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Image: jupiterimages.comI hope you have been having a fantastic day feeling all alive and excited about what is in store for you.
Today, I want you to quickly think about three situations:
1. Life at home, as part of your family.
2. Life at work/school, with your colleagues.
3. Life at play, with your friends.
Take the first impression that comes to mind in each of the above three situations. How does it feel? Do you see the situations as dull and boring, or do you see them as enthusiastic and full of life?
The soul searching exercise
Do you feel charged up when you get home everyday, or do you think about it as just a place to feel comfortable and get charged up for another day outdoors? Do you feel something missing at home?
At work/school, do you feel the conviction from within that you are doing the best you can do? Do you feel your resourcefulness and do you wholeheartedly believe that that’s where you rightly deserve to be? Do you sense something is not right at work/school?
With your friends, do you feel comfortable and joyful? Do you feel the happiness and peace of being in the company of those you choose to be with?
If you feel all excited about each of these situations and enjoy your life to the fullest each and every day, you are one fantastic person. If, on the other hand, you do not see these situations as emanating peace, happiness and enthusiasm, there is certainly something missing.
The problem with sustaining excitement
For any average person, each of these three situations is just that – average. It is rare for someone to feel continued satisfaction and excitement in all areas of their life.
The problem is that you go out there in each of the situations, expecting that you will “get” something out of it. How about everyone else? No points for guessing, everyone else is probably expecting to get something out of it too.
If something doesn’t seem right about the (lack of) enthusiasm, it’s probably that no one is contributing to the enthusiasm, not even you.
The reason for the dissatisfaction is “out there” just as much as it is “within you”.
The fact is that there is a lack of people who bring enthusiasm into any given situation.
Do you see the problem?
And/Or, do you see an opportunity?
Breathing life into people and situations
Howard Thurman, an influential American author, philosopher and civil rights leader said, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
Think of each of the above three situations once again. This time imagine yourself as the one who brings everything alive.
Imagine yourself getting out of your comfort zone at home and do things to make everyone happy. Do things that make them feel excited about what you might have in store for them every time you come home, not in terms of material things but rather in terms of enthusiasm and entertainment.
Most people like to be disciplined and obedient at work/school, and most of the time it can get boring when everyone is drawn into their protective shells. Be the difference in the lives of people and do things to bring some excitement around you. I’m not saying you have to defy orders from management or exhibit indiscipline. You can just get out of your shell and help everyone to get out of theirs too by lightening up the mood.
With your friends, you can try to be the one bringing excitement into the group. Instead of expecting something to happen, think of ways in which you can make the feelings of others come alive.
It is more about what YOU do to make a difference in each of those situations, than it is about what others do to make you feel the way you feel in those circumstances.
Think about the possibilities when you make yourself come alive and, in turn, make others come alive too.
A concluding note
At the beginning of this article, I said I hope you have been having a fantastic day feeling all alive and excited about what is in store for you.
Do you see any problem with that?
How about if I said I hope you have been having a fantastic day feeling all alive and excited about the excitement you have in store for people around you?
Hi Mark,
This is really uplifting stuff. Thanks.
The common denominator in all that we do is always us. We are always around the situations we faced. So if the times are no good, we are one of the causes. If the times are good, we are also one of the factors. Changing our attitude and enthusiasm levels will certainly have an immense impact on the situation.
Hi Jimmy,
I’m glad you called this article uplifting. That’s an uplifting compliment for the mission of this site.
You made a good point – the common denominator in all that we do/experience is always us. That affirmation adds nice value to the message of this article.
Thanks for dropping by and striking a conversation.
Cheers,
Mark
Hi Mark,
Well, my circumstances may be a little different than most.
1) I live alone so I have no other family members with me on a daily basis and
2) I work at home so I’m home alone all day every day.
But, I am a very happy person and very very blessed so my heart is always happy. I wouldn’t necessarily call me the life of the party but anytime anyone is around me for any length of time, they walk away with a big smile on their face and they can definitely say they had a really good time.
I just have that energy about me and I’ve been like that for a very long time now.
