Enthusiasm goes viral!

People are automatically drawn to high energy people that are passionate about life. That energy and passion are so "hot" that they are out front and center. These are the people that love life so much that they wear it every day as if their own life depends on it. In a way, their life does depend on it, because where is the quality of life without enthusiasm?   When enthusiasm wanes so goes joy, passion, happiness, satisfaction and life purpose. When your life purpose is lost and enthusiasm becomes a distant memory, your brain will retreat into a sad and dark place.

Have you ever watched a child at play?   They love to explore everything in their world with a great passion. It is so fun to watch their life adventures as we personally yearn for the enthusiasm of those earlier years. Children are so enthusiastic that they run wherever they go and they are living life large at full steam ahead at all times. No wonder they sleep so well!   So what happens to that enthusiastic frenzy that characterizes the waking hours of a child?

Maintaining enthusiasm and passion for life requires energy and resilience. Each year serves up challenges that test our resolve. These challenges become more intense as energy wanes with age or from a chronic illness, like fibromyalgia. As the years go by we vigilantly compile a mental scrapbook of all our life experiences and challenges. Every day our brain revisits that mental scrapbook in our conscious and subconscious mind. That scrapbook review shapes your day and your response to all the day's events. Your life scrapbook that showcases all your life experiences is a truly powerful book indeed! Your life experiences scrapbook demonstrates who you are and those pages are shared selectively with others every day. As your scrapbook's pages fill up you may get weary of keeping it up to date and decide not to add more pages. That's an indication you have decided to lose your enthusiasm. So what have you put in your scrapbook, what is the title of your scrapbook and how have you displayed your important life events?   Have you decided to use bright, eye-catching colors for those difficult days or for the valuable lessons learned?   Does the title of your scrapbook portray a life of enthusiasm and passion, or a life of defeat? 


Sid

Sid is a remarkable man.   He is an excellent example of enthusiasm for life. The only way people know that Sid survived stage 4 malignant melanoma and several years of potent chemotherapy that would have been the average person's demise, is the radical neck dissection scars he wears every day.   Sid maintained a positive life outlook and enthusiasm for life despite the doctors that told him he was going to die. That didn't discourage Sid, and his determination and enthusiasm ultimately defeated that deadly disease. During treatment, on those days when he felt a little better, he would get on his motorcycle and ride, because that is one of those things that makes him feel alive and vital. His life scrapbook doesn't showcase that deadly cancer that tried to take life from him. Instead, his scrapbook focused on his zest for life and that motorcycle he loves so much.   His merry blue eyes tell the tale of a life full of adventure and enthusiasm for defeating obstacles that try to roadblock his journey.   One of Sid's secrets for keeping enthusiasm high is to play and learn something new every day.

Adolpho

Michael and Adolpho are two of the guys that cook that fabulous food at Z Cafe. It doesn't seem to matter if the kitchen is slammed with orders, these guys are all over it with an enthusiasm that can't be matched! You would think these guys don't have a care in the whole world, because they are focused on serving their customers and on having a good time doing it.  Michael and Adolpho have so much enthusiasm that you can taste it in the food they prepare. I swear that food cooked with love and enthusiasm for life has a better flavor and nourishes my body more.   After all, food is also a living thing that has its own vital energy too.   When I need an extra dose of enthusiasm I poke my head in the Z Cafe kitchen and its like getting zapped with electricity.   Now that's just what we all need . . . an electrifying dose of enthusiasm!  This is Michael below . . .

No matter what your circumstances, it is critical to nurture your life purpose and to light the fire of enthusiasm. When your life lacks enthusiasm the environment around you turns into shades of grey. When you have fibromyalgia, energy is depleted and it seems as though there isn't enough to even get through the next hour. But if you focus those little bleeps of energy on your life purpose and enthusiasm, those shades of grey start to morph into a vivid landscape that is the essence of your life.  As you choose to accept doses of enthusiasm from others around you, laughter comes easier, endorphins begin to flow, and that fire within you begins to glow a little brighter. In addition, you will have less pain.   And when you feel exhausted from receiving all that enthusiasm from others, it will be a better exhaustion and you will rest a little easier.  Blessings to you as you create your scrapbook of life . . . may enthusiasm for life and living dominate your day!