PPI #74: How to Develop Enthusiasm

Hey, everyone. Today I want to share a reflection on enthusiasm from Ralph Waldo Emerson. In his selected writings, Emerson says, enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might, Put your whole soul into it, stamp it with your own personality, be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. So today I want to take you through three simple ways that you can use to develop your enthusiasm.

So the first thing that you can do is act enthusiastic. I know that sounds super simple, but sometimes the best things in life are super simple. There's a story of a guy named Frank Boettjer who played a professional baseball player. And he was essentially demoted into the minor leagues because his coach said he wasn't enthusiastic enough. And so Frank made it his goal thereafter to just act as enthusiastic as possible to. Because he thought that if by. By doing that, he would become more enthusiastic. And sure enough, within a few years, he did. He was able to return to the majors, made a lot more money. Now, thing is, Frank's career didn't even last that long. He. I think he only played about three years in total. But he became an incredible salesman after his baseball career, and he attributed that back to being able to show up with a lot of enthusiasm and project all of that energy and positivity that we associate with enthusiasm. Another way in which you can act more enthusiastically is just through a power pose. So standing up, tall and straight, shoulders back, chin down, and by behaving in that way, having that kind of posture, it gets us thinking in a more positive, enthusiastic way. We start to become what it is that we're trying to be. The second thing that you can do to develop your enthusiasm is to flex your what's going well? Muscle. Now, I do this on a daily basis and on a weekly basis at the end of every day, I just ask myself, what went well today? And I make sure I note all of those things. It could be things that related to my family. It could be things that related to work. It could just be things that were, you know, in my thoughts or, you know, in my mind. But I just make sure I note those things. I put a little plus symbol in my journal, and next to each little symbol, I write what it is that went well in that day. I also do that on a weekly basis, so give that a try as well. What has gone well, flex that. What's going well? Muscle. And that will also generate more enthusiasm within you. Last but not least, to become more enthusiastic. We have to learn to say no. Think about the people, places, and activities in your life that you give you energy. Think about the people, places, and activities in life that drain you from energy. We want more of the former and less of the latter. So we need to say no to those energy drainers. And we need to say yes to the things that give us energy. Because what gives us energy will also help propel our enthusiasm. So I hope you've enjoyed that. And if you head over to my website@ericpartaker.com, you can also subscribe to my weekly Peak Performance Insights newsletter SA.