Best-selling author, Jon Gordon, may have written the book on positive energy, but he wasn’t always a beacon of optimism. In this episode, Brian Buffini interviews Jon Gordon, best-selling author of The Energy Bus and the upcoming book, The Power of Positive Leadership. Jon shares his story, including what prompted him to change his perspective, the positive leaders he’s worked with over the years and how his faith in God guides him every day.

You’ll learn how living with a purpose can change your perspective, the common characteristics shared by positive leaders and why faith is essential to an optimistic attitude. By the end of the episode, you’ll be ready to let go of fear and negativity and embrace a positive attitude.

Inspirational quotes from today’s interview:

“Where you are now is not where you’re going to be.” — Jon Gordon

“We have to live on purpose to find our bigger purpose.” — Jon Gordon

“Inspire and empower as many people as possible, one person at a time, starting with yourself first.” — Jon Gordon

“I’m not naturally a positive person, but because I’ve had to work at it, that makes me a good teacher.” — Jon Gordon

“Every failure I’ve ever had doesn’t define me; it’s refined me.” — Jon Gordon

“You need to have a vision of where you want to go. If you have a vision, you have the power to make it happen.” —Jon Gordon

“The fear that gets you started can’t sustain you.” — Brian Buffini

“I learned to talk to myself instead of listen to myself. If I listen to myself, I feed myself all the negative, all the fear and all the doubt. If I talk to myself, I can feed myself the words and the encouragement I need to keep on moving forward.” — Dr. James Gills

“The goal in life is not to be better than anyone else; it’s to be better than you were yesterday.” — Jon Gordon

“You can’t live a life of optimism and belief without faith in something bigger.” — Jon Gordon

Books by Jon Gordon

The Energy Bus

Training Camp

The Power of Positive Leadership

You Win in the Locker Room First by Jon Gordon and Mike Smith

Mentioned in the episode:

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Circle Maker by Mark Batterson

Soul Keeping by John Ortberg

All the Places to Go by John Ortberg