In a post entitled The First Law of Organizational Thermodynamics, Seth Godin outlined how energy can be created or destroyed and that you’re either the one who makes something possible or hinders its progress. You can be the generous person who creates energy, putting in more than you take out and thereby ensuring that people constantly invite you to participate because they know you’ll be contributing something. Either that or you can be the passive bystander, the naysayer, the one who sits back and eats donuts at meetings but doesn’t actually add much in the way of proposing or supporting solutions. Energy can be created or destroyed and you’re either the one who makes things better or makes things worse. 

Often, you might find that there are interactions where you start off with a good attitude, determined to help and you’r just chomping at the bits, waiting for your opportunity to contribute what you’re sure will be a great addition. But when you’re ten minutes into a meeting and, no solutions have been suggested or every proposal that’s been outlined, you’ve found a reason why it won’t work, why it’s not the best use of resources, why it’s not the right time or the right fit – when no progress has been made and nobody is any better off, are you really helping? Take a look at the last few conversations that you’ve had. Have they been positive? Can you say that the people you’ve interacted with are better off from having talked to you? 

Some of my recent conversations (some of which I have to accept were just flat out failures) prompted these introspections. I’d like to see myself as a creator, conjuring up rays of sunshine out of not much more than good thoughts and specks of dust floating in the air. But from looking back at the videotape, I can’t say there is much evidence for what I would like to believe. Here’s the thing though. We can look back and dwell on defeat or look back and determine to change.  Today is being celebrated as a day of love and moving forward, I want to be a vessel for that love and light. I want to think positive thoughts and have them manifested in my interactions. I know you can’t give love unless it resides inside you. I am deciding to cultivate love and become an energy creator today. I am manifesting some good thoughts. Now just to go find some specks of dust in the air…

What about you? What will you contribute energy to today?

Read Seth’s blog post below:

Linkup:  Thinking Out Loud, Thursday Thoughts