some days it will be hard. We may feel like your best work isn’t good enough or temporarily lose hope. So, you just need to promise to show up every day. To keep your commitment to improve the quality of life for your community and its future. And one day at a time, the work will happen. You’ll continue to invest the dollars your donors have generously given to make your community one of which you can all be proud. And your goal will be to see this community, not as it is, but as it could be. One of my faves, Seth Godin says, “It’s impossible to do important innovation in any field with your arms crossed and a scowl on your face.”  In other words, Energy Vampires need not apply. Happy Halloween, friend!

All My Best,

Dawn
[email protected]
dawn brown creative, llc.