By: Henrylito D. Tacio
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin once told the following story:
A group of mountain climbers took off to scale the heights. After some hours of walking, they got about halfway up and soon split up into three groups. They were all refreshing themselves in a chalet.
One group was sorry it had undertaken such a strenuous trip fraught with dangers and disproportionate to the expected enjoyment. So disheartened and tired, this group turned back.
The second group was happy it was here in the clear mountain and with the sun tanning them. So, they spread their limbs out on the mountain grass and heartily ate the tasty sandwiches they had brought along. Some broke out into song and breathed in the freedom of heights. They were content and happy right here. Why move on higher? And so they stayed right there.
It was only the third group of real mountain climbers who took off for the summit, which they had kept before their eyes from the time they left the valley bottom. That was their goal and they relished tightening every muscle to attain it.
In life, as we climb to our goal, at times we belong to one of these three moods: tired, contented or enthusiastic.
Once you take a rest, being tired is no longer an issue. If you are contented with what you have, your dreams will never happen. But if you are enthusiastic, then you get far and accomplish more in life.
“I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life,” Roald Dahl admitted in his book, My Uncle Oswald. “He taught me that if you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it at full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it.”
Inspirational author Roy T. Bennet agrees. “Enthusiasm can help you find the new doors,” he wrote in The Light in the Heart, “but it takes passion to open them. If you have a strong purpose in life, you don’t have to be pushed. Your passion will drive you there.”
Gordon Parks describes enthusiasm as “the electricity of life.” And “how do you get it?” he asked. “You act enthusiastic until you make it a habit.”
Norman Vincent Peale says enthusiasm spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment.
Somewhere along the way, enthusiasm gets lost. It vanishes without a trace. What causes enthusiasm to disappear?
“One of the main reasons that we lose our enthusiasm in life is because we become ungrateful,” contends Joel Osteen, author of Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential. “We let what was once a miracle become common to us. We get so accustomed to his goodness it becomes a routine.”
In Writings and Speeches: A Ready Reference Manual, Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar writes a compelling observation. “What saps the enthusiasm in man?” he asked. “If there is no enthusiasm, life becomes drudgery – a mere burden to be dragged. Nothing can be achieved if there is no enthusiasm.
“The main reason for this lack of enthusiasm on the part of a man is that an individual losses the hope of getting an opportunity to elevate himself,” he continued. “Hopelessness leads to lack of enthusiasm. The mind in such cases becomes deceased.”
“Protect your enthusiasm from the negativity and fear of others,” urges Steve Maraboli, the man behind Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience. “Never decide to do nothing just because you can only do little. Do what you can. You would be surprised at what ‘little’ acts have done for our world.”
That’s why enthusiasm is very important. “Every memorable act in the history of the world is a triumph of enthusiasm,” points out bestselling author Og Mandino. “Nothing great was ever achieved without it because it gives any challenge or any occupation, no matter how frightening or difficult, a new meaning. Without enthusiasm, you are doomed to a life of mediocrity but with it you can accomplish miracles.”
So, “be not afraid of enthusiasm,” urges Francois Guizot. “You need it; you can do nothing effectively without it.”
B.C. Forbes considers enthusiasm as “the all-essential human jet propellant.” By this, he means that “it is the driving force which elevates men to miracle workers. It begets boldness, courage; kindles confidence; overcomes doubts. It creates endless energy, the source of all accomplishment.”
As stated earlier, a lot of accomplishments and achievements happened because of enthusiasm. “The worst bankrupt in the world is the man who has lost his enthusiasm,” observes H.W. Arnold. “Let a man lose everything else in the world but his enthusiasm and he will come through again to success.”
“Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm,” Sir Winston Churchill once reminded. Isaac Disraeli shared the same observation. “Enthusiasm,” he said, “is that secret and harmonious spirit which hovers over the production of genius.”
Don’t let enthusiasm slip from you. Here’s how you can do it, according to David Dunn. “At first,” he said, “you must consciously put your eyes, your voice, your spirit – in a word, yourself – into your appreciation of people and events and things.
“Do this around your home, at your work, in your social contacts, and you will be surprised how quickly it will become second nature. You will find yourself living in a more gracious and enthusiastic world, for your enthusiasm will be reflected back to you from the people to whom you give it.” – ###
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