Episode 203: Energize: Make the Most of Every Moment with Simon Ong
“People do not buy your product, your services, or your ideas as much as they buy your energy.” -Simon Ong
We talk about energy all the time, or as the kids say, “it’s giving...” As an international keynote speaker, bestselling author of Energize and award-winning coach, Simon Ong is the energy expert you need in your life. In this episode, Simon and Erin discuss what it means to be a go-giver instead of a go-getter, doing what makes you feel alive, and selling you to you.
If you’re going to listen to any episode about energy, make it this one.
ICYMI – Your Post-Episode Homework: Write down five people in your life who you are grateful for. Step two: why did you write that person down? Why are you grateful them for them? How have they made your life better? What would life be like if they were not in it? And how have they made you a better person? Step three—the most important part—is to pick up the phone and call them and read them what you wrote. Or as Simon suggested, send a voice note. Don't send a text or write a handwritten in letter. They need to hear the emotion behind your intention.
More about Simon Ong: To ignite people's imagination of what is truly possible so that they can live a life of meaning, purpose and fulfilment—this is Simon’s “it.”
Everything that Simon Alexander Ong does is built around inspiring people to see their world differently and igniting their imagination of what is truly possible so that they can unleash their deepest potential.
From a young age, Simon has always been curious about learning and exploring the areas of personal fulfilment, human potential and organizational success. This curiosity was accelerated following his departure from the financial industry, in which he began his career in following graduation from the London School of Economics. Studying the mindset and habits of successful leaders and organizations, Simon enjoys distilling his insights into lessons that can be easily understood and codifying the key principles that have had the biggest impact.
He shares his insights, lessons and wisdom with all who are committed to upgrading their life and business to that next level. He speaks at international events, conferences and corporate events that have included those organized by Google, London School Of Economics, Barclays UK, The Institute Of Directors, Virgin, O2, Salesforce, 10 Downing Street, Natwest, Enterprise Nation and Microsoft.
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Connect with Simon Ong:
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@itserindiehl on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter
Erin Diehl is the founder and Chief “Yes, And” officer of improve it! and host of the improve it! Podcast. She’s a performer, facilitator and professional risk-taker who lives by the mantra, “get comfortable with the uncomfortable.” Through a series of unrelated dares, Erin has created improve it!, a unique professional development company that pushes others to laugh, learn and grow. Her work with clients such as United Airlines, PepsiCo, Groupon, Deloitte, Motorola, Walgreens, and The Obama Foundation earned her the 2014 Chicago RedEye Big Idea Award and has nominated her for the 2015-2019 Chicago Innovations Award.
This graduate from Clemson University is a former experiential marketing and recruiting professional as well as a veteran improviser from the top improvisational training programs in Chicago, including The Second City, i.O. Theater, and The Annoyance Theatre.
When she is not playing pretend or facilitating, she enjoys running and beach dates with her husband and son, and their eight-pound toy poodle, BIGG Diehl.
You can follow the failed it! podcast on Instagram @learntoimproveit and facebook, and you can follow Erin personally on Instagram @keepinitrealdiehl here. You can also check out improve it! and how we can help your organization at www.learntoimproveit.com. We can’t wait to connect with you online!
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Episode 203 Transcription
Erin (00:01):
Improve it Peeps. Oh my God, today's show. I could have talked to Simon forever. You were in for such a treat. Today on the show, we are having Simon Alexander Ong, and it is transformative. I know I say that a lot, but I really, really mean it. So, couple of quick housekeeping items. Number one, please, if you have not leave an iTunes review for this show, we are giving away one month, every month a goodie bag filled with improvement items sta ya items. Lots of fun gifts for people who leave us a review. We've gotten several reviews in the past month, but here's what I need you to do. I need to know who it is who's leaving that review. So if you leave a review, screenshot it, send me a DM at it's Erin Diehl. My Instagram has changed, itserindiehl. Or you can send it to info at learn to improve it.com.
Erin (01:01):
Let us know it's your review. And I will literally pick one person and send a bag of goodies to every single month. Why do we ask for reviews? Why do you hear this constantly? It's because the reviews are the only way that guests who be asked to come on this show. No people. Listen. That's it. That is why I keep asking you. I know it's a lot. I just need you to do it if you're a listener to this show, because guests like Simon Ong are giving us truth bomb after truth, bomb after truth bomb. And here's how we get them on the show, your reviews. So please leave an iTunes review. If you have not today, pause this episode. All you have to do is go on iTunes, hit five stars, you can write a comment. It literally takes less than 30 seconds to hit five stars.
