Activating Enthusiasm
Impactful leadership is not just grounded—it’s spirited.
Have you noticed that the positive difference you can make in others’ lives is often related to how connected you feel to your own life force?
There’s something about being connected to your own spiritedness, your enthusiasm, that not only makes you a stronger, more vibrant force in others’ lives, but gives you more energy and resilience in your own life.
And when you bring your enthusiasm to the table—whether it’s your dinner table or business meeting room—your environment is energized by your presence, and opportunities open up for creative thinking and action.
So if we want to have an even more positive impact on others and live fully-turned-on fulfilling lives, a question we might ask is, how do we activate enthusiasm? How do we cultivate in ourselves this spiritually energized state of being?
The simplest way is to become available to it. Recognize that your own sense of enthusiasm is as close to you, and as available, as your own spirit. The word itself—enthusiasm—comes from Greek and Latin roots meaning inspired (in spirit) or in god (en-theos). Enthusiasm can naturally bubble up from an awareness in you that you are part of something extraordinary that is bigger than you.
Enthusiasm can also be a choice. Similar to the way we decide to keep showing up for a marriage or job by keeping it alive and vibrant—we can simply decide to be enthusiastic. We can choose to activate in ourselves an inspired way of being.
How do we do that? How do we activate our innate enthusiasm? While you will certainly have your own answers to that question, here are three enthusiasm-activating practices I have found to be especially powerful:
01
Be grateful. And not just in moments when something good is coming to you, but as often as possible, and for as many things as possible, including the stuff in life that is challenging or painful. That stuff almost always has gifts, almost always has the potential to bring learning.
02
Celebrate. Not just milestones and wins, but celebrate life itself. And by the way, celebration doesn’t have to be the loud “rah-rah” type. Quiet celebration can be equally as powerful.
03
Play. Pay attention to what turns you on and lights you up, and make more space for that in your life and work. Enjoy! Have fun! The paradox is that while life, including its pain and struggle, is often serious business, a touch of lightness can bring both meaning and healing.
Questions to ponder, and if you have a journaling practice, to write about…
In what ways do I honor and connect with my own spirit?
What impact does my level and quality of enthusiasm have on my resilience?
How does my embodiment of enthusiasm impact others?
What is something in my life that would be a stretch for me to be grateful for? And why would I make that stretch?
More to come…
Activating Enthusiasm is the first of 12 Power Pathways we’re exploring in this series of 13 posts. We started the series off with an invitation to practice radical responsibility. Read the whole series here →
The full wheel of Power Pathways are shown below, connected conceptually and practically to radical responsibility and the four disciplines of conscious leadership – inspiration, integrity, courage, and clarity.
