I had never heard of the 4 energies before until I read a blurb on a blog I follow and that prompted me to research a little. The original quote is from writer Bill O'Hanlon’s book Becoming a Published Therapist:

'“In my view, there are four main energies you can tap into when you write your book. The main energy you discover may be just one or you may find that you have a combination of more than one of these energies that fuels your writing endeavors. The four energies are Blissed, Blessed, Pissed and Dissed. The first two represent the positive energies; the last two, the ‘negative’.”

In reading this, I realized that I wrote my whole first book, The Making of a Leader, from a combination of Blessed and Pissed. Mostly pissed if I’m being honest. What I further realized is that this not only comes into play when you might want to write a book or some publication, but also when you are in a position to teach others either in conversation, in a mentor role, if asked for advice on something you have experience with, in speaking gigs….etc….

It is amazing how many ideas we may have but, overall, they just aren’t enough to get the job done. I have so many book ideas but I do not know which one to start next. There must be some energy behind it to MOVE YOU TO ACT! Perhaps the next time I feel energy- positive or negative, I need to act more quickly. I feel the initial motivating push but then many times, I forget to take the first few steps needed to keep the energy flow going. So, what exactly do these four energy sources mean?

“Blissed” is energy that comes from your passions, what LIGHTS YOU UP so to speak. You can talk about it for hours on end and still have more to say. You never get tired of this thing or topic. For me, that generally is either Motherhood or Task Organization. But, occasionally, I find something that peaks my interest that is out of left field and for a time, I’m very passionate about that.

“Blessed” energy comes from your strengths and gifts. What are you very good at and can share with others? What makes you different that you stand out from the pack around you? Does this knowledge of your gifts motivate you to share about it?

“Pissed” is just what you think it is. Yes, although a negative emotion, it can definitely fuel your work. I was so upset that no one seemed to understand some key attributes that every leader should know about so I decided to write a book about it. It seemed every day was frustrating because I kept repeating myself to others, so now my thoughts are out there in book form and you know what? I’m not so pissed anymore!

“Dissed” is the other negative one that is kind of more personal to you. You’ve been disrespected in some way or perhaps a service/product was not up to standards and it BOTHERS YOU. You are moved to do something about it; talk about it; write about it; post about it….

Have you ever considered WHERE your motivation is best fueled from?