ENERGY WINS!!!

Have you ever met someone with less talent, less intelligence, or even less charisma, but there was just something about their ENERGY?  Yeah, me too...

High energy beats low energy every time. Not today. Not always loudly.
But eventually...

Join Dave for some ENERGETIC conversation about:

• What energy really means in successful people
• Why energy is the real advantage
• Energy does five things talent can’t do alone:
• 5 characteristics of people driven by positive energy
• 5 characteristics of low-energy people (and the cost)
• How to build and harness energy at any age
• Five ways to activate energy today

Here’s the truth nobody tells you early enough:

You don’t need to be the smartest.
You don’t need to be the fastest.
You don’t need to be the most connected.

You need energy that stays.

Because when talent stalls…When motivation fades…When excuses sound reasonable…Energy keeps going.

Giddyup!!!

Email David@Otalks.com or OWD@Otalks.com for comments, questions, or ideas for content on an upcoming O'talkin' with Dave podcast.  Otalks.com

Check out OtalksOfficial on Instagram and TikTok

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome to O'Talkin' with Dave. Coming to you from his palatial fortress in Sin City, where what happens in Vegas is talked about everywhere. Put your hands together for the pastor of positivity whose glass is always at least half full. Here's Dave.

SPEAKER_02 0:20

Hey, how we doing out there? How y'all doing? I hope you're great. I am top shelf and I'm full of energy. I have got it. I always have energy though. That's not true. Sometimes Dave needs a nap. And I'll tell you, sometimes it's okay. I know before we play, a lot of times, man, I'm dragging. But once it's go time, I am ready. Full of energy. The thing is, energy matters. Let's get something straight. High energy beats low energy every time. Eventually. It's not a today thing. It's not necessarily loud or coming in. I'm not talking about these chipper people who get on your nerves that are just full of caffeine and chaos. And oh my goodness, what are we going to do? No. I'm talking about passion and drive. It doesn't win maybe right now, but eventually. It's almost like the people that wear the white hat. They're going to win eventually. Good always wins. Eventually. So does energy. And I'm excited about the topic because I see it win all the time. It's not the caffeine. It's not the just hustle and just um frenetic activity. No. It's sustained energy. Sometimes it's quiet. It's disciplined. Of the kind that shows up whether homework or play, but it shows up when there's nobody clapping. There's no applause. There's no reward. There's no tater tot to be given to the winner. No. Energy is that force that turns intention into output. So think through that. That intention has to be strong with someone. You can fake energy, but it won't be sustained. You can show up and put on a good show. If it's not real, sincere energy, the intention is not there. So that affects the output. Talent might open that door, but energy keeps you in the room long enough to matter. How many times have we seen this? A flash in the pan, or they come in and they talk a good game, or they give a great presentation, but there's no, man, it's all sizzle and no stake. That's not the energy we're looking for. So what energy really means in successful people, what does it? High energy people, they're not bouncing off the walls. Sometimes I bounce off the walls a little bit, but that's not the that's not the MO. You know why they don't bounce off the walls? Because they are locked in. Their energy shows up as drive when things are boring. Things get boring. Now come on, let's rein it in, let's pep it up because they want the focus. They want the intensity, the good kind of intensity. Also, they have that stirring passion even when it's inconvenient. I can think of a lot of examples of this, but I know sometimes I'm very passionate about something, and I got other things to do. I may be passionate about play, but I'm at work. Maybe passionate about work, but it's family time. So you have to be able to channel it and focus so that you can harness it when the right time comes. Also, it's discipline when the motivation fades. How about how about that gym membership? New Year's resolutions. Hey, it's April. Everybody still got it going? See, that energy and that discipline when motivation fades. That's the kind of energy we're talking about. I'm about to sneeze, and this is a real, this is a real show, so I'm not going to edit it if I do, unless I get something on the microphone. I don't know how I get this done. Anyway, it's also still having a curiosity. Energy. Curiosity. When things aren't exciting. You get you've got a question, you'll ask it, or it'll drive you crazy. And these sound like ADD symptoms. No, we're talking about passion. And those of you who get it already, oh, just hold on. Those of you who are still thinking, well, Dave, what do you mean? This sounds like a psycho. Uh-uh. It's passion, it's