Thursday, October 11, 2007
Enthusiasm and Spirit
October 2007 Month of Enthusiasm!
Doing What You Love ~ Enthusiasm and Spirit
Doing What You Love ~ Enthusiasm and Spirit
If you have been following along with these posts, you are aware that enthusiasm is wholistic — it can be expressed and experienced as the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and energetic aspects of your Beingness. You have also learned that enthusiasm can be defined in a variety of ways. One definition in particular is the focus for this post and that is enthusiasm is "…the dynamic expression of Spirit manifesting through us."
Our authentic expression and connection with Spirit can come quite easily when we do what we love. In fact doing what you love/enjoy was rated second out of the 32 causes of enthusiasm identified in Enthusiasm! How To Draw It To Yourself & Keep It. Take a moment to read about it for yourself.
Doing what you enjoy
At first this seems like common sense. Of course we prefer to do what we enjoy doing. The key for many is that they already know what they enjoy doing. Satisfaction can come from paying work, a hobby, volunteering or in how we spend time alone and with family and friends.
If you know what you like to do, then find ways to either do those things on a regular basis, or find ways to incorporate them in what you are doing. For example, Pat liked to assist on archeological digs in her free time. Since this was more of a hobby, yet something she enjoyed, I suggested she find a way to bring that into her “real job”. The next week Pat talked about how she had put a small pot from one of the digs she assisted with on her desk at work. She was amazed and delighted at how this sparked her on many levels.
If you aren’t sure of what you really enjoy doing, then see how this brief exercise works for you. Think about the times in your life when you felt the happiest. What were you doing? How did you feel? Don’t worry if what comes to mind are different things at different stages, ages and times in your life; this is good. Consider whether there are any commonalities between the things you listed. Then think about specifically what was it about what you were doing that you enjoyed. One way to do this is to ask a question, or series of questions, several times then writing down the answer each time. For example, “What was it about ______________ that I enjoyed the most? And what else? (repeat these questions three or four times). By going deeper, you tap into the key that you can bring forward to your current experiences.
An example of this is Chris who had been in religious ministry for a number of years. When I met Chris, he had left the ministry and was wondering what he wanted to do with his life. One of our sessions involved discussing the results of the exercise described above.
Chris came up with three key things for this exercise. The first was when he worked as a pastry chef in a restaurant. Chris made cakes and desserts that were works of art and tasted good too. The second thing he mentioned was the ability to walk into any type of space—home or work—and immediately see how it could be improved so that it was engaging, inspiring and peaceful. His number three was gardening. Now my idea of gardening is throwing the seeds out and if it rains they get watered. Chris’ idea and way with gardening was to create visually appealing, even artistic landscapes with different flowers, colors, along with how and where placed, etc.
After listening to and observing Chris, I pointed out that he was quite creative in a way that made a powerful impression. His mood changed at the suggestion of possibly pursuing any one of the three things he uncovered. After further discussion, Chris realized that he held a core belief that unless what he did changed the World (the big blue ball in the sky, 3rd from the sun), it didn’t matter. Eventually Chris acknowledged that by engaging in any of the things he identified earlier, he was able to have a positive effect on the people who experienced the results of his work. These people would, in turn, pass the positive benefits on to others in some way ~~ indirectly he was changing the World by starting with his world and those people and places in it.
It is one thing to know that Doing what you enjoy can cause some people to be enthusiastic. What is more important, though, is to understand why doing what you love or enjoy is so significant. When you do what you love, you connect with your core essence. And since you are doing what you love, you are engaging all aspects of you—physical, mental, spiritual and emotