Do you have someone in your life you want to make happy? Can you transfer your own energy to someone else?
Energy doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Just as you’re energized by the people in your life, so too is the world affected by the energy you have to offer.
Take a look at how to boost someone’s mood, just as others do to you.
Energize Those Around You
Simon Alexander Ong says you should deeply consider how to boost someone’s mood and in what way the energy you bring to the world will linger into posterity. Even the small things we do can be significant to those we interact with. For this reason, Ong argues that everyone has the ability to help others, regardless of what’s going on in your life.
In the end, your energy is your most valuable possession, and what better use for it could there be than to elevate the world and lives around you? How to do this runs the gamut from being an energizing leader in your workplace or community to simply showing kindness to a person in need. Ong insists that by giving energy to others, you gift yourself with a sense of joy and fulfillment that keeps your positive energy flowing.
(Shortform note: Schwarzenegger makes a similar point in Be Useful, which he frames in the context of the modern-day myth that anyone can “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” Some people believe that one person’s success means someone else’s loss, but Schwarzenegger insists that the opposite is true—that every step you take forward is made possible by someone else’s assistance, so achieving your dreams is a collective effort that you’re morally obliged to repay in kind. When you help others—whether in your career, as part of a hobby, or working with those in need—it creates a positive feedback cycle that benefits everyone involved.)
Ong asserts that how you direct your energy every day shapes your personal future and the way that others will remember you. To this end, your past doesn’t matter as much as what you’re doing now and where your energy is going. Ong suggests you reflect on how people might think about you when you’re gone. The point of this exercise isn’t to be morbid, but to help you be aware of the distance between who you are at present and who you’d like to be. The energy that you give back to the world is what will let you cross that distance, so let go of the negative beliefs and influences that are holding you back and let your positive energy flow in a way that lets you and those around you feel more alive.
(Shortform note: Thinking about your mortality doesn’t have to be an energy drain. After all, it’s a positive thought that what your energy sets in motion will continue after you’re gone. In The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John C. Maxwell advises that you plan for this—consider your sense of purpose, strengths, opportunities, and whom you might be able to impact. Maxwell says to decide on your legacy early in life so you can set it in motion while you’re able to do so. Remember that your legacy isn’t about what you accomplished as much as it’s about the work you began that others will continue, adding their energy to your initial spark.)