motivation, it's discipline, it's drive. And also the other one that comes in is resolve. You knew it was coming. When anybody, any fair-minded person would say, dude, I get it. It's okay if you quit. Yeah, it's a tall mountain to climb. That's a long way. It's against all odds. Resolve keeps you going because of your energy. And again, it's not speed, it's not first to the finish, not at all, but it's staying power. And I'm not gonna say it's not a sprint, it's a marathon. I will not say that. So don't tempt me. I'm not gonna do it. But people who are energized by a topic or a cause, or you find your why in the afternoon, that's important. So we'll talk through those. But here's the thing the ones with the energy, sustained energy, they finish better. Do they always win? No. But they'll finish better than those who don't have it. Yeah. Real people, real energy. A lot of people have succeeded wildly, but they're not household names. Anyone know who James Clear is? He's one of the great speaker and a best-selling author. He wrote weekly essays to a small list before Atomic Habits exploded. He was just writing weekly essays. Atomic Habits, I don't expect you to know what it is, but that is one of the top-selling pieces of work. And now he's considered a master of this. It wasn't flashy, it wasn't relentless. Atomic Habits, I don't think I would pick that book off the shelf. However, his passion behind it and his energy for the topic, still not a household name, wildly successful and happy. Pat Flynn. Pat Flynn is one of those he was an architect and he lost his job in 2008, got fired. However, he went on to great success by building content. And over time, he's one of the top digital entrepreneurs out there. And that came from losing his job. He kept going. Digital content was something that he had a vision around, and he built it out. How about Sarah Blakely? Sarah, I bet you know her product. She's the one that founded Spanx. Spanx, she's to blame for all these little undergarments. I say to blame. Hey, this keeps the tummies tight. And then that went on to all these other breakoff brands, but Spanx was the first one. She cold called manufacturers to get a prototype done. Rejection daily. But she built that momentum and the belief and persistence long before anybody knew who it was, long before Oprah threw her on there. I think she was before Dr. Phil, for goodness sakes. Sarah Blakely. And then I think you probably know this one. If you're listening to any motivational stuff, you probably heard of James Clear, but you've definitely heard of Mel Robbins. Oh, a best-selling author, speaker, podcaster. I've seen her before. She's fantastic. But she's a lawyer and had years of just lived in obscurity and had tons of debt. And she's always, she still is, you can tell, she still doubts herself. But one idea finally caught. Let them. Remember that? Let them. If you ever heard that talk, you need to listen to it. But that grabbed hold and her humility. Oh, she's a ball buster. There's no doubt about it. However, a lot of times on her podcast, she has therapists. And you can tell it's a therapy session. She's asking. She's as flawed as anybody, getting help with their kids. But she was, hey, she was almost destitute before it clicked. An attorney. I love listening to her. I think she's great. But there's there's a ton of people that every day you probably know of some that are wildly successful that no one else knows. Y'all hear that? I've got an ice cream man in the desert that comes around in 100 degree heat playing Christmas carols. Unprofessional, yes. Real, absolutely. So let's get back to the let's get back to the energy. The passion drives it and sustains it. The discipline. All of that is so important. And we've talked about this in other areas, about not quitting. But the thing is that energy is what separates people a lot of times when times get tough. Energy aligns the effort. That's the it's almost like the passion builds the fire. And then the fire sometimes will reignite. You can, you know how you light a candle with other candles with a candle. That energy touches a lot of different parts of your want to. I'm discouraged. I'm tired. It seems like I've got so much other to do. It seems like I'm not going to make it. Energy will stay lit so you can light that with something else. Energy will give you that idea. Energy may keep you from sleeping because you're going to wake up at 2 a.m. with an idea. Oh, energy will just flame up. You have every reason to be discouraged, but you just keep going. So why is energy the real advantage? Because it does five things that talent can't do alone. I've seen so many talented people, but for some reason they just didn't make it. I think it's an energy problem. Because energy helps you outlast your competition. It's what keeps you going when your body's saying quit. Nah, you gotta win. I've got I got friends who swim, I've got friends who run. I used to have friends who play pickleball, but they started playing pickleball. But that competition, it keeps you going