The Power of Enthusiasm

“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 and faithful and you will accomplish your object.  Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”

                                                                                                - Ralph Waldo Emerson

A couple of years ago, I attended a concert with my son, Jason to see one of his favorite musical artists, David Gray. 

While not being a particularly big follower of Gray before the event, I left the concert as a huge fan.  Part of that came certainly because of the quality of his music, the stage and lighting, the beautiful event venue and being able to share an experience like this with my son. 

While all of those elements contributed to my enjoyment of the experience, what impacted me above all else was one other important thing – the level of enthusiasm David Gray demonstrated while in sharing his gifts through his music. 

Certainly, one could argue that Gray’s level of enthusiasm was a result of playing his music in front of a group thousands of adoring fans.  However, with his debut album releasing in 1993, this mostly likely meant that he had been performing many of his songs literally tens of thousands of times to audiences all over the world. 

Yet, my experience of him was that he performed with the same love and enthusiasm for his music that he had begun his career with a quarter of a century before.

Seeing people perform with this type of soul and energy can not only be inspiring, but life changing.  After hearing another singer some 27 years ago, I was so struck by her level of aliveness and enthusiasm while she sang that I told myself, “That is exactly how I look/feel when I teach martial arts.  What am I waiting for?”. 

Soon afterwards, I left my corporate career to open my martial arts school and begin impacting lives in a way that would truly feed my soul. 

Why is it that seeing people demonstrate high levels of enthusiasm can inspire us so greatly? I believe it is because the desire to share enthusiastically something we love, lives inside us all and is our natural state of being.

According to the Etymology Dictionary, the word enthusiasm has its root in the word Entheos, which is loosely translates as “divinely inspired, possessed by God.”

When we see someone else sharing with enthusiasm, it reminds us at a soul level of the gifts, talents, and activities we love to share, and it raises our energy levels and inspires us to do the same.

While many believe that enthusiasm is something that occurs as a result something happening outside of us, I would argue that at its very essence, enthusiasm is something that we self-generate through our intentions that then manifests in the outer world. 

Said succinctly.........

Enthusiasm is a choice that we make inside of ourselves that then grows and expands as we express doing the things we love.

With that said, here are four strategies for positively implementing the power of enthusiasm in our lives.

• Visualize with Enthusiasm – Athletes, entertainers and high performers have known for some time the power of visualization to increase performance.

However, the simple act of visualizing, without emotion, is just a mental activity and comes nowhere near the effectiveness of fueling your visions with positive emotion of success and enthusiasm. 

In my experience, enthusiastic visualization acts to supercharge the power of your intentions and creates an important foundation for you to further manifest your desires through your actions.

• Plan with Enthusiasm – We certainly cannot succeed consistently just by being enthusiastic about a project or experience.

In fact, before embarking on any grand endeavor, proper planning is most likely necessary. 

However, when we plan from a starting point of enthusiasm and possibility, our minds take on a more creative mode, which not only can lead us in the creation of our visions, but can also be a wonderful tool for helping us to overcome obstacles that may appear on the path.

• Speak with Enthusiasm – One of my favorite quotes is “No one can do it for you, but you can’t do it alone.”

Recall a time in your life when you met someone who was extremely enthusiastic about a project or cause.  So much so, that you found yourself so moved by their passion for their vision that you felt compelled to assist them, maybe even before they asked. 

When we speak from an enthusiastic place, we inspire others (and ourselves) in ways that creates a power and momentum that is unstoppable. 

• Act with Enthusiasm – Clearly, nothing will be accomplished without taking appropriate action.

Whether it’s business, athletics or relationships, moving from a point of enthusiasm brings a surge of joy from within that not only makes experiences more fun and enjoyable, but also has the potential to considerably increase our performance. 

The next time you have a task, particularly one that you have done thousands of times, decide to embark upon it with enthusiasm and notice how much more enjoyable the experience is and, most likely, how much better you perform in completing the task.  

If you want to get inspired to take enthusiastic action, check out my other video, Vision without Action is merely a Dream.  

This week, I challenge all of us to inject our lives with greater enthusiasm.  This can be done by fueling the activities we regularly do or embarking upon a new and challenging project or endeavor. 

Who knows, doing so just might be all you need to take your performance and enjoyment to new and profound levels and maybe even take an action that changes your life forever. 

You may not be an international musical performer like David Gray, but injecting your life with enthusiasm can insure that you sing your songs with passion and as one of my favorite teachers Dr. Wayne Dyer used to say, insure you “don’t die with your song still in you.”

Chris Natzke

Black Belt Leadership Speaking & Coaching

PS:  If you are looking to enthusiastically create powerful and positive change in your life, click the link below to set up a 30-minute discovery call to discuss my upcoming Breaking Through Coaching Program.