I wanted to share with you a quote that made me think about enthusiasm and what it is that we are really after in our lives.  The quote gave me an ah-ha moment, not because I thought otherwise, but because it really drove home a point that I may have lost sight of and think maybe many of you have lost sight of this too!  So here is the quote:

“We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about.”

Charles Kingsley

This quote got me thinking about all the things I have been enthusiastic about in my life.  There are many.  From landing a job in my early twenties that I patiently waited (um well maybe not patiently) to hear if I was chosen for the position to much further back to kindergarten and winning the whole school’s hobby contest.

What I remember most is the “doing” part of each experience, not necessarily the actual experience.  Interviewing well for the job interview, following proper interviewing protocol by sending a thank you letter (with enthusiasm), following up multiple times, giving the proper amount of space between calls so as not to look to overly enthusiastic.

Another standout enthusiastic moment is when I ambitiously got an idea to produce and direct a play (Shakespeare) for the entire school at age 11.  I was so enthusiastic about the process from selling the idea to the teacher, then to the principal and gaining their approval to have the play performed in the gymnasium in front of the whole school.  The greatest enjoyment came from the selection of the actors (some arm twisting was involved) , scheduling the rehearsals, gaining volunteers for constructing the construction paper props as the budget to produce the play was zero.

What I distinctly remember is being enthusiastic about the production, practice and directing others and not necessarily the outcome . What I vaguely remember is the play itself turned out to be a little dry, most of my fifth grade peers couldn’t pronounce the words and due to that our audience couldn’t understand much at all.  These were some of the happiest memories of my life.

Which brings me to a revelation.  Are we all too hung up on getting to something and missing out on the enthusiasm of doing?  Where did our enthusiasm go from then to now and how do you get it back?  How can we retreat from arriving at luxury and comfort to becoming enthusiastic about the journey?

Revisiting the times of enthusiasm gave me a new perspective especially now in times of uncertainty.  I shared these thoughts with clients, family and friends and I received nods of agreement.  I invite you all to revisit enthusiasm and mentally list your happiest moments by recalling that lively feeling.  Were you most happy when you arrived at your destination or the adventure of getting there?  Retaining enthusiasm in all I do is my top goal for this year and beyond.

What are you enthusiastic about today?  How can you apply enthusiasm in your life to return to happier living?  Leave your comment to this blog by choosing the comment tag below.  I would be very interested in your input on this topic. Please feel free to share this information with others you feel would benefit.

I am seeking a new learner who is interested in getting back their enthusiasm for life.  If you or someone you know might benefit from personal coaching, please contact me Sue Birkam at www.freedomlifecoachingcompany.com by visiting the contact page.

Very enthusiastically yours!

Everyone wants to be accepted; the basic truth of every being. Whether you are of a particular culture, a particular color or race or your beliefs are different from everyone else. Acceptance is our bottom line. How did we get to a place in our society where we place judgment on others who don’t act like us, talk like us or think like us. Could we be attracting the kind of social malfunction by our very thoughts about each other?

The first line of defense in any non acceptance situation by another being is indifference. That presents itself as “it doesn’t matter, that’s ok, and I don’t care” we say to ourselves. “I don’t need them to like me.” Then in turn comes their judgment in response “who are you to think you know what is right and what is wrong?”

As human beings we can accept the diversity of nature; snowflakes, leaves, animals, rocks, the terrain of a mountain. We never stand in judgment of nature. When was the last time you might have said “what is up with that snowflake? It’s different from the others.” Or comment even to yourself that a squirrel doesn’t look like a cat.

We reserve judgment and non acceptance for people not nature. Why? We are all God’s creations, individualized on purpose with a purpose, just like nature. How can we honor each others diversity and receive honor ourselves? What could we learn from that uniqueness coming from a position of non-judgment?

What are you tolerating?
By Sue Birkam
Freedom Life Coaching Company

Tolerating can be anything that takes your attention or energy away from you. It can be as simple as chipped paint, a pile of papers or a disorganized closet. It may also concern people in your life, such as disrespectful attitudes from others or of your time, daily disruptions and overstepping boundaries.

Toleration’s can literally take over your energy if not handled. Every time you have to take the time to rummage through that closet or pile of papers looking for that one pair of pants you just know is in there, or that receipt that you have to have before you walk out the door, re directs your thinking, frustrates and literally throws you off kilter. Even the simple things like paint chipping or a loose door handle, a blown out light bulb that diverts your attention even for a moment towards the object that needs repair, can drag you down.

You can start to eliminate toleration’s immediately by simply beginning the process of identifying what things are in your way on a daily basis. Once you have listed your toleration’s, draw three columns on a piece of paper. The first column will be your toleration, in the second column, list your strategy for changing that toleration so that toleration won’t re-visit you for the next five years. In the last column list your resources to accomplish your strategy. An emphasis should be placed on the system for keeping that toleration from cropping up again.

Start anywhere on your list, the first week might be one or two toleration’s that you will handle. When handling the toleration you may ask yourself what needs to take place in order to simplify or to, create a system. One example might be mail or paper work that has gotten out of control. Resources listed might be creating files in advance and labeling those based on what you know you will need to keep. Anything not labeled on your files will get thrown out or shredded.

Making a date on the calendar to do this sorting and tossing only once, even if it takes eight hours, schedule this on a calendar and do nothing else. You may also set up a one hour per week maintenance program for this paperwork, where one evening for one hour you will either file or toss out paperwork using your system. It takes approximately three weeks or more for the average person to change a habit.

As you move through this list, you will experience a relief, more time and even more energy. You will feel liberated from the things that have been dragging you down. The best part is you won’t ever want to return to the way you functioned before.