because of your energy. It also attracts people. I come to California and talk about somebody, dude, he's got good energy, or I like your energy, dude. We say dude a lot out here. That's it attracts people. You're fired out, you're fired up about something. Maybe somebody else has the same passion. Or maybe they don't, but they can see it in your eyes. They can see it in your actions. It helps collaborate. It brings more talent in. And it's almost energy can be like a shock absorber. It comes in and you hit bumps in the road. You're on your way, but it absorbs those so that you can keep going. You may just gonna feel them, but it's not as bad because of that drive and that enthusiasm that is energy. And it's fuel. It's fuel. You got the shock absorbers, and then all of a sudden you got a fork in the road, or you have to adjust, or you got a detour. That's gonna happen, especially for all those people I just named. Oh, the odds were against them. So you learn and you adjust, and energy fuels that. And then here's the thing it's like momentum. You get the you can push a train car. Once you get it going, you can push it. It's getting it going, and then you create momentum. And I see truckers all the time when I'm traveling go so slow up a hill. Oh, they're loaded down, and it's so slow. But then when they get over the top, as they go, their momentum and the weight and the inertia and the sheer volume of what they're carrying creates momentum and compounds. That's what energy does. Once you get your traction, uh, it's hard to stop you. And that's why you're gonna win eventually. Because low energy, that's just gonna quit. They'll quit early. They won't even get up that hill. But high energy will adapt and stay. That's the whole game. That's the whole game. You've got to finish. Don't quit. Sometimes you choose to stop, but don't quit. So, what are these people that are driven by positive energy? What sets them apart? What do you think? First of all, they take ownership. Absolutely. There's no victim here. They don't even think about it. There's no outsourcing responsibility, there's no blame game. They know things happen for them, not to them. And if they get punched in the face, okay. I didn't like that. How can I keep that from happening again? Maybe I need to work on my bob and weave a little bit. However, they take ownership. So important. And that fire inside of them, their motivation comes from inside. Now, other things can pep them up or get them to hyperspace speed, but they're already motivated. They don't need that constant validation. They probably know exactly where they are, and they don't need you to tell them. They know if it's good or not, but they also know is it good enough for them? So they're internally motivated. And the thing is, what I said a second, they finish what they start. Because completion feeds confidence. Okay, when do we go again? I look at these ultra-marathers. I glance at them, I really don't look at them very hard because I feel unworthy. But these guys, um Goggins, drives me crazy. David Goggins, he talks about it, and I've said it on here before. He runs every day. And he says, I heard an interview with him, he said, sometimes I look at those damn shoes for 20 minutes before I put them on. But they finish. And he you got to start before you finish. Once you start, I remember when I used to act like I ran. That first mile was rough. But once you keep going now, it's a countdown until you finish. Now, with energy, do you really finish? Maybe. However, you finish each benchmark, you finish each stage, and then that momentum I talked about kicks in, and you want to keep going. So completion feeds confidence. Confidence feeds what's next. What's next? I did this, I can do something else, I can go higher, I can go farther. I got the energy because it comes from inside. Also, all right, let's talk to the other side. They have bad days, they have bad mornings a lot of times, but occasionally they have a bad day, but they don't have a bad decade. Very seldom would they have a bad week. You know why? Because they recover quickly. They recover and adjust. All right, let's go. Let's go. That's why most New Year's resolutions don't last. That's why most running regimens don't last because, oh, you're sore the next day. I don't know. Man, I'm hurt. I twist my ankle. I think I need to stop. It's a bad day. That's it. Let's go. Let's recover quickly. That's what high energy people do. And then they respect the momentum. We talked about momentum a minute ago. They protect routines and rhythms. They know that a fast start is not necessarily the best. It's steady and increasing going up that hill. If you go out too fast, you're not gonna make it. So that routine and rhythm is respected because that builds the momentum they need and takes them to the finish line. So these people aren't louder, they're not more flamboyant, except for my case, they're not necessarily better looking. The thing is, they're steady. Slow and steady wins the race. So let's talk about the other side in.

