By Chuck Gallozi

1. Do you wish to be a leader? The key to charisma, persuasion, and influence is enthusiasm and passion!

2. Knowhow and talent offer little help when unaccompanied by enthusiasm. But passion transforms ordinary people into extraordinary ones. Every great deed was brought about by enthusiasm.

3. Enthusiasm makes life more pleasant, for as the Roman poet Virgil wrote, “Let us go singing as far as we go; the road will be less tedious.”

4. Enthusiasm and a positive attitude are of far greater importance to success than education, experience, and talent.

5. Enthusiasm more than makes up for our shortcomings, for as Charles A. Cerami expressed it, “Most great men and women are not perfectly rounded in their personalities, but are instead people whose one driving enthusiasm is so great it makes their faults seem insignificant.”

6. Enthusiastic people are truly alive and relish life.

Caveats

1. We have a natural yearning for excitement, but if we don’t channel that desire properly, we may seek it in all the wrong places, such as drugs. Are you searching for happiness? Don’t waste your time. Rather, search for something good to be enthusiastic about, and happiness will automatically follow.

2. Dare to dream big. It is hard to whip up enthusiasm and passion for small or trivial projects. Big, yet achievable, goals will provide a life purpose.

3. Once you are enthusiastic, don’t assume you will automatically remain that way. All emotions are subject to change, unless you regularly cultivate them. To maintain the fire of enthusiasm you must feed it with new hopes, actions, effort, and vision. Edward B. Butler put it this way, “One man has enthusiasm for 30 minutes, another for 30 days, but it is the man who has it for 30 years who makes a success of his life.”

4. Tune into your dream. Wrap up yourself in it. You have to experience it in your mind before you experience it in life. What does it smell, sound, taste, and look like? Feel it.

5. Beware of a common mistake; do not wait until you feel enthusiastic, inspired, or feel good before you begin important tasks. Act first and good feelings and enthusiasm will follow. The English music critic and musicologist, Ernest Newman put it this way, “The great composer does not set to work because he is inspired, but becomes inspired because he is working. Beethoven, Wagner, Bach and Mozart settled down day after day to the job in hand with as much regularity as an accountant settles down each day to his figures. They didn’t waste time waiting for inspiration.”

6. Remember, “You can’t sweep other people off their feet, if you can’t be swept off your own.” (-Clarence Day)

7. “None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.” (-Henry David Thoreau)

8. Direct your enthusiasm on worthwhile projects. For example, Tom, is enthusiastic about his education and studies hard while Larry is enthusiastic about computer games and whiles away his time unproductively.

Tips on Cultivating Enthusiasm and Passion

1. What about your job? You won’t be enthusiastic about it unless you love what you do. If you were unable to find a job that you are passionate about, make the best of the situation. Look for the good and the potential of your present job. Also, make a plan and take action that will lead you to the job of your dreams. It may be a long struggle before you get there, but like climbing Mount Everest, you will find the journey exhilarating.

2. Don’t waste time by hanging out with negative people. Stick with a circle of enthusiastic and optimistic friends.

3. We live in the largest room in the world. The room for improvement! The fact that we can improve ourselves is exciting. A sure way to inject some enthusiasm into your life is to take some adult education courses, read some good books, learn the martial arts, how to dance, or anything else. Embrace life and light the torch of others with your own enthusiasm.

4. Another helpful act is to keep a Gratitude Journal. Keep a diary or journal, and at the end of each day list at least five things that you are grateful for. This will help you focus on the positive and appreciate life. When done every day, Gratitude Journals can transform lives.

5. Did you ever enjoy a good movie? Isn’t it true that once the lights dim and the movie begins you quickly become immersed in it and grow interested in the unfolding plot? The next time you go to work, tell yourself you are in a movie theater and you will immerse yourself in a remarkable movie called My Life. Carefully watch how the plot progresses; focus on all the twists and turns. In other words, remain present, stay aware, and enjoy each challenge and opportunity that comes your way. Don’t be like some others who allow their minds to drift and wander, missing their own life story. How can you be enthusiastic about something you’re not paying attention to?

6. Our mind (thoughts), body, and emotions form an integrated triad. A change in one changes the other two. You can use this knowledge to bring about instant change. For example, let’s say you are at the office and are supposed to start working on an important project, but you lack enthusiasm and can’t seem to get started. Well, stop wasting time. Get up from your chair and mentally recall a time when you were very enthusiastic. How were you standing? Were your shoulders erect or sloping? Were you standing straight or slouched? What was your breathing pattern like? What was the expression on your face? What kind of thoughts flooded your mind?

When you feel enthusiastic, your emotions cause your thoughts and physiological stance. So, if you now change your thoughts, your emotions and physiology will also change. Likewise, if you change your physiology (posture, breathing, gestures), your feelings (emotions) and thoughts will change. So, force yourself to stand, breathe, and act the way you did when you were enthusiastic, and your physiology will change your thoughts and feelings, allowing you to return to work and get the job done!

7. Long before the advent of NLP, William James was teaching a variation of the “Physiology of Success” technique, which is often called the ACT AS IF method. In his own words, “If you want a quality, act as if you already had it.” So, if you want to be courageous or enthusiastic, act as if you already are. When you do so, you will discover I don’t act this way because I’m enthusiastic; I’m enthusiastic because I act this way. William James explains it this way, “Action seems to follow feeling, but really action and feeling go together; and by regulating the action, which is under the more direct control of the will, we can indirectly regulate the feeling, which is not.”

8. Recapture the curiosity, exuberance, optimism and laughter of youth. Never grow up. Stay young at heart. After all, people don’t lose their enthusiasm because they grow old. Rather, they grow old because they lose their enthusiasm.

Finally, let’s remember the words of H.W. Arnold, “The worst bankrupt is the man who has lost his enthusiasm. Let a man lose everything in the world but his enthusiasm and will come through again to success.”

References

BOOKS

Rejuvenaging: The Art and Science of Growing Older with Enthusiasm by Dr. Ron Kaiser

Treasury of Joy and Enthusiasm by Norman Vincent Peale

Enthusiasm Makes the Difference by Norman Vincent Peale

The Trance of Scarcity: Stop Holding Your Breath and Start Living Your Life by Victoria Castle

Exuberance: The Passion for Life by Kay Redfield Jamison

Living Like You Mean It: Use the Wisdom and Power of Your Emotions to Get the Life You Really Want by Frederick PhD, Ronald J.

VIDEOS

Sonny Melendrez: Intentional Enthusiasm: How to accelerate personal greatness

Kevin Ward: How to Have Energy and Enthusiasm All the Time!

Swami Mukundananda: The Power of Inspiration and Enthusiasm