PPI #74: How to Develop Enthusiasm

In this episode, I talk about the power of enthusiasm and how you can cultivate it through 3 simple techniques.

"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 objective. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The first technique to cultivate enthusiasm is to “act enthusiastically.” Strike a power pose. Stand up tall and straight. Shoulders back, chin down, smile. 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. At the end of every day, I just ask myself, "What went well today?" And I make sure I note all of those things.

The third is to learn to say no. Think about the people, places and activities in your life that give you energy. Think about the people, places and activities in life that drain energy from you. Say no to those energy drainers. Say yes to the things that give us energy, because what gives us energy also helps propel our enthusiasm.

Employ these three techniques to generate unstoppable enthusiasm.