SPEAKER_01 17:37

Let's talk about low energy people. Oh, Eeyore. Slow, low energy people.

SPEAKER_02 17:45

It's not just the opposite either. Some of the characteristics of a low energy person, for example, they wait until they're ready. Let's wait a minute. They wait until they feel ready. Momentum never starts. I'm waiting for the right time. Buddy, the right time's not gonna get here. It's like people waiting until they have enough money, waiting to have kids, waiting to ask the person out, waiting. Now I realize what you're thinking. All of those things, Dave, you don't need to spend money you don't have or just jump into something, or you don't need to have kids before you're ready. I get that. But if you wait, sometimes you miss the boat. That's low energy. Circumstances are never gonna be perfect. And some people use that as an excuse. Don't wait until you feel ready. Check it. See if you are ready. You're probably gonna find, yeah. I know, my goodness, if it were if every child was planned until you could afford it and were mentally available for it, eh, wouldn't be as many kids. I'm not saying it's a bad thing. It's a way to thin the herd, but hey, that's another O talk. So they wait until they feel ready and they externalize blame. Now I know that is the opposite of they they take ownership. However, energy leaks through excuses. If you make excuses, you can just feel your energy leaking out because that excuses give you permission to not everything. That's horrible. Energy leaks through excuses. Key point. Also, they confuse comfort with peace. Ah, this is nice. Okay, all right. I'm comfortable now. I don't have to do that today, or that can wait till tomorrow, or I'm gonna wait till so and so does this, or I'm gonna wait for a trigger to do that. That is not peace. That's stagnation. And a lot of times it feels safe. The thing about stagnation and comfort, it may feel safe until it doesn't. Until it's, oh man, I should have done this. Oh, it's too late. Oh my goodness, I missed an opportunity. I'm behind. What in the world? Yeah, you confuse comfort with peace. You lost your energy. Also, they consume more than they create. How about that? Low energy people, they consume more than they create. Low energy is not necessarily laziness, but it can be. Watching is replaced the doing. All right. When you watch and you don't do, but you're still consuming, there you go. I can think of several food analogies. I can think of the party analogy where somebody never brings anything, but they always come and eat and drink everything. That's bad energy. It's also bad manners. Mama would have told you that. But they consume more than they create. And then lastly, I mean there's so many more, but they quit when effort is required. This paints a bad picture, doesn't it? Yeah. Potential dies out of neglect. Are they all these things? I'm not saying these are bad people. I'm not saying they're lazy necessarily. I'm just saying they they depend on high energy people to pull them through a job or life or a family or anything they do hobby-wise that involves more people. They don't enjoy their hobby because they're not really going for it. So low energy doesn't just slow progress, it just shrinks your life down to responses to other people. And usually those other people have the energy that's taking them somewhere. And when I look at people that are, I don't know, they just don't seem happy or they seem more depressed, or they just lost their mojo, those are usually low energy people.

