Almost all aspects of life require some skill in persuading or motivating people, and there is no characteristic that will help you, more than enthusiasm.
There's the story of a salesman named Harry, who broke every rule in selling that was ever written. But before the sales meetings, his sales manager would tell him, "Now, Harry, I am going to teach the other salesman how to sell. I want you to sit at the back of the room and ignore everything I'm saying. You keep on making the same mistakes that you have been making.“
You see, Harry was his top salesman, and it was no mystery to his sales manager why. He revealed, "I have never seen a salesman with more enthusiasm than Harry. He seems to have so much faith and conviction about the product. He cannot keep it bottled up. He just seems to bubble all the time. Harry isn't selling. He's on a crusade to convince everyone he contacts that they would be better off owning his product. You can't stop a guy like that.”
How Is Enthusiasm Acquired?
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
Charles Schwab, a laborer who ended up as chairman of the board in a Steel Company, said,
“A person can succeed at anything for which there is Enthusiasm.”
As a softball coach, I was teaching a young player to hit. I told her,
“Throw your heart into the swing, and your body would follow.”
If you're going to be enthusiastic, you must first want to be! If you're mired in self-pity, criticism, and a lot of negative thinking about your job and your position in life, enthusiasm is not going to ascend from the heavens like a bolt of lightning and strike positive life into you.
Look at the word “ENTHUSIASM.”
Now look at the last four letters,
- I-A-S-M. “I Am Sold on Myself.”
I'm talking about the affirmation. “Be the model yourself.”
I'm talking about your self-image. Liking yourself is a big part of enthusiasm.
Look at the letters again,
- I-A-S-M. “I Am Sold on My product.”
You need to totally believe in what you are doing, whether it is teaching, selling, homemaking, engineering, whatever it may be. Loving what you do is also a part of enthusiasm. Combine belief in what you're doing and loving your product with liking yourself... Now you're going to have an enthusiastic individual!
You don't need to be loud or boisterous to emit enthusiasm. Just the quiet confidence that you have, the way you look people in the eye, the smile you have on your face, the way you shake hands, the way you take an order, and even the way you walk can express enthusiasm and denote inner confidence. You can be very quiet and sincere, and people will still pick up on your enthusiasm.
It's easier than you think to become a natural wellspring of enthusiasm that energizes and motivates everyone you contact. Just focus on integrating these four basic principles into your daily life. Love what you do, believe in your product, like yourself, and spend time with other enthusiastic people on a regular basis. When you do, your life and achievements will change dramatically, even within the first month.
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