Several years ago, I was speaking at a conference and to my delight one of the other speakers was Billy Graham. No, not the famous evangelist! This Billy is a former New Zealand and Australasian boxing title holder and one of the most fascinating people - and dynamic speakers - I have ever met.
Billy is incredibly happy, has a lovely wife, two young children and is very successful, but it wasn't always that way for him. Growing up, he was dyslexic, thrown out of school, spent much of his very early years in and out of institutions until he was saved by a boxing coach who was introduced to him by the police!
This boxing coach turned young Billy's life around with discipline, caring, and by instilling in him a sense of the positive and the importance of encouragement. Imagine what life would be like if we could instill those two things in all of our children (or even adults!).
Every time I visit with Billy, I walk away feeling terrific! Even if it's just on the phone! And it's not until afterwards that I realize why I feel great. Not only is he a sincerely enthusiastic person who genuinely enjoys life, but he authentically (and automatically) finds good things to say about the person to whom he's speaking.
Here is a man who can actually respond to the skeptical comments like "Oh it's easy for him to be enthusiastic, he's well off" or "he must have been born like that" because it wasn't easy for him. He had a tough life growing up and was an angry, poorly educated, young man with no backing or support - until he met his boxing coach. And then he still had to work twice as hard as most people to achieve what he did because he had great difficulty reading and writing.
Do you consider yourself to be an enthusiastic person? Are you someone who gets excited often, who loves living and life? Do you have a passionate belief in something, or lots of things? Or do you become enthusiastic at particular times? I've found out that I'm a very enthusiastic learner - which is wonderful because I'm learning all the time and am enthusiastic about anything new I learn!
If you are enthusiastic, do you share it with others? Do you help them to feel excited, too? How you speak to others is critical - you can literally change someone's mood - or even their life - in a moment! Do you encourage people? Or subtly put them down? Or dampen their enthusiasm? Or crush their ideas or creativity? Or ignore them?
Five minutes with Billy and you will feel outstanding - and he is so authentic! Why not make a commitment today to spread enthusiasm? Make everyone you meet feel great about themselves at the end of the interaction with you. Say something positive or let them feel how interested or sincere you are with your compliments and comments - or your enthusiasm for what they're saying. Just by being excited around them, they will change - it's infectious!
If you are not an enthusiastic person, I have a tip for you...wake up! You CAN be! Being enthusiastic is a choice and if you're thinking that by enthusiasm, I mean only wild jumping about and being very excited - wrong. It is possible to be quietly enthusiastic - but the enthusiasm sparkles out of our eyes and voice. And it's just as infectious. Everyone around us can feel it!
I bet if you sat down and tried to think of reasons to be enthusiastic you could put together a really long list. For example: I am breathing; I am alive; I can walk, eat, talk, sleep, learn, laugh, cry, feel, work, drive, cook...the list is endless. And if you're judging what you're reading right now thinking it is corny - let me share with you the true story of a young woman named Jen.
Jen is beautiful, young, newly married and deeply in love. She's a positive and enthusiastic person with a wonderful spirit. Ten weeks ago, she was rushed into the ICU at the hospital with a horrendous systemic infection of unknown origin. For seven weeks, she was unconscious on a ventilator with little chance of recovery. One week ago, a miracle occurred - and she recovered! She is going to live, but without her legs from her knees down or her hands. They had to be removed last week. Jen is off the respirator now and can breathe on her own, and her voice is slowly growing stronger. She's radiant, smiling, and her positive spirit and enthusiasm for life helped her survive when others would not have; and it means that she will find a way to live joyfully despite the new challenges that face her. She enthusiastically embraces the physical therapy (something no one does). Patients usually moan and groan when we arrive - but not Jen!
Now, with that in mind make a list of everything you have to be enthusiastic about. If Jen can do it - so can you!
Some of you might be thinking "I can't fake it." Hey, you should try faking it! Because physiologically (big word that means chemistry of your blood stream and body), your brain doesn't know the difference between reality and something vividly imagined. So if you really put on a good act of being enthusiastic, you will change the chemicals roaring around your blood stream and you will actually feel different. (To any cynics reading this - it's true. You can consult any of the latest journals on psychoneuroimmunology.)
Now that you have your list, take a step out there today and be enthusiastic!! Remember that you have the power to improve your own mood and make a difference in other people's lives. What attitude will you choose?