unknown 21:59

Now,

SPEAKER_02 22:00

Anybody can be that way for a season, for a week, be in a bad mood, have a tough time. I've had tough years before, but I had energy throughout the year, learned so much for it. That's what drives me now. But low energy shrinks your life. You're dependent. So how, okay. All right, Dave, you made your point. Loud and clear. How arrogant of me. So how do you build and harness energy? And I'm not, I'm 61 years old, and I think I got more energy than I ever had. I'll compare my schedule to yours any day. Not that I do it that well, but I do it with some gusto. Giddy up. But how would we harness and keep that energy, no matter how young or old we are? Because energy is not just reserved for the young. If you're around kids, I can remember when I was a kid, and I don't know how old I was, so many times adults will say, Man, I wish I had that kid's energy. Okay, then you get a little bit older and you start thinking, man, they're running circles around me. But it's not just reserved for the young. It's reserved for the engaged in activity. That's why you gotta get out there. You gotta do stuff. Most of the older people who fall into some sicknesses that we associate with older people, it's because they disengaged. Stay in there. Do what it takes. Find a way. And I got some how-tos in a minute, but the thing, the few things, how do you get your energy or how do you keep it and sustain it at any age? First thing you go, you gotta know what cranks your tractor. You gotta know what lights your candle. You gotta be very specific on your why. Why am I here? What am I up to? What's my purpose right now? And it could be different at home, work, or play, or just different at different ages. But once you know that, energy is gonna spike when your purpose is clear. This is one of the things. I'm telling you, I missed a couple of weeks I never miss. But I did. And oh, the backlash. And I said the other day, people gave me hate mail. Actually, it was love mail. Where have you been? What happened? I missed a couple of Mondays and Thursdays, and you would think I'm embellishing a bit. But that's part of my why. I love this. It's fantastic. And the fact that some of you love it too, that just builds on the energy. It absolutely does. And two, energy will build some sort of structure. And we need it. I'm not saying so formalized you can't get anything done or you're boring or whatever the case. Structure's nice because structure drowns out chaos. And chaos drains your energy. So have some rhythm. We talked about rhythm and routine earlier. Yeah, that's good. It doesn't have to be boring, it doesn't have to be the same thing every day, but have that cadence. Have that boom. That's gonna, no matter what your age. I've said it so many times. Move. Move your body. Motion generates momentum at any age. I took two walks today. I hadn't walked this much since last blah, blah, blah, August, September. I loved it. I'm gonna start doing it more. I forgot how good it made me feel. You know why? Because I stopped doing it. I was doing other things, but it's great just to take a walk with nothing particular to think about or pontificate on. Motion generates momentum at any age. Then we talked about leaks. You got to reduce your energy leaks, unfinished business, toxic inputs from people, unresolved conflict, excuses, all of these things leak energy. I talked about excuses earlier. All of these things because they they distract. Toxic inputs, deal with them or do away with them. And then conflict, my goodness, I've done several on conflict resolution. Maybe I need to hit another one on that. But all of these are leaks that your energy will come through and they wear you down. Where's my energy today? Yeah. And then the last one I'll share is just do something that's meaningful, consistently. Yeah, when I had dogs, I would walk the dogs, and that would make, I felt it brought out my paternal instinct. I felt, look how happy they are. Ah, look at that. No, I don't, no, I don't want to pick up the poop. But I did. I did. Trust me, HOA follows me around. However, meaningful things, volunteering somewhere, spending time with your kids, spending time with the poor the people that are important in your life. And what I'm talking about, too, is quality, not necessarily quantity. I hit that in great response to that one, too, excuse me. That quality over quantity. Oh, you guys really like that one. That's what I'm talking about. Meaningful work. Do something meaningful. It doesn't have to be drawn out or a long process. Do something that makes you feel good. Do something that makes someone else feel good, and it will come right back to you. Those are all ways to build and sustain energy at any age. And notice, I'm not talking about a, I said move, but these are that sustained energy, not chaos, not Charlie Hustle, not you're moving around so crazy, you're getting in trouble. So that's important. Also, how do we activate it? Okay, I want to do that. I think I can do those things, but how do I activate this energy today? Because we all have it. We all have something that's exciting. No matter how low energy you are, there's something that lights your fire. So let's talk about five ways to activate energy today. Today. Easy steps. Anybody can do. Finish one thing that you've been avoiding. One thing. Clean out a drawer in your kitchen. Vacuum a room. Fold a towel. Walk around the block. Take the stairs instead of an elevator. I don't know. Because completion is fuel. Call somebody you've been meaning to call and you just never get to it. Put it down. I'm gonna call them at lunch tomorrow. And then do it. Finish one thing you've been avoiding. Alright? Second one. Move. Move. Just set a time and move for 20 minutes. 