I'm travelling for business this week. You know what that means. Planes filled with people, not an empty seat in sight. Over the years, I find I approach this in different ways. Sometimes I'm really frustrated and I yearn for the days when you could count on the middle seats sometimes being empty, so one could spread out a little. Sometimes I don't really notice - although this usually only happens when I'm traveling for pleasure with folks I have fun with, so I don't really notice much else. And sometimes like today, I turn into an observer of people and take mental notes.

So what did I observe this morning? Mostly that people have gotten really good at ignoring other people, even when they are inches from them. I know it's a healthy survival tactic and I use it a lot. But you know what else I noticed? Some people have an energy that is attractive. They have a smile or a look of mild concern or helpfulness that if you notice it, you can actually tap into it and grab some of their positive energy for yourself. Yep, you can get it from complete strangers and they don't notice and it doesn't deplete their supply. Actually, it probably builds it. They are like walking outlets.

Now most of the time I don't have an opportunity to actually speak with one of these "energizing outlets," but when I do I find that they have at least one of the 3-Ps - Passion, Purpose and Performance. If I have a chance to tap into a conversation with them and we share one of the 3-Ps, it's really energizing for me and probably for them. (I don't know if it's energizing for them since these chance encounters aren't long enough to get into that type of conversation!) Even if we don't share the similar 3-Ps, these folks also seem adept at being better tuned in to not overtly sharing their thoughts and ideas about things, but seem interested in yours. Maybe that's part of the energy they emit!

It's early morning for me, so having a volt of positive energy on this crowed plane is a really cool thing. It sets the tone for how I'm going to approach the rest of my busy day. I hope it carries me over to the evening as well, but I know it won't unless I keep mentally referring back to it...going back to "plug in" mentally. Remembering the interactions that were positive keeps the not so positive ones at bay. I'm thinking that I'll need to draw from the energy source as I navigate through a crowed airport, grab the rental car, drive on unfamiliar roads with traffic and encounter strangers who may not have any reason to notice or assist me as I move from one appointment to another. 

So I challenge you to try my tactic: when you can, observe and plug in whenever you encounter positive "outlets." There's no requirement to speak to them. Just observe, plug in and take away a little of their energy. You have to consciously do it, but with practice it becomes second nature. Now, if only we could find a way to "plug in" like this and have it charge our devices!

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