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"There's an energy crisis occurring in America and it's happening in the hearts and minds of its people," said my friend Ari Weinzweig in a recent conversation. He shared with me how clear he was that there's an energy crisis going on -- one that's just as serious as the one centered around our planet's resources -- in our nation's workforce. Working men and women are checked out, uninterested, frustrated, unfulfilled, and looking forward to going home and doing something else. Poll most people and they'll tell you the only place they can find emotional rewards or intellectual stimulation it's outside of the workplace. It seems that the happy and fulfilled worker is a lucky, rare bird with the good fortune to have stumbled across a very special job in a very place.
People who are truly happy in their work naturally give off a positive energy. Those that are happy in their work have a way of making the people around them happy. And unless you are a shut off individual with no ability to read energy, the good feeling coming off happy individuals is contagious.
I recently had an epiphany about the power of good energy the other day while spending some time at Huckleberry, a neighborhood bakery and gourmet café in Santa Monica, California.
Happiness is a transferable energy source
Huckleberry was packed the moment I arrived. Despite having secured a table off to the side of the small eating area, I was stepped on, brushed against, and more than occasionally jostled by the long line of customers waiting to be served. I didn't really care about the unconscious manhandling of the hungry guests, however. I had a bowl of silky and dense yogurt covered in a blanket of golden granola to savor.
But it was more than the power of oven-toasted oats that made me feel so content. It seemed that my good mood was a direct result of the energy of the place. The positive energy was so abundant I could tap into it -- like my laptop plugged into the wall jack -- and fill up for later.
Rather than write, I watched the happiness of the front of house staff and kitchen workers dressed in tee-shirts and bandannas. I wasn't sure what I was witnessing at first; it all appeared like a gauzy mirage of smiles. But the more time I spent studying the activities of the room, the more I observed the important nuances of the human interactions of the little storefront.
I grew increasingly aware that the positive energy of created by the cheerful Huckleberry staff came from them doing good work and openly enjoying the simplest of tasks. A teenage worker methodically placed a vase of flowers and dried wheat on a table with a subtle grace. A baker eyed a counter top and brushed flour from it before depositing a heavy plastic container on top of it. The impish Zoe Nathan (owner and culinary visionary of Huckleberry) rubbed a hand over a tight tee shirt, pulled snug across her round, nine month-pregnant belly, as she sampled a salad from behind the counter. Huckleberry had a recognizable feeling to it, like the touch of a memorable textile. That feel-good, esoteric texture reminded me of a handful of other favorite eateries across the country that shared a similar vibe of good work and great products.
The more I watched, the more aware I became of my own energy level. Realizing how I came to my elevated energetic state brought an important insight: Being in the general vicinity of so many happy workers made me whole percentage points happier. What I was witnessing, appreciating, and -- ultimately -- plugging into like an energy source, was a group of people pursuing a vocation they loved. It was then that I understood: The source of my contentment was a direct result of my proximity to the cheerful staff. Happiness is a transferable energy source.
The Importance of a Vocation
A society built on the foundation of work that is without reward is one that's heading for collapse. Without renewable internal energy sources, our workforce will have nothing to pull from to motivate them except external "fuel" that can be derived from entertainment, food, wine, drugs, hobbies, and some times even destructive behaviors to take our minds off the mundane activities required of us to
