The energy multiplier
Keynes popularized the idea that an increase in government spending can boost GDP by more than the amount of the increase. Today, we call this the “Keynesian multiplier.”
Inspired by this concept, I was thinking recently about a similar phenomenon with people. Some people have the unique ability to increase the energy of those they interact with. This, in turn, has the happy effect of further lifting the total amount of positive energy out in the world. I propose we call this the “energy multiplier.”
What makes a person “energy multiplying”? Sometimes it's that they ask the most unexpected questions, making you think of an idea in a new light. Sometimes it’s that they are wildly fun and unpredictable. Sometimes it’s that they’re high agency -- when they have an idea, they act on it immediately. Sometimes it’s just the magic of charm or charisma. Hard to teach. Hard to describe.
It must be once a week that I hear the advice that we should take great care in who we spend time with. You know how it goes.... "You're the average of the five people you spend the most time with." The common response is that we ought to pick people with unwavering morals. People who are a good influence and make you want to be a better version of yourself. If you’re ambitious, the usual suggestion is to find other ambitious people.
Over and above these things, I think it’s critical to pick people who are energy multiplying. People who make you more excited to be alive. Who leave you brimming with endorphins and a grin stretching ear to ear. There’s so much drudgery in the world that people like this are gifts from God. The inverse is true as well, which is that if someone is sapping your energy, best to be alert to that and potentially spend more time with others. I believe one of our highest moral duties is to aim to be energy multiplying. To infuse positive energy into everything we do.