15 minutes. Whatever. Don't debate it. Just go. Maybe that movement is I don't know, planting some flowers, walking around the block, walking around your house. And trust me, the thing is if you travel a lot or if you're sedentary or if the draining outside, you can move for 20 minutes. Walk around the house. Do some toe lifts. I don't know. Okay, third one, say no to one unnecessary obligation. Unnecessary is the key. Saying no. We've talked about that. When you say no, it gives you a degree of freedom. It's also control. What are you going to do with that freedom that you just gave yourself? Do you give yourself 10 minutes of freedom? An hour of freedom? An evening of freedom? It was unnecessary. Find something and say no to it. Unless I ask you to do it, and then it the only acceptable answer would be, of course, Dave. Say no to one unnecessary obligation. All right, number four, take one step towards something that matters. One step. I didn't say do something that matters, although it'd be great. One step, even a small step, counts. That person you need to talk to tomorrow, okay? One step would be I'm gonna write it down. And here's what I'm gonna say. Or I'm gonna text them. That's a step. You wrote their name down. That's a step. Do something towards something that matters. Okay? One no matter how small, you're moving toward it. And then lastly, just show up with some intention wherever you go, whoever you're with. You go out to eat, have some intention, have some energy, speak to people. A good way to do this is no matter where you are, if you're within six feet of somebody and they make eye contact, at least smile, or you can just, hey, how's it going? Just say hi. It's two letters. Hi. Yeah, or you could wave. Yeah. Something with intention. It's good to see you today. I like that. I like how you're combing your mustache. Probably don't need to say that to a woman. It's the wrong intention. But just show up at the let me hit these again. Five ways today. Finish one thing you've been avoiding. Move for 20 minutes, 10 minutes. I don't care. Say no to one unnecessary obligation. Take one step towards something that matters and just show up with some intention that will bring the energy. Because energy responds to action. It responds to action. Now, intention can be a double-edged sword. No. Show up with intention. Intention alone is not going to get you there. I intended to do this. I intended to do that. When you didn't do it, you quit. So I know I've been a little demonstrative here. I got a lot of energy. What can I say? But the truth, nobody tells you early enough. And I am a wise old man now. What people don't tell you is you don't need to be the smartest. I'm not. You don't need to be the fastest. No, I'm not. You don't even need to be the most connected or the most beautiful. You need energy that stays. That's what you need. Because that can overcome all these other things. Because when your talent stalls, and it will, when motivation fades, and it will. When excuses sound reasonable, and they will, energy is what keeps you going. It's what keeps you going. And over time, the person with steady energy will pass that person with flashes of brilliance and talent and smarts and speed. All of that. I will not reference the tortoise and the hare. That's too easy. I'm not even going to bring that up. That won't make it in this podcast. But energy wins every single time. No matter your age, no matter your starting point. You're not too young. You're not too old. Bring the energy. Protect it. Aim it at the target. And let time do the rest. Just keep going. I hope this helps. I really do. There's not enough energy out there because the more that you find, it will build that momentum. And it is contagious. The only cure is to get it. Alright. Let me know what you think. Hit me up at david at otalk.com, otalks.com or david otalks.com or just go to otalks.com. There's stuff on there. Look around. You can find me there. You can get in touch with me, whatever you want to say. Let me know what you think. I appreciate it. I listen. I listen. I hear them. Trust me, I've heard you in the last couple of weeks. Especially you, Randy, from Corbin, Kentucky. Okay, keep that energy up. Thanks for hanging out. Thanks for hanging on. But most of all, thanks for O talking with Dave. Giddy up.