Hello, my name is Emily and I am high in the Excite Energy. Man, that feels good to get off my chest! For those of you who know me this is not a shocker, I know. What was it that gave it away? Was it the way I tend to take all criticism personally, my excessive use of exclamation points and smiley faces, or maybe it’s because I am constantly telling you how things make me feel? All of the above, and then some, I’m sure

As a person high in Excite I find that I am, shall we say, sensitive to things said about this particular Energy. I am always the first to point out when something might come across as offensive and most of the time it’s because it’s offensive to me.

It seemed to me that Excite had a bad rep. Some people see it as a person who talks way too much and is CONSTANTLY bugging them by asking if they are comfortable with their work. “Yes I’m comfortable!” they would huff “If I need something I will come to you!” What they don’t realize is the reason I am asking you for the 10th time if everything is okay is BECAUSE you are being quiet. If someone with a lot of Excite energy is quiet, you better believe something is going on in that head! And now to top it off you have snapped at us and our feelings are bruised, way to go! There are times where I have felt that my Excite Energy was downright unappreciated and viewed as an unnecessary skill to be successful. No matter where your Energy might show up, no one likes to feel unappreciated at work.

Obviously there was a misconnect somewhere. 5 Dynamics provides us with a safe language to use so that we aren’t saying “Are you ever going to shut up?!” Instead you are able to say “I know that you are comfortable being in Excite right now, but keep in mind it’s almost time to shift into Execute”. It’s not a way to point out someone’s flaws. Rather it’s an awareness of how yourself and those around you work. That’s exactly where I was getting caught up. Because I tend to be driven by emotions, I wasn’t separating the two.

It is important that you have an awareness of other people’s Energy, but it is equally important to have an awareness of your own Energy and how that might show up. I KNOW that I can sometimes be a tad melodramatic, that I am spontaneous and I sometimes talk to excess. I know that I am driven by my emotions, but I also know that not everyone else works this way. At times I have to make a conscious decision to pay attention to the way others operate, and maybe tone my Excite Energy back a few notches.

Once you admit to yourself that these characteristics are true and valuable to your team, you won’t find it offensive the next time someone mentions how talkative people high in Excite are. It is a constant effort to remember to keep up this awareness but it is made that much easier by staying immersed daily in the 5 Dynamics language and tools. What have you done today to keep yourself aware?