Erin (01:49):
That's what I need because I need to keep giving you these guests. Simon Ong is a bestselling author, an international keynote speaker, and a business strategist. His work has seen him invited onto Sky News and B B C to be interviewed while he's been featured in the likes of Forbes and Harvard Business Review. He's also spoken at some of the planet's most successful organizations such as Barclays, Salesforce, Adobe e and Y, and Microsoft. And his debut book Energized, which you're gonna hear all about today, published by Penguin in 2022, became an instant bestseller. Receiving endorsements from the likes of New York Times bestselling authors, Simon Sinek, Marie Bole, one of my goddesses, and Marshall Goldsmith. Now in 2023, energize was also awarded Book of the Year within the Wellness and Wellbeing category at the Business Book Awards. Huge accolades, huge, amazing guest. Y'all aren't even red D for what he's about to drop.
Erin (02:57):
We're talking all about energy, how to make the most of every moment y'all, I have so many notes from this conversation. Literally, we're gonna talk about energy being our life force, how people are buying, not your product, but your energy. Your most important relationship is between you, the leader, and the people you lead. How we should have CEOs, not chief executive officers, chief energetic officers. We're gonna talk about ways to help your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual energy. We are gonna talk about go giving versus go-getting, creating an environment around you that makes it impossible not to succeed. We're gonna talk about this amazing gratitude practice, which you'll hear about later in the show. So get a pen and paper. This show is chockfull of great notes. Let's get to improving it with Simon Ong. Hi, new friend. I'm Aaron Diehl, business improv edutainer, fail, flu and keynote speaker who is ready to help you improve your it, it being the thing that makes you you.
Erin (04:07):
So think of me as your keeping it real. Professional development bestie who is here to help you develop yourself into the best version of you possible so you can develop your team and lead with intentionality, transparency, and authenticity. Oh, and did I mention we're improving your IT through play? That's right. I'm an improvisational comedy expert who uses experiential learning to help you have your aha haha moments. Those are the moments when the light bulb goes off and you're laughing at the same time. So grab your chicken hat, your notebook, and your inner child because I'm going to take you on a journey that is both fun and transformative. Welcome to the Improve It podcast.
Erin (05:01):
Simon. We made it <laugh>. <Laugh>, we're here. I am so, so excited to have you on this show. Fun fact for everybody listening, it just took us three different attempts to get this recording to start. I keep it real. And failure. We are doing it. We're making the most of this experience and I'm so thrilled to chat with you today. I know our audience is here for it. I mentioned this earlier. I do a lot of things for the Improve It peeps our audience. This one's also for them, but also for me. Okay. I am thrilled to chat with you. So welcome to the Improve It podcast.
Simon (05:40):
Thank you so much for having me, Erin.
Erin (05:43):
Oh, okay. Well, technical difficulties aside, I'm thrilled that you're here this month because the theme is investing in you. Hmm. So what I would love to do is just start this session or this, this se this is a session. I'm calling this a therapy session for everybody start the show with an intention. So what is one word or one intention that you'd like to give our audience or even yourself today?
Simon (06:12):
Hmm. I guess the intention that comes to my mind in this moment is application. Hmm. Because you can accumulate all the knowledge and insight and ideas in the world, but they mean absolutely nothing unless we apply them, unless we put them into action. The value of any idea or insight is only discovered through the application of it.
Erin (06:36):
Yes, I love that because we have a lot of lifelong learners on this show. I know so many people who love to learn and gain tools for their toolkit, but the tools don't work unless you use them. You know? So I'm super here for that. I love it. Okay. So I wanted to have you on this show because I'm 100% in line with what you believe in. I know, and I, I heard this and you're speaking real, that you believe that we are all energetic beings having a human experience. So let's start with that. Can you just explain the meaning behind that to us?
Simon (07:16):
Sure. So what I mean by energy when I use that term, is the fact that energy is a life force. It is a universal language that while it may contain no words, you and I can feel and understand it. Mm-Hmm. And it's not a new concept. This concept has been around for centuries and, and, and even longer before that, in the, in the Indian culture, they call it prana. If you practice yoga, you will have come across that term as well. Hmm. In the Maori culture, they call it manner. In my Chinese culture, they call it chi. And if you are a fan of the Star Wars film franchise, they call it the force. Yeah. Now, the words or terms we use to describe it, we're all talking about the same thing, which is energy as a life force. And what I began to understand as I left the world of employment and started my own business is that people do not buy your product, your services, or your ideas as much as they buy your energy. Mm.
