There’s a great quote that’s going to summarize everything that I’m about to teach you today:
“The energy of the mind is the essence of life.” ~ Aristotle
When I was raising money for our first round of funding I got some great advice from one of our “quarterbacks”, Travis Kalanick (now CEO of Uber).
Travis gave us a bunch of tips for getting out there and meeting with investors, telling our story, etc.
However, the one piece of advice that I found the most interesting and the most impactful for me – was to have a “power song.”
I like to call it your “Powerdisiac” – the thing that gets you pumped up and energized.
For us, it was “Numb / Encore” by Linkin Park and Jay Z.
My co-founder Ethan and I would drive around Sandhill Road, in his old 1997 Acura, busting out Linkin Park & Jay Z… sometimes we would arrive early, sit in the parking lot before we met with the VC’s, just to get pumped up.
When you’ve got a sales call or you’re about to hire a key employee or you’re working on a partnership, it’s really good to elevate your state and get your energy level to a great spot.
This can be done with your Powerdisiac.
There are four areas in your life where you can find your Powerdisiac:
1. Melody Moves People.
For me, it’s music. Especially songs that remind me how awesome life is.
2. Get Your Body Moving
For you, it could be working out. Maybe it’s the first thing in the morning, as part of your morning ritual – you like to get your sweat on and get active.
For a lot of people, it’s CrossFit. There’s this joke that goes, “How do you know that somebody does CrossFit? – they won’t shut the fuck up about it!” I don’t know if you know anybody like that, but for them, that’s their Powerdisiac.
3. Energizing Connections
For other people, it could be talking with people and having conversations. They are extroverts, so they get energized by those meetings and connections.
4. Quiet The Mind
The last area I want to leave you with is meditation, silence or taking naps.
A lot of people, like John D. Rockefeller – regardless of how you felt about his politics in building his business Standard Oil – took naps all of the time!
Many great and powerful leaders are religious nappers.
They know that they are going to be going non-stop, so they need to just find time to take a nap and re-charge – and that’s their Powerdisiac.
It’s really interesting to think about. What are the things in your life that give you high energy, that really get you going, get you to jump out of bed and really kick start your day?
I wanted to share this with you because I know how impactful my Powerdisiac has been in my life and I hope that you find this useful for your life too!
Please leave me a comment below and let me know what your Powerdisiac is – or if you don’t have one, what’s it going to be? Can’t wait to read below.
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