If enthusiasm can be bought as an item from a store, do you think it will sell? And if it does, just how much are you willing to pay for it?

I believe your response will be: “You must be kidding. It’ll be a sellout. The store might probably run out of stock, you’ll have to wait in queue for a long time before you can get your order no matter the price.

Just how important is enthusiasm in goal realization; in one’s life? It is so important that it occupies one of the top slots in the list of elements needed for successful living. It is so important that it is one of the deciding factors to realize one’s goal.

There is no doubt that everyone likes talking to enthusiastic people, unless a person likes to be in a gloomy state, which I doubt that person does. Enthusiastic people keep the conversation alive and upbeat. You feel like you are partying. And when you feel like partying, you’d wish the night will never end.

Image yourself in the middle of an argument or a debate of two opposing sides on an issue. When the mood gets rough, even when you are not at first, you get to feel rough and in an argumentative mood. Your mood swings in accordance to the situation. It is like when you hear a song you like, you feel like singing along. And that mood will usually prevail for quite a while long after you’ve left the scene where it took place and it will only change when something else prevails over it.

Image yourself in the middle of a discussion with enthusiastic people. Even when you are not the enthusiastic type, you begin to turn enthusiastic yourself. Even when you are not familiar with the topic at hand, your tendency is to be inquisitive, you keep asking questions. The more questions you ask, the more alive the conversation gets. And you get to learn more, broadening your knowledge on certain issues. Quite educational, isn’t it?

Enthusiasm brings out the hyper character in us. It is like adding more wood to a bonfire making you feel like you want to roast marshmallows in it. Honestly, as I am writing this, I’m beginning to be more enthusiastic myself.

The point is, enthusiasm is contagious like a disease. This is one contagious disease that has a desirable effect. Matter of fact, enthusiasm is the only disease everybody wants to contract. If there is a category in the Guinness Book of World Records of being the contagious disease most people would like to have with them, it is enthusiasm. Law enforcers would probably ban quarantine of this disease.

Now, just how do you get enthusiastic especially when your surroundings, the weather condition, and the general situation feels down and out?

Here are some helpful tips to develop enthusiasm:

1. Adopt the “as if” principle. It is believed that this was first stated by                                      Professor William James, at times known as the father of American     Psychological Science. This is an effective time and people tested principle.

Consider this scenario: let us say you frequently or almost always see a particular actor play the role of a comedian in movies and television shows. You would always identify or equate this actor with comedy even if he is not in real life. The good news is the actor himself may also feel the effects of being in a laughing mood most of the time even if his life is full of dramatic experiences. Ultimately, this actor may wind up to be a happy person because of his role, a confirmation that laughter is the best medicine. If he portrays other types of roles, to you, he seems to be out of place, you’re just not used to seeing him portray other roles other than a comedian.

At one time or another in your childhood years, I believe you’ve come across superhero characters in comic books or magazines. And I believe that you’ve imagined to be like these superheroes, saving people from disastrous situations or winning over the bad guys. This is an “as if” principle in fantasized form. Do you remember?

I would suggest at this point that you try to apply the “as if” principle with someone near or beside you to confirm its effectiveness. Think creatively.

Another similar principle is the “what if”. If you are in the business of developing products of specialized use, you are most likely exposed to a lot of experimentation. When you come up with an idea on a product you’d like to try even if the idea seems unconventional, would you try it? Would you be saying to yourself: “What if I try to…”

Adapt enthusiasm into the “practice makes perfect” principle. In other words, be enthusiastic on almost everything you do every day no matter how insignificant they are, no matter how small they are. All those small things when added up become big. This is the “as if” principle in small ways.

You are familiar with the expression: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Even if a sight, a scene, or anything does not look too beautiful or enthusiastic, try to see its beauty and be enthusiastic about it. On the not-so-beautiful side, try to be enthusiastic in finding ways to improve it.

As you wake up each morning, be enthusiastic about the things you are going to do that day. Bring enthusiasm to even the routinely morning chores like taking a shower, getting dressed, eating breakfast, taking the bus or driving your car (even in heavy traffic), in the office up to the time you reach home for dinner till you go to bed, enthusiastically looking forward to tomorrow.

In the course of the day, you may experience non-enthusiastic traits from other people. Don’t be carried away and don’t be non-enthusiastic as they are. Instead, show enthusiasm to these people and they may become enthusiastic too because of you. Lead, don’t just follow. That will give you the feeling of you setting a good example for the benefit of all.

Remember that each day in your life is God’s gift to you. Show your appreciation to Him for the gift you receive by being nice to other people, helping others and thanking Him through prayers.