Erin (08:15):
That's what
Simon (08:15):
People are really buying. It's why if you have somebody who can communicate something in a way that not only touches people's minds, but also their hearts, they're able to influence people at a far greater scale. Even Warren Buffet, the famed billionaire investor once said that the greatest skill in business we can develop is our communication skills.
Erin (08:39):
Simon, I'm gonna drop this microphone. Boom. okay. Yes. I wanna stop right there and just tag, I, this is like a tweetable, a quote. I love so much. People are buying your energy. That is something that takes an internal job to do, right? Like energy is something that you have to consume yourself. You have to work on yourself. And I have never before thought of it in that way, because you can walk in the room, nobody else can be Simon's energy. Mm-Hmm. Nobody else can be Simon's energy. Anyone listening, no one can walk in the room and be your energetic self. But when you say people are buying your energy, it just, it really stopped me in my tracks because we can feel it. Energy is such an experiential thing. We can feel good vibes, we can feel bad vibes. And it's really, I always say this, and I didn't make this quote up, but you know, if you could pretend everyone has a sign around their neck that says, make me feel important, <laugh>, that feeling is not, it's not explainable in the written word. It's only, it's only expressed and felt from human to human, soul to soul. So
Simon (09:59):
Definitely, and here for that. And this is why energy is everything. You know, you spoke just now, Erin, about feeling.
Erin (10:07):
Yeah.
Simon (10:08):
Maya Angelou said it beautifully when she said, people will forget what you did. Yes. People will forget what you said, but they will never forget the way you made them feel. And that's energy in motion. That's energy being transferred from one being to another.
Erin (10:22):
That's it. That is it. And you can remember, I always tell people, you know, think of a boss, think of a leader that you had and how did they make you feel? Did they make you feel empowered? Most of the time when you walk in a room and you can feel negative energy, you wanna walk right out. Those people that are mentors and leaders and are lightworkers for us, make us wanna stay in that room. They make us wanna be in that room, feel that presence. And it's almost like a magnetic force. Like they just attract people to them. Right.
Simon (10:57):
And, and that's why I think that when we, when we look at relational energy, i e the energy between two people, the most important energetic relationship, it's between your leaders and the people that they lead.
Erin (11:10):
Totally.
Simon (11:11):
If you work in a company and you come to the office first thing on a Monday, you'll know whether your boss has had a good or bad weekend before you even said a word. And maybe you listening can relate to that. Again, that's energy that we feel. And the energy that those in senior positions possess and demonstrate impacts us. It sets the culture of an organization. And it's why in my book, what I talk about is that instead of CEOs standing for chief executive officer, it should really stand for chief energy officer. Yeah. That is the impact that they are having within their companies. They set the tone for how employees show up every day.
Erin (11:55):
Hmm. It's so true. It's so true. I love that. Chief Energetic Officer. Okay, so I wanna kind of take a step back because I love the principles that you teach. I wanna know what called you to teach them.
Simon (12:16):
So I I grew up like many families w would've gone through is that I grew up believing that the job title I earned after graduation from college would determine my success. Yeah.
Simon (12:30):
But I remember through my teenage years, my parents telling me that when I graduate, if I were to land a job as a doctor, a banker, a, a, a lawyer or an accountant, I would be deemed successful in their eyes. And so my definition of success was very constrained and very rigid amongst those definitions. I ended up falling into the financial services sector at the worst possible time, the middle of 2007, a year before the global financial crisis swept across the planet. And the company that I started with was Lehman Brothers, which collapsed into administration 14 months after I joined. Now, while it was a very painful experience to have your hopes and dreams swept away from you right under your feet, in hindsight, it was a blessing in disguise because it kickstarted the journey to what I now get to do today. And that's when I started addressing my own energy.
