TURN ENTHUSIASM INTO DETERMINATION
HOW CAN ENTHUSIASM BE TURNED INTO THE LONG LASTING FUEL OF PERSEVERANCE?
The thing about enthusiasm is that you find yourself functioning on a higher cognitive level. All of a sudden ideas and thoughts are spinning in your mind, your creative juices are flowing, and you can barely think about anything else.
AN AMAZING SENSE OF CLARITY.
This clarity can produce a new and focused understanding of your vision for what you're trying to do. Decisions are easily made so problems that may have taken hours to solve before are now easily understood and tackled. With a clear vision in mind it’s just that much easier to frame the problem and see the obvious solution.
TAKING RISKS, BEING MORE DARING OR BOLD.
Things that were of concern previously seem trivial and take up not nearly as much of your thoughts. For example you might have been shying away from accepting an offer to speak at a conference, or unsure about calling a particular industry contact, or spending too long tweaking tiny details before launching a website. Enthusiasm can provide the confidence to "just do it" that might have previously been lacking.
CREATIVITY AND LATERAL THINKING.
Creativity flows in all manners. Not only artistic creativity but lateral thinking as well. You find different ways of conceptualising your work or different angles to explore in your projects. You find yourself defining and explaining things more easily to others – unlocking ways of thinking about what you’re doing and communicating with more ease.
BOUNDLESS ENERGY.
Every bit of work you are doing feels like it is directly related to a positive outcome. It’s so easy to work when you are sure that what you are doing has an impact and is progressing you towards your goal. It’s a positive feedback loop that keeps you working for longer.
ENTHUSIASM SOUNDS AWESOME, RIGHT?
It’s no surprise that the term “enthusiasm” originated from the Latin for being “possessed by a god” - those who are exhibiting enthusiasm might not quite seem like themselves. But enthusiasm needs to be converted into a sustainable way of working. Why? Because if left unchecked the quickness of decision-making, the abundance of creativity, the ability to take risks can quickly turn into a liability. It doesn't take much to tip over the edge into fanaticism. The modern definition of fanaticism is obsessive and uncritical enthusiasm - something which none of us consider a positive trait.
But most of us don't tend to tip over into the fanatical side of enthusiasm. It's much more likely that we experience the enthusiasm come-down. As the energy levels become too difficult to sustain in the face of the daily grind and dulled by the realities of work we need to find a way to slow down, ease off and find a sustainable balance. We want to avoid a burn-out yes, but we also want to avoid becoming unmotivated.
WE NEED STRATEGIES TO MAKE THE MOST OUT OF ENTHUSIASM.
Perseverance, determination, commitment – these characteristics are like logs on the fire and this what we ultimately want to convert our enthusiasm into. To achieve this, we must use the kerosene wisely. When you are feeling inspired, motivated and enthusiastic, take the energy you are given and direct it towards the tasks that will contribute to long-term outcomes and drive your perseverance, determination or commitment to your project or cause.
Here are some suggestions for productive use of enthusiasm that will help you when you come down from that high.
1 Write down your epiphanies: Enthusiasm is often accompanied with mental clarity about vision or direction. You need to document this as best you can in detail. This way, when you wake up a week later and the distractions of life are taking up your mental space again, you can reread these documents and drip feed yourself that energy again.
2 Spend your energy on the big ticket items: Don't waste your enthusiasm on the small stuff. Go and swallow all of those big frogs you've been avoiding. That way, when the excitement is worn off, at least you're left with the more appealing jobs to complete!
3 Do some planning: This is an opportunity to revisit or create a business plan. Not a dead, dust gathering document, but a dynamic plan that is living and revisited regularly. Spend some of your energy injecting life and inspiration into this plan so that it can continue to give you energy later down the track.
4 Inspire others: Enthusiasm is infectious! Don't be afraid to spend time inspiring others and talking to people about your project. Share the love and help generate a little extra energy in others as this might help you later on when you're feeling less inspired, knowing there are other excited people out there.
CONVERSELY – HOW CAN YOU GENERATE A LITTLE ENTHUSIASM WHEN YOU'RE LACKING?
- Be sure to mix things up – get out of the office, plan to do regular activities in different ways (work from a coffice or home, or if you always do that, plan to work in a co-working space or somewhere new entirely)- If you are stuck on a task – move on. Plan to come back to it later. Don’t waste precious time getting more frustrated. Most of the time it’s just that you’re caught up on a small detail, that with a bit of perspective, it easily fixed later on.
- Find inspiration from others – get into forums or talk to people – sometimes the energy that others possess can get yours rolling again.
- Exercise – this doesn't work for everyone – but this has always worked for me. A few extra endorphins really get me excited for work.
- Coffee – in case exercise isn’t your preferred stimulant. ;)
LAURA FISHER
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