Without question, desire, motivation and the belief that you can actually achieve your goals are necessary and important driving forces for success. However, there is one commonly overlooked ingredient in the equation for staying focused and getting things done: enthusiasm.
What is Enthusiasm?
Enthusiasm is the optimistic and diligent display of your deeply felt desires with respect to a cause, ideal or goal. It is the fuel of all driving forces and the psychological adrenaline that compels you to continue trying to achieve your goals in the face of setbacks, despair, pessimism, cynicism, downturns, and other seemingly insurmountable odds. Without enthusiasm, your driving forces slow down, you lose focus and you open the door to distractions that easily pull you away from the persistent and consistent actions required for achievement.
Because enthusiasm has become associated with simply being in a state of overwhelming excitement or interest, use of the word has become trite and it has lost its rightful place among the critical factors for success. In reality, enthusiasm’s reach far exceeds just being excited about your goals, and the excitement doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
How Do You Develop or Restore Enthusiasm?
Are you enthusiastic? Would others say you’re enthusiastic? It’s not difficult to get excited about something new. Remember your first car, romance or job out of college. Your enthusiasm was what woke you up in the morning and made you excited about future possibilities. The hard part is maintaining your enthusiasm or restoring it when it has been lost or redirected. Here are six actions for developing or restoring enthusiasm:
- Write down the reasons for wanting to achieve a specific goal. This small act may seem inconsequential, but it works. Sometimes you just need to be reminded of why you’re doing what you’re doing.
- Think about the feelings you’ll have when the reasons above are satisfied. Whether it’s purchasing a bigger home, securing your child’s college education or regularly donating to a favorite charity, the items on your list are important to you. Achieving what you believe is important brings extraordinary satisfaction.
- Surround yourself with like-minded, enthusiastic people. It might be cliché, but enthusiasm is contagious. There’s no doubt that enthusiasm can and will rub off on you if you’re open to it.
- Develop a personal slogan that excites you. Just like the success posters hanging in offices, you can create your own success poster with your own success slogan. This can become a personalized source of motivation.
- Read the personal stories of successful people. Sometimes, understanding how someone else became successful helps you vision and believe in the possibility for you to achieve success.
- Repel the thought that keeping yourself excited is a chore. No one likes work they “have” to do.
Remember, enthusiasm is not a state of mind that should be taken lightly. In the midst of doubt, pessimism and despair, enthusiasm is a resource you can draw on to strengthen your will and renew your determination. If you’re committed to achieving your goals, remain conscious of your enthusiasm level and take proactive steps to replenish it when necessary.
Until my next post, keep expecting the best from and for yourself!
Sherrin
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How to Stay Focused Staying Focused by
Sherrin Ross Ingram.