Erin (13:28):
Yes. You
Simon (13:28):
Know, because for so long I was following someone else's definition of success. But when this crisis happened, and I say crisis in inverted comment, because for me it was a bit of an awakening, I started to ask myself questions such as, what did success mean to me? Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>, and what sort of impact did I want to have in the world? And as I started writing down my answers to those questions, I understood two things. The first was that my greatest challenge would be to build a life and career around those answers. And number two, that most of us across this world are exhausted. Not because we are physically doing too much, but one, we are doing too little of the things that bring us joy. And two, we are often running someone else's race. And so the work of getting clear on what success means to you and the impact you want to have in a world is fundamental for any personal transformation journey.
Erin (14:30):
You saw me give you the hallelujah hand. I gave you a hallelujah hand. My hand was up. Oh my God. Say that again. We are doing far too little of the things that bring us joy. That's what gave me a hallelujah moment. I'm like, yes, you just took me to church, Simon <laugh>, and I'm a spiritual human. I don't even go to church. Okay. Yes. That, yes. And it's so apparent in everything you do, and I think people who truly understand this live such a different life. They live a life of ease and abundance versus scarcity and lack, and they feel like they have control versus they feel like they're under somebody else's race, which is, I totally agree with you in all of this. Ah,
Simon (15:17):
There is so much freedom that comes from pursuing the things that make you feel alive. Yes. To explore the unique gifts, skills, and talents that you were equipped with above to be able to express that potential into the world and to impact the world in your own unique way. Yes. There's no better feeling,
Erin (15:37):
No better feeling. You're doing it, my friend. You're doing it. Okay. So I love this because it kind of ties right into our monthly theme, which is investing in you. I wanna ask you, what, what do you do on a regular basis to invest in yourself? What do you do that brings Simon Joy?
Simon (15:55):
Sure. So this ties nicely into the way I see energy. Yes. So when I think about energy, I see it through four dimensions. It's our physical, our mental, our emotional, and our spiritual. So when I embrace habits in my day-to-day life, they are chosen because they help fill my cup in those four areas. Mm. So to give you some examples, from a physical energy perspective, a non-negotiable I have is to move my body every single day. Now, it doesn't have to always be a one hour workout in the gym. It could be something as simple as going for a hike, going for a swim, riding a bike outdoors every day can be different. And it's just making sure we are consistent with that habit. You may not always want to move your body, but I guarantee you never regret it after. So that's one example.
Simon (16:49):
Mental energy is to expose myself to people that are ahead of me and who think different because that feeds my creativity, that gets me energized to think different and in original ways that perhaps no one has fought before. Yes. Emotional energy. That's really getting to know myself through the form of writing, spending time with my loved ones and understanding others so I can empower and energize them as well. And then spiritual energy is constantly reminding myself about my purpose, asking myself, if I say yes to this, will it bring value to where I wanna be in life? Will it give me meaning and purpose? Or will it actually sabotage where I want to be?
Erin (17:33):
Mm-Hmm. So
Simon (17:34):
Thinking about energy from those four dimensions helps me to embrace habits and routines that contribute to them.
Erin (17:40):
Mm. I love it so much. I love it so much, especially the spiritual one. Mm. It's like, if it's not a heck yes, it's a heck no for you kind of a deal. Deal
Simon (17:49):
Indeed. And, and the problem is so many of us bringing those hell maybes into our hell Yes. <Laugh>. And then we wonder why we're so drained of energy.
Erin (17:58):
That is so I needed to hear that today. <Laugh>. Okay, Simon. She needed that, that because I got some hell maybes I've been marinating on and I'm sure everybody out there listening, we all have some hell maybes. And if it's a hell, maybe it's a hell no. Let's just, let's just put that into perspective. Okay. It goes along with yes and yes, but, and, and no because it, it's still a no, a yes, but is still a no. Okay. So I love this so much and I I love that you have put, you practice what you preach. You're really not just talking the talk, you're walking the walk. And I know that you have really transformed yourself since this Leban brothers ex experience. But what one idea specifically has transformed the way that you show up for yourself and for others.
Simon (18:49):
The one idea that has transformed where I was, where I'm today, and I think there's two parts to this. The first is this understanding that there are always two sales that occur. The second is selling you to others. And the first is selling you to you. Mm. Until you can do the first Wow. The second will always remain the challenge. So the idea to help, to transform my journey was being able to sell me to me. I e seeing my worth, seeing the value that I had to bring in the world. Because if you don't even see the value yourself, how the hell are you gonna expect anyone else to see the value? And this is where energy is connected. Once you believe you have that value within you, that there's something that you can offer the world, guess what? People will begin to feel that as well.
