2009-07-15

Awaken Your Enthusiasm

Awaken Your Enthusiasm ---- Increase Your Incentive
This is from the third capture of Harry Lorayne's book,
' Secrets of Mind Power '

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that, "Nothing great was ever achieved
without enthusiasm."

Average achievements maybe but nothing great. For someone to achieve
their goal, what ever that goal is,  that person needs to have enthusiasm.
Less than complete enthusiasm for your objective will have you stopping
and starting and making  'busywork'  because you don't really have your
heart in the endeavour so you procrastinate.

You will more than likely do a half-hearted attempt and you won't achieve
the success that others achieve when they put their whole heart into
their project.

Most of us won't have the greatness of Leonardo da Vinci but what
we do accomplish will be much easier if we do it with enthusiasm.
The ancient philosopher Terence said,  "There is nothing
so easy but that it becomes difficult when you do it with reluctance."

If you ever wrote an essay and didn't enjoy it then you probably weren't
enthusiastic about it, so it was a chore. The same with writing a letter, if you
put some enthusiasm into your writing it is so much easier to do and it will
turn out to be something you look forward to doing.

My last article mentioned showing interest in others. This interest is more
surely to be aroused by showing enthusiasm in learning about others.
You need to start by listening to what others are saying and be enthusiastic
about their interests.

Wilson Mizner ( an American playwright, raconteur, and entrepreneur )
once said, "A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a
while he knows something!"

Lorayne feels that, "one's incentive in everyday living ---the goals one sets
for himself-- is closely related to enthusiasm."

What is said about enthusiasm, is "usually also true of incentive."
He firmly believes about enthusiasm and incentive, "that these things are
self-controlled  and must originate in the mind." For as he says, there isn't
much success if there is no incentive. People either set up goals that don't
match their abilities or they don't set up any goals at all.

Lorayne believes and I would agree that so often we are told that we
should do the  'best that we can' and don't worry about being any better.
He believes that we should not settle for that but that we should strive for
even more than our best.

He feels that we should,  "set your goals just a bit farther than what you
believe to be your best.  Believe that you can do it and you probably will!"

He believes, "that many people keep themselves from success by their
own short-sightedness; their easy-to-attain goals; and their attitudes
of  "I can't" do this or that."

J. A. Hadfield (Lecturer in Psychology) stated, "Common experience teaches
that, when great demands are made upon us, if only we fearlessly accept
the challenge and confidently expend our strength, every danger or
difficulty brings its own strength."

As Lorayne continues in the same theme, "Circumstances may back you
up against a wall and all seems lost --but it may be the best thing that
ever happened to you."

The human body and mind are actually miracles, "When put in the position
of having to do something, one usually does, either physically or
mentally".

Chapter three can be concluded in a few paragraphs. It deals with the fact
that we are easily swayed by suggestion. Some of us more than others
and it may be from ourselves or others.  If one person yawns we find
ourselves yawning as well which is more or less an automatic reaction
from most people.  In some cases though we can convince ourselves of
all kinds of things, the trick is to know when it is good or bad for us. 

If you are determined to succeed you need enthusiasm, incentive and
initiative and belief that you can succeed.  "Believing that you can do
something is almost tantamount to accomplishing it."

"Make up your mind to win; work toward winning with enthusiasm, and the
odds are with you.  If you are the type whose goal is merely to 'avoid failure'
instead of to  ' attain success',  you're looking at the pits instead of the
peaches."  Don't leave yourself an 'out',  look at the peach first and be a
success!

I will finish this part with the story Lorayne told of a mother's ingenuity.

The family was poor and their daughter had yet to be married. Upon
meeting a wealthy young man who showed an interest in the daughter,
the mother came up with a plan.  She invited him to dinner and cooked a
beautiful turkey indicating it was the daughter who cooked it.

As the daughter carried the turkey into the dining room she tripped and
the bird went flying across the room. Everyone was aghast but after a
moments thought the mother with amazing inspiration said,
"That's all right, my dear, just take that bird back to the kitchen, and
bring out the 'other' one!"

Benjamin Disraeli said: "Every production of genius must be the
production of enthusiasm."

Patricia Downing

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