04 Mar Approaching Life With Enthusiasm
easy tips on making enthusiasm infectious
“If you have zest and enthusiasm you attract zest and enthusiasm. Life does give back in kind.”
~ Norman Vincent Peale
“The great accomplishments of man have resulted from the transmission of ideas of enthusiasm.”
~ Thomas J. Watson
Enthusiasm first appeared in English in 1603 with the meaning “possession by a god.” The source of the word is the Greek enthousiasmos, which ultimately comes from the adjective entheos, “having the god within”. Enthusiasm clearly has every day connotations of being “inspired” or “excited”. Enthusiasm is a good feeling! I would be willing to bet that most people if required to do a particular task, would (if they knew that they could) choose to it with enthusiasm.
Read this paragraph and then try the following. Close your eyes, go inside and just pay attention. Think of a task that has neutral connotations. Something you probably should do, but you can’t honestly say you are fired up by it. If you are anything like me, that shouldn’t be too hard! Now, draw your attention to the quality of enthusiasm, and notice how you would feel having introduced the quality of enthusiasm to this task.
Doesn’t that feel better! People like enthusiasm. They like feeling enthusiastic, and they like people to feel enthusiastic around them.
“Enthusiasm glows, radiates, permeates and immediately captures everyone’s interest.” ~ Paul J. Meyer
Enthusiasm affects and infects communication in all directions. If you are explaining something to someone and they start to get enthusiastic about your ideas, then wow don’t you start to feel good! Hey, you probably even decide that you really like that person. Here is a person who understands the important things, just like you!
“Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come from miles to watch you burn.” ~ John Wesley
Conversely, your enthusiasm is infectious. People want to be around people who make them feel good. We recognize, at a deep level, that we perform better and appreciate life more fully when we feel enthusiastic (just look back at the origins of the word).