Simon (19:36):
And the second part to that is that we get to where we want to be the fastest. When we think about the value that we can bring to others when we operate from a selfless perspective and think what's in it for them rather than what's in it for me, think of this as go giving versus go-getting. Mm. Go-Getting is great. There's a lot of go-getters in this world, which is defined by the fact you are ambitious. You will persist and you will do what it takes to get things done. That's what we call a go-getter. But if you really want to take things up a level and achieve the next plane of success, you've also got to embrace habits of the go-giver that is giving to others and giving people an experience of who and what you are about. So that the only thing left on their mind is either, how do I do business with you, or you've gotta meet my friend and they become a champion of your brand because they want to be associated with your energy.
Erin (20:41):
Okay. Well, I'm literally like, I need to get out a full choir. We need to do like a man. Okay. Because this is ta I, I have, listen, I talk a lot, it's really hard to make me speechless, but I am seriously, like I am sitting here, I I'm typing out what you say. So I remember it's selling you to you and selling you to others because you cannot do the first without the last, which is so true in every aspect of every single thing you do. Whether you're in a sales role, whether you are an HR leader, whether you are a people leader, whether you are a C H R O, you have to believe that you could do it before others follow suit. I love that <laugh>
Simon (21:25):
And
Erin (21:25):
Then the go giving versus go getting. I'm just, yes, these phrases, we need these, we need these taglines, we need these hashtags. We need, we need to reprioritize our perspectives. Mm. And that my friend is what you just did. And that cr that just blew my mind. I'm not even, I hate when podcasts host, like, I got chills. Like I literally feel like my mind just went p in a cartoon. Okay. This is, this is what the world needs more of. Your message is so impactful. So let me ask you this, 'cause I wanna, I wanna keep picking, picking some knowledge here. What is a truth about life that you think most of us forget
Simon (22:08):
A truth about life that most of us forget? I think the truth would be the fact that life is short. Yeah. And life is, is one that we so easily forget because I think that if we truly appreciated how short life is, we would make very different decisions. We would make very different decisions. But the tragic scenario is, Erin, that so many of us live as if we are never going to die and then die having never really lived.
Erin (22:36):
Yeah.
Simon (22:37):
And so we're not actually living, were merely floating or existing. And the question I often get people to reflect on is this, you and I have already won the greatest lottery ticket that there is going the lottery of life. The question is, what are you going to do with that winning ticket of yours? Mm-Hmm. And too many of us unfortunately wait far too long to begin making use of that ticket, if ever. And that is a truth. I think so many of us easily forget.
Erin (23:10):
Yeah. So true. So true. That truth, that truth is true. <Laugh>, I'm like, yes. Can I ask you a question? Just a follow up to that because mm-hmm. <Affirmative>, I feel like I live in a positive mindset for the most of the time. I'm, and, and I, you know, I'm saying this as me, but I I'm sure many people can relate to this. Do you ever find yourself in moments where that belief and that truth may not feel true in that moment, but you know it to be true, but in that moment you're having a hard day. You're, you're not in the head space that we feel right now. 'cause I, I feel like I'm 90% of the time in this head space Yeah. We're all human. We have those 10% off days. How do you get yourself back to that place of that truth? How do you bring yourself back to that?
Simon (24:03):
Yeah. Well first of all, I do have those days. I think as you said just now, Erin, we're all human. Yeah.
Simon (24:09):
Because we are human, we are going to go through the spectrum of human emotion. There are gonna be days where you feel on top of the world, there are gonna be days where you feel like you just don't wanna get up of a morning. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And that's completely fine. This is just part of the human experience. But what we can do is we can minimize the duration of those bad days. And the way we do that is by deliberately and consciously creating an environment around us that makes it impossible not to succeed. Hmm. So what I mean by this is do you have people that you trust that you can speak to on those bad days where you can share your challenges, where you can share your worries, where you can share what's going on in your mind that is making you doubt yourself? Because if you've got that environment and that support network around you, guess what? It doesn't mean you're gonna become positive immediately. But what it means is that duration that you spend down there, it's gonna become shorter and shorter and shorter.
