The Mystery Behind Enthusiasm
Joe is a middle-aged man with brown hair and green eyes. He is an entrepreneur and has very high energy levels. Joe feels like he has tons of enthusiasm. As he approaches the building, his chest begins to tighten: what will happen next? Will his efforts be appreciated? The possibilities are endless... as are the pitfalls! What if this business venture fails??
If you've ever wondered whether or not there's anything unusual about Joe, then this article will be right up your alley! We're not talking about just any old enthusiasm here - we're talking about EXCITEMENT. Joe's enthusiasm is so strong that he can't control it and it just shows up in ways he didn't expect. As an entrepreneur, you don't have a choice of whether or not you show up with enthusiasm, but what comes next? You should be able to control your enthusiasm if you really want to succeed.
The first step is controlling your thoughts. When Joe admits what he's feeling in his mind, he realizes the strength of his desire: "I'm so excited I can hardly hold myself together." This is an extremely powerful thought. If we want to control enthusiasm, we need to know our own minds... and what it's thinking. We need to know the thoughts which are taking us towards our goals.
The second step is to stop the thoughts that aren't helping. We may think that Joe needs excitement in order to grow his business, but we can take that emotion and turn it around. If we believe he needs this excitement, then we'll get caught up in a downward spiral of self-sabotage whenever we don't receive a response from a prospective client or partner: "Why didn't they like me? That's my whole reason for showing up!" This is called the LIE: "If I don't get this stupid thing, what will happen?" The answer is always going to be "something bad. You'll be sad, you'll feel bad, and nobody will like you." While this may not be the case in our lives all the time, it's a very powerful thought trap that can take us down the wrong path!
When we are able to pay attention to our own thoughts, then we can choose what we believe with confidence and energy. When Joe tells himself that he can't tell if his efforts will lead anywhere, or if he'll get excited about anything at all ever again, then he begins to start believing that this won't work. And so according to Joe's thinking, his efforts won't work and he won't really know what will happen. This is not the energy we want to create... we need to see the possibilities, not be afraid of them: "I'll find out what I've got to do. I know that when I get excited, it gets me where I want to go."
Find a few people you can work with, and start making plans. Get aggressive. Ask for a meeting in person or on the phone. Ask them if they would like to meet in person or by phone. Ask their thoughts on Joe's approach and their thoughts on the business he's trying to build. Give Joe a chance to express his enthusiasm and listen.
I call the third step the "secret ingredient": let the enthusiasm show through and find out what happens. We don't know what will really happen, but we can admit that sometimes our setbacks or confusion come from not having enough enthusiasm. Sometimes they come from not paying attention, but most of all they come from letting ourselves stuff our feelings down and thinking that nobody will like us: "But who cares? It didn't work out anyway." This is an extremely powerful thought trap! And we don't have any control over it, so why should we fear it? This is an extremely powerful thought trap that you can use whenever you feel frustrated, uncertain or uncertain of anything else.
When we've come to terms with the fact that our enthusiasm will show up in other people's reactions, then it'll show up no matter what. People may reject our efforts, or they may choose to help. If we do nothing, we'll never know exactly what will happen and we won't be able to control anything!
The fourth step is to acknowledge that people are becoming more and more different than they were 20 years ago. We're becoming an individualistic society where each person's response is unique - which means that nobody can tell us how they feel! In some ways, this is a good thing: it means that everybody has their own opinion and nobody can tell you how you should feel... except you! This has important advantages, but also has a lot of power. We feel like we're on an island by ourselves and nobody can help us, but this is not the case! There are many people out there who care about Joe and would love to help him if he's willing to ask for it.
If we stop stuffing down our feelings, then we'll be amazed by the results: "I feel so excited when I think of all the things that have happened to me in my life." This is an extremely powerful thought trap - we're not taking advantage of things that have already happened in our lives or that will happen in the future. This is a great way to find out what excitement really wants us to do and how it can show up in the business world.
In working with Joe, we'll want to take advantage of his enthusiasm by asking him "what happens next?". How does he feel that he can make the right changes? What's the first thing he needs to do? Let him know that "you're thinking about this with me and you want to help me figure this out." We could work on a few simple steps... or we could go with our gut! It's up to you!
If you'd like more information on how Daryl's coaching can help you, visit his website at http://www.darylskeen.com or call 877-921-7105!
Thanks for reading,
Daryl
P.S. To get the best emails ever, visit http://www.darylskeen.com/free and join the list that gives you tips every week! Get ideas on how to do everything in this series... like find your enthusiasm and use it to be more productive! You'll never see a boring email again... you'll get the best tips, news, and ideas on how to get where you want to be - learn more at http://www.darylskeen.com/free
P.P.S. When we received this article in the mail, we had a very funny breakroom discussion about it...
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