10 Ways to Stay Enthusiastic Amidst the Mayhem

Irrespective of which part of the world you live in these are turbulent times indeed and the most important quality we need to get through this is resilient enthusiasm. Yes I came up with a phrase. Different times call for different actions. It is easier to write about enthusiasm than actually doing it in tough times. Most of the schools are closed in the USA and lot of us are working remote. In some parts we have been told not to venture out from 8 pm to 5 am. This means all of us are going to spend a lot of time at home without the ability to go out and perform our usual routines. This is the time we should build our enthusiasm muscles and see how we can remain cheerful.
Enthusiasm is one of the keys to a happy charged life. When you are enthusiastic the whole day seems to brighten up. Ralph Waldo Emerson said every great achievement is due to the triumph of enthusiasm. So, having a vision is great but you need to have the enthusiasm burning to achieve it. Here I have expanded on each letter of the word to bring the enthusiasm to you.
Energy: When you have high energy you are naturally more enthusiastic. By sleeping well, eating well, reducing your stress levels and exercising you will have higher energy. You can bring passion to your days with more energy which leads to greater enthusiasm. Considering the circumstances we are in we should take preventive measures and ensure we maintain our hygiene. This might also be a good time to catch some sleep. You can check out my article on how to maintain high energy 11 Ways to have High Energy.
Never give up:  In order to maintain your enthusiasm levels with high energy you need to make the decision to never give up. No matter what happens make the decision to bounce back. If we think back to the tough situations in our lives, we have always handled it. It is the fear or anticipation of the negative event that is more paralyzing. So, make the decision to keep going in-spite of setbacks.
Take action: When you are feeling down doing anything constructive will put back the lost enthusiasm. Do any action especially physically and you will get your cheer back. Even at home we can do push-ups or jumping jacks or skipping. There are myriad ways to keep ourselves going. Finally, every vision must be backed with purposeful action. Without action a vision is only a dream. It is the action taken that generates the enthusiasm. Keep taking action and move forward towards your goals. Read the books you always wanted to read.
Health: Maintaining your health in which ever way you feel is appropriate for your specific situation is a key to generating enthusiasm for your life. Whatever works for you in this time is what you should do to keep your health levels at its highest.
Understand yourself: Higher self-awareness always promotes greater levels of happiness and contentment. When you know, what drives you and what makes you do what you do you feel a lot more enthusiastic. Analyze your strengths and focus on those. Work on the weakness areas that are doable and find others who can complement your weak areas. It has been well established that when you do something not aligned to your values you feel down. So, determine the values you want to live by which is a precursor to greater enthusiasm. This might be the best time to take a pause in your life and journal about where you want to take your life from this moment forward. You can also define your mission statement and take stock of how far you have come.
Success: You cannot be enthusiastic if you haven’t defined what success looks like to you. This is a crucial step for all of us. To be fair this definition does keep changing over the years. However, defining it on a periodic basis generates the enthusiasm needed to move forward. Define what success will look like for you.
Inspired: When you are inspired it goes without saying that you will be more enthusiastic. Find the activities that get you inspired and do those. For me it is reading, listening, writing and exercising. Luckily all these can be done within the confines of the home. Find those hobbies that keep you inspired and it will generate greater enthusiasm for life.
Acceptance: We should learn to accept ourselves unconditionally and that does increase our self-esteem as well. We all have flaws and none of us are perfect. Perfection is not a realistic aim and accepting the person you are is the key to feeling greater about yourself. Also accept reality as it is and then make the changes required to elevate your life to the next level.
Serve: When you are in the service of others you feel more enthusiastic. Always keep adding value to your family, your company, your friends and yourself. As Peter Drucker said we should move from the word success to contribution. Increase your contribution and you will feel greater about yourself.
Mastery: This is the final key to enthusiasm. When you are in the process of attaining mastery in a subject you feel great about yourself. It generates greater enthusiasm. So, keep expanding your horizons and keep learning any subject that makes your heart sing. Find the experts in your field, read their blogs, listen to their podcasts, read their books, connect with them, document what you learn and share what you have learned. If you continue this, you will be in the process of attaining mastery.
There you have it all the ways to generate greater enthusiasm in your life. Stay safe and be enthusiastic and we will come through these times. Tough times don't last but tough people do.
The views expressed here are my own and do not represent my organization.

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