Erin (25:11):
Oh, I love it. It's so true. Who we surround ourselves with really does matter where we surround ourselves matter. And I think that's such an important reminder to be very cognizant of whose energy we allow into our lives. <Laugh> what energy we feel and the environment that we're in. So for example, I lived in Chicago for 15 years. I loved the city. It was wonderful for about 12 of those years. The last three I felt creatively blocked, bogged down. I felt like I needed nature and I needed sunshine and I needed the ocean. And so I've moved my family and I moved and it has changed everything. That perspective, that environment and being around people who I really feel appreciate and support our work and family is huge. So that anybody listening, if you feel like you're in that 10% day, change your environment and make sure you're surrounding yourself with the people who can help support you and get you out of it.
Simon (26:14):
Definitely. And I think even if you cannot change your physical location for whatever reason, there could be obligations you are committed to, at a minimum, what you can do is change the environment you spend time in to do certain habits or activities. Yes. So let's say, I'm gonna reference a, a client conversation I had earlier this year. So let's say you may plan your week ahead in your kitchen or your study from home, and you are going for a period where you just don't feel inspired because you're doing it in the same place you've been doing it for every week. What I did with this particular client, and I think it's a great tip for you listening, is you could switch that location to somewhere more inspiring. So what this particular client of mine did is he went to a hotel here in London at the top of the shard to have a 360 degree view of the city. Mm. And sat there, ordered a cup of tea, got outta his notebook, and started planning his week ahead. And just by being in a different environment, by having the scenery around him, it transformed his thinking and his mindset.
Erin (27:22):
Yeah. I love it. I love it. And I think that's so important to have one, a place that you can go to that brings you calm and joy. What is that place for you, Simon? Just curious, where do you go? Is there one specific place that you go when you're like, I need to recenter and reground myself?
Simon (27:42):
I think, to be honest, Erin, it's anywhere that has a good view is surrounded by nature, always by the ocean. Yeah.
Erin (27:51):
To me,
Simon (27:52):
With any of those three boxes, I find myself just in a meditative state and able to think clearer than if I was in the middle of a busy city.
Erin (28:01):
I'm a thousand percent with you, and I lived in a city for a really long time. Nothing wrong with city life. That is a different energy though, right? Mm-Hmm. And it's, it, it does give me a different type of energy. I was in New York last week and after two days, days, I feel I'm a very empathic person. <Laugh> <laugh>. So I take on a lot of energy. And so I was just physically drained. But then I got back to where I live now, which is in Charleston, South Carolina, near the ocean and near water. And I have a beautiful backyard and I just came and sat on my back porch and it just really recentered me. So I feel like having that calming place to reinvest in your own energy is a great way to invest in yourself too. So, okay. This is one question I really love and I have to ask you. So, is there a tangible, actionable practice that you use that helps you make the most of every moment?
Simon (29:01):
Hmm. A tangible practice is what I would say. Gratitude with intention.
Erin (29:08):
Yes.
Simon (29:09):
So here's what I mean by this. A lot of us will simply write down things that we're grateful for. And there's nothing wrong with that. It's a great practice to embrace, and it's a great way to be clear on the things that you are grateful for. But when I talk about gratitude with intention, it's understanding the mechanics behind expressing gratitude. So I, I think it was Tim Ferriss that once said this on the podcast. He said, feeling gratitude for somebody and not expressing it is like buying them a present and never giving it. Mm. And so in my book, in chapter two, I share a very powerful, tangible exercise that will elevate your emotional and mental energy immediately.
Erin (29:52):
Can we do it? And
Simon (29:53):
It's, we can do it now. Okay.
Erin (29:55):
But if,
Simon (29:55):
If you are listening, I encourage you to do it as well. It, it involves three steps. The first step is to write down the name of the first person that comes to mind that you can be truly grateful for. It could be a loved one, a colleague, a partner, a family member, or a close friend. The second step is to write down in as much detail, why, why did you choose this person? So if you need some prompts, I'll share a couple of prompts with you. So how have they made your life better? What would life be like if they were not in your life?
Simon (30:37):
How have they made you a better person? Now, the key in this step is to be as specific and as detailed as possible. And you'll see why in a moment. Now, once you've got that information onto paper, and there's no right or wrong here. Some of you may have a few sentences, some of you may end up writing a couple of paragraphs. There's no right or wrong. Whatever comes into your mind, you just put it onto paper. The third step is to pick up the phone and to call that person and read out what you wrote in step two. Mm-Hmm.
