The work that keeps you up at night

The single most valuable attribute isn't intelligence or charisma.

Something I’ve learned living in New York City is that the most interesting individuals tend to have unusually high energy.

Think about the people you know who never get sick, never stay home, always show up everywhere — it is hard to exhibit that level of energy without being an upbeat, compelling person. Compared to the norm, most of the high-energy individuals I know tend to create more space for a vibrant social life, and they somehow fit more work in professionally.

This leads me to believe that the most valuable single attribute is not raw intelligence or charisma or physical attractiveness, but energy.

Energy generates a certain earnestness.

A hopeful optimism.

The sort of vibrancy that lights up a room.

While the individuals I know like this are indeed smart, people do not gravitate to them for their intelligence. The energizer-bunny quality is simply magnetic.

High-energy people tend to juggle many things at once. But they get so much done no one complains that their attention is actually spread so thin. Generally I try not to make assumptions, but people like this have so far proven to me that they pursue what they work on for the right reasons.

Especially for those early in their career, energy is what leads people to work on interests beyond work. That investment then raises the likelihood that they can turn their passion into a job.

Flipping this equation makes it seem more obvious — people who get to nurture their passion for a living are never lethargic.

If energy is the most valuable attribute, then it follows that the most worthwhile work is that which generates the most energy. Prestige, credentials and wealth are far more obvious items to optimize for — again, especially when you’re young — but those don’t always promise energy.

My sense is that energy generates those three things better than the opposite.

The snag here, though, is that energy doesn’t always announce itself. It’s not what you acquire from a title or degree. You either cultivate or drain it moment by moment.

The people with the highest energy seem to operate with an internal flywheel. They take on work that excites (that is, energizes) them, which then allows them to do more of it.

The interest reinforces the work which reinforces the interest.

What’s funny here is that, from the outside, it always looks exhausting.

Momentum becomes inevitable when it isn’t the goal.

Now, parsing energy from ambition is tricky. I’m not sure which comes first. But I’m confident neither start with willpower. It matters later, but initially energy and ambition come from doing work that doesn’t feel like work.

To be clear, I didn’t have the words or context to describe this when I graduated college. I worked on things that piqued my curiosity, and only years later learned that that gave me the energy to do more.

If a college student came to me and asked how to end up doing something they love, I would tell them to put aside their assumptions on what the “right” industry or job is, and instead try to notice when your energy spikes and crashes. That’s the compass.

The fastest way to fail this test, of course, is to think about what you “should” do. Few thought experiments are more draining.

But paying attention to what keeps you up at night?

That’s the good stuff.

That’s energy.

Have a great weekend,

Phil Rosen,
Co-founder & editor-in-chief, Opening Bell Daily