This post is kind of fitting for me and I enjoyed reading your take on this. Thanks for sharing and by the way, I’m having a fabulous day! Sure hope you are too!
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne,
I’m glad you enjoyed reading the article.
The three scenarios mentioned above were just examples. You can apply this to any situation in your life.
I’m glad you are having a fabulous day. I sure am enjoying mine too!
Cheers,
Mark
Hi Mark,
I’ve always loved that quote by Howard Thurman. Yes, enthusiasm, a big smile, being upbeat, all go a long way in bringing joy to those all around. And I might add, not getting sucked into the whiners and complainers. We want to bring out our best and by that hopefully bring out the best in others. We can’t have our essence brought down to and by those who manifest negativity.
Hi Harriet,
Good point! It’s important to keep an eye on the energy vampires. Enthusiasm takes some effort, but negativity seems to come out easily, as though by default.
Thank you for adding value to the conversation!
Mark
Hi Mark,
I have to agree that if everyone did what excites them the most it would become infectious to others.
Very true, Justin!
Enthusiasm is infectious. A little enthusiasm on one’s part should set the ball rolling, but unfortunately the amount of resistance is also huge. So the more enthusiasm there is the more effective it will be.
If everyone did their best to build up enthusiasm, instead of living like lifeless machines, wouldn’t it be so very exciting? Probably that’s one reason I like the blogging community… there’s so much enthusiasm.
Cheers,
Mark
I think it’s also important that we enjoy what we do as well. For example, we spend a lot of time at work, it’s really important that we enjoy what we do and who we work with. If it comes to a point when that changes, we know we should start considering other options. Nice article.
Hi Mary,
Welcome to Secrets of Success!
Yes, it’s important that we enjoy what we do. But not being able to enjoy is a somewhat subjective feeling. Sometimes the problem lies within ourselves, so moving on to “greener” pastures may not be the best move in those cases.
Instead of seeing a situation as a problem, we can try seeing it as an opportunity. If things don’t work out even after you’ve done your part with much enthusiasm, it might be good to move on.
Thanks for dropping by and adding to the conversation. I’ll see you around!
Cheers,
Mark
I agree, it has to do with what lies within ourselves as well. Sometimes the problem is not always external, it can be internal. It’s important to fix that before you can have the enthusiasm for life
and enjoy what you do. Perhaps even motivating and helping others… being someone that other people enjoy being around.
Mary,
Thanks for coming back. Enthusiasm is contagious. It does make people come alive.
Cheers,
Mark
I see some elements of these portions of my life as exciting, and some as in need of change. But I guess thats a good thing. If I was completely 100 percent unhappy, that would be terrible, and if I was 100 percent satisfied, I’ve have nothing to aspire to.
Paula @ Afford Anything recently posted… Escape Your Office Job!
Hi Paula,
It’s great to hear from you. Guess what? You will be remembered as the first reader to have left a comment on this new website
True, if we were 100% satisfied life would probably have been boring. But then, even if we were so, we could apply this to bring excitement into the lives of others who are yet to get there. We can breathe life into other people’s lives and situations. What do you think?
Cheers,
Mark
Mark of Success recently posted… You will not get any bigger than you think
Hooray!! The first commenter on the new site — How awesome!!
I agree it’s great to inspire others; thats what I designed my own blog to do. But — and maybe this is just my personality — I find myself paradoxically happiest when I’m reaching towards a goal or aspiring to something higher.
In other words, paradoxically I’m happiest when I’m a little unsatisfied, a little restless, and a little curious about what more I could be/do/achieve.
Paula @ Afford Anything recently posted… Escape Your Office Job!
Awesome, indeed!
I can understand the excitement behind being/doing/achieving more. I also think that there will always be more things that can be done, as long as one is passionate about making progress (and I can see that you are very passionate about what you do). But that excitement/happiness is a little different from the peace of mind that one can experience from the feeling of inner contentment. I think both are important for a happy, peaceful, prosperous and exciting life. Wow, what a wonderful mix that would be!
Cheers,
Mark
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