Erin (31:12):
I love that. For those
Simon (31:13):
Of you who may feel a little uncomfortable with that third step, I challenge you at a minimum to send them a voice note. Hmm. Send them a recorded voice note of you reading out what you wrote in step two. And here's why. If you send a text message or an email or a letter while are still good, it lacks the emotional impact because the recipient has to make up the emotional state you were in when you wrote that letter or text. But when you send a voice note, or even better when you call them and you tell them what you wrote down, they can feel your energy. They can feel the emotion behind what you are saying. Hmm. That's something tangible that will impact your energy immediately.
Erin (32:02):
I love it. Simon. Guess who's going to the meditation closet after this to do this? That is so thoughtful and it's an energized in chapter two. Right? You can find this activity in the book energized, which we're gonna drop the link in the show notes. All the thanks. Because I will say this, I practice a gratitude. I have a good journal practice, I have a gratitude practice. We talk a lot about that on this show.
Simon (32:34):
Hmm.
Erin (32:35):
Never once have I ever written, I always try to list out one through 10 every morning, 10 things I'm grateful for. But I have never gone to step two or step three
Simon (32:46):
Ever.
Erin (32:47):
And I think there's, you know, my husband shows up there a lot, my son. And so I'm like, okay. I tell them I love them, but do I tell them why do I tell them why they've impacted my life when I go on a work trip and they're not with me? What that feels like, like that I think is huge. So it's impressive.
Simon (33:06):
And even when we think about the corporate environment, it's one of the most powerful things those in leadership positions can do. Mm. In red, it must've been a number of years ago, I, I read this study into understanding motivation within an organization. And it was a, it was a little anecdotal, but what happened were these researchers went to a hospital and they asked the nurses two questions. The first question was, what do you like about your job? And the second question was, what don't you like so much about your job? Mm. So they got a list of their responses and one of the responses for why they didn't like their job so much is they said, we don't feel appreciated by the surgeons because they get all the limelight when an operation goes. Well, we all applaud the surgeons, but we don't really talk about the nurses who look after them during their recovery.
Simon (34:03):
So the researchers go to the surgeons and they ask them the same two questions. And in the list of what they don't like so much, they said, we don't feel appreciated by the managers of this hospital. Huh. And then they go to the managers of the hospital and they ask the same two questions. And in the don't like column, they said, we don't feel appreciated by the government for all the work that we do. And so you realize that just this one activity of expressing gratitude to the people that you lead can have a profound impact on their motivation.
Erin (34:38):
A thousand percent. A thousand percent. It starts at the top. Mm-Hmm. A thousand percent. Oh my God. I love it, Simon. I needed this. Y'all needed this. Thank you. Okay. Let me ask you this. Is there anything that we haven't discussed about energy, energetic vibrations, anything that we haven't discussed that you wanna make sure we touch upon?
Simon (35:05):
I would say one thing that's just popped into my head, Erin, is that we are all creative beings. We all possess creative energy. Now, what I mean by creative energy is the ability to think different. If you don't believe me, just look at your children. If you are a parent or just look at children, generally speaking, what you'll notice is that they are super creative. If you tell them they can't do something, they'll find a way around it. Oh yeah. They'll get creative. But what happens as we get older is that we lose our creative spark. We tend to conform. And the biggest killer of dreams and goals is it has always been done that way. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And so we lose our motivation to access or tap our creative energy. And so I think one of the features that we tend to overlook is that if we want to access more of our creative potential and share our creative energy with the world, we have to start diversifying the input that goes into our mind. If you surround yourself with the people you've always surrounded yourself with, how are you ever gonna think different? So when you start diversifying your inputs, what happens is it begins to give birth to your creative energy. It begins to ignite and awaken that part of you that may have been dormant for years, if not decades.
Erin (36:28):
I love it. I love it. And that's why I love improv as one of those tools to creatively block you. That is exactly it. Because when we, I have a four year old, I watch him play and transform and become all these things all day. Literally transform because he loves Transformers. But also I literally watch his mind just go into all these different worlds. And as we grow older, we stop ourselves, we block ourselves. 'cause The world tells us we're not supposed to be like that, right? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, it's like you have to go be in a lawyer, an account at a doctor, right. <Laugh> and go do these things. And then when you are in that box, you feel stifled. When you get out of that box, look at what you can create.
Simon (37:07):
Totally. And that's the thing is that we need people in leadership positions to be open to cultivating. Yes. And fostering that creative energy. Not saying it should only be done this way, but to actually ask of your employees, how else can we do this? Yep.
Erin (37:23):
How
Simon (37:24):
Can we see this for a new perspective in a way that it has never been done before? And I'll share with you two examples to show how powerful this can be. There's a chef who who has been awarded free Michelin stars, and he's been known to be one of the greatest chefs of his time. Massima Bota and his restaurant, I dunno the name of my head, but he's based in Medina, Italy Aus Francis Garner. That's the one. And one morning he's going to work by Carl. And on the radio he hears a song by Lou Reed walking the Wild Side. And he struck with an idea. So he arrives at the kitchen of his restaurant, he brings together all of his chefs and he says to them, I want you to create a plate of food inspired by Lou Reed's song. Walk in the Wild Side. Mm. Now after the chefs got over the fact that, is this guy been drinking? Or what has this guy been on for the last? Yeah,
Simon (38:22):
They got to work. Some chefs created plates of food inspired by the era that the song was produced in. Some chefs created plates of food inspired by the words that the song spoke about. And some chefs created plates of food inspired by the instruments that were used in that song. And what happened is it gave birth to plates of food that were completely different to anything that had come before. Even when I, when I published my book last year in 2022, I wanted to do it in a different way. And I tapped my diverse network. So one of the people in my network is a bartender at one of the world's best bars here in London. And we collaborated. So for four weeks after the publication of my book, he created the Energized Cocktail.
Erin (39:11):
Hmm.
Simon (39:12):
And if you went to this bar and you ordered the drink, it would be served on top of a signed copy of my book.
Erin (39:19):
Oh, I love it.
Simon (39:20):
Imagine the photos and the videos that people would be taking when they experienced this event.
Erin (39:27):
Genius. Genius. You just gave me a really good idea, Simon. That is genius. Okay, well I could talk to you for 800 hours, but I have to give people their lives back. You get to go back to your walk-in and you're talking and your meetings, everybody. But this has been a wonderful reprieve and just a wonderful moment to reflect on how important our energy is. I wanna ask you to tell us where people can find you. 'cause They're wanting, gonna want all the things where they can get the book and how they can connect with you.
Simon (40:04):
Sure. So I am on all the major social media platforms, but the two that I use the most are first LinkedIn. So if you search Simon Alexander on, you will find me there. And Instagram, my handle on Instagram is at Simon Alexander o. If you would like to find out more about the book, you can do so at the website, get energize book.com and you can find your favorite retailer to purchase a copy of the book from.
Erin (40:31):
I love it. Simon, you have energized me. You've energized our audience. You have given us all the tools to apply. See what I did there with your attention, <laugh>, back to our lives. So thank you so much for being on this show. You're a light. Please continue doing the great work that you're doing.
Simon (40:51):
Thank you so much for having me, Erin.
Erin (41:01):
Y'all. How? Hallelujah and amen. Simon. What? Huh? That was fantastic information. I have homework for you as always. So I just wanna recap that gratitude with intention practice that Simon gave us. Here's your homework. I want you to write down people in your life who you are grateful for. Let's start with a small list. Let's start with five. Okay? That's step one, right down. Step two, why? Why are you grateful them for them? How have they made your life better? What would life be like if they were not in it? And how have they made you a better person? Step three, the most important part is to pick up the phone and call them and read them what you wrote. Or as Simon suggested, send a voice note. Don't send a text or write a handwritten in redder. They need to hear the emotion behind your intention. That's it. That's your homework for today. Again, if you could leave us a five star review on iTunes, that's your second piece of homework, because we need more amazing guests like Simon on this show, so we can keep giving you the goods. I'm so proud of you for investing in yourself. That is our theme and our intention this month. You are doing it by showing up here, giving yourself allocated time to learn and listen to these amazing guests that we'll be giving you all month long. You know what I'm gonna say? I want you to keep failing. Keep improving because the world needs that special it that only you can bring. I'll see you here next week.
Erin (42:41):
Hey, friend, did you enjoy today's show? If so, head on over to iTunes to rate and subscribe. So you never miss an episode. Now, did I mention that when you leave a five star review of the Improve It podcast, an actual team of humans does a happy dance? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. That's right. So leave a review for us on iTunes, screenshot it, and send me an email at info at learn to improve it.com. I'll send you a personalized video back as a thank you. Thanks so much for listening. Improve It Peeps. I'll see you next Wednesday.