Day 10 - Enthusiasm !!!

"There is real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment." ~ Norman Vincent Peale

But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel . ~ Ps 22:3
 
What excites YOU? I mean, what really gets your inner man churning and stimulates your creative juices? What fans the fires of your heart? Is there anything that fuels your zest for life? It seems many of us are locked into this realm of 'just being alive' or barely making it? When you wake up in the morning, do you say, "Good Lord, its morning!" or do you say, "Good morning, Lord!"? It would seem if we are discontent with life or the life we live, then everyone morning is a challenge and life itself is waning within a meaningless hue of emotional atrophy. When this begins to happen, we are like a person sitting on death row. It has been said the only difference between a rut and the grave is the depth! To me, the rut seems far worse, because you are alive and you still have the power to choose, and yet you remain stuck in the many wrong habits of living.

Personally, I believe one of the ways out of this rut is a little word called enthusiasm. Walter Chrysler said, "The real secret of success is enthusiasm." Enthusiasm is a lively interest or a feeling of excitement. Why aren't you excited about life? Where is your excitement to live life to its fullest? Has it become framed into this concept or idea, that now you are an adult and 'mature', life can no longer be exhilarating or fun?

All of us have heard of the cliche, 'Birds of a feather flock together.' There seems to be a tendency within our nature that like attracts like. We draw to us what we inwardly feel. If we are a negative person, then it doesn't make sense that we would attract positive people toward us. The way we hold ourselves within and without attracts the same kind of person toward us. A positive person does not want to be around a person who sees life as negative and vice versa, the negative person is looking for someone who will affirm their negativity about life. Norman Vincent Peale made an interesting statement, "If you have zest and enthusiasm you attract zest and enthusiasm. Life does give back in kind."

Within myself, I have found the way I think, affects the way I feel. You can't be thinking negative thoughts and have good feelings. And again, you can't be thinking positive thoughts and have negative feelings. If we are not careful, the WAY we think can become a habit, which in turn, can then turn into a stronghold in our minds. If we are continually negative in our view of life, then sooner or later, this WAY of thinking takes a STRONG hold on all we do. Negativity strangles everything we do and smothers our ability to escape its clutches. I can remember growing up and watching 'Lost in Space' or some of these other shows. There was always a Dr. Smith in the background saying, "It will never work!" Always fearful. Always afraid. Always dreading the next move. And this is the stronghold in our minds. The enthusiasm and zest for life is smothered by an overwhelming negative view of life.

Jesus said, "Where your treasure is there shall your heart be also." There is a direct connection between what you count worthy of your attention and your emotions. Maybe that is our problem. We are putting our hopes in the wrong place(s). If our hearts are full of negativity, then maybe we need to look to see where our treasure is! Is it possible we have bought the lie the world has sold us? Maybe, we have lived and followed after the lie for so long it has now become a stronghold in our lives. That childlike excitement toward a new day has been squashed under the pursuit of 'happiness'. While chasing down the abundance of things we have lost the power to live an abundant life.

Paul J. Meyer said, "Enthusiasm is the yeast that raises the dough." Today, I want you to take some time to regenerate the excitement of just being alive! Look around you! For a moment, I want you to stop the clamoring negativity of your mind and thoughts! Slow down. Take a deep breath. Breath. Capture the beauty of your spouse, your children, and the majesty of life itself! Remember, the choice is yours! How you perceive the world around your is choice. YOU can begin to tear down the strongholds that wrap you in the cocoon of negativity or YOU can once again capture the exuberance of living! If you don't like what you are doing, then do something else. If you like what you do, then step into it with a renewed enthusiasm! As Mark Twain said, "Let us endeavor to live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry."