The language of Enthusiasm
Happiness is a direct experience of enthusiasm. Remember, it is not how or when we accomplish something that matters most, it is the sense of enthusiasm during the process that demonstrates our quality of life. Boxing writer Bo Bennett puts it this way, “Enthusiasm is not the same as just being excited. One gets excited about going on a roller coaster. One becomes enthusiastic about creating and building a roller coaster.” If you wake up dreading the day, worried about the hours ahead and already wishing you could be done with it and back in bed, well, that’s just not cool. The first thing we reach for in the morning, according to Bennett, should not be our i-device or Droid; it should be consciously choosing the most positive thought that stokes our energy to excel for the entire day. Since our conscious brain can only hold one thought at a time, this singular thought can inspire the quality of the rest of our day through sheer enthusiasm. When your morning enthusiasm becomes a habit, Robin Sharma writes in The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari that your life can look like this: “You will wake up every morning with a limitless reservoir of energy and enthusiasm. All your thoughts will be focused on your definite objective. You won’t have time to waste time. You will automatically erase the worry habit and become far more effective and productive.” Enthusiasm gives us the chance to go beyond our happiness set point. According to geneticists we have an inborn happiness set point of about 50 percent that we return to whether good things or bad things happen. We have 10 percent influence based on environmental factors and up to 40 percent that is affected by ‘intentional activity.’ Practicing the language and behavior of enthusiasm is making the choice to be happy. Enthusiasm as it is defined in our modern world, speaks to feeling a strong sense of excitement about something. And yes, approaching all areas of your life with excitement is without a doubt powerful. Because by flowing positive energy, attention, keen interest and passion towards whatever you are doing. You greatly increase the factors that pave the way for the most benevolent outcomes to emerge. But the ancient origin of the word enthusiasm isn’t really about excitement at all. Enthusiasm is one of our greatest assets. It is better than money, power or influence–with enthusiasm you become the master of these. Combine enthusiasm with faith and initiative, and you can move mountains and achieve results unheard of. Whatever it is that you are trying to accomplish, whether it’s writing a novel, getting your start-up off the ground, getting a promotion at work, and so on, enthusiasm will give you the energy that you’ll need to keep running all the way to the finish line. Facebook/Instagram: Yvonne Tshepang Mooka LinkedIn: Yvonne Mooka Twitter: @yvonnemooka Email: yvonnequeen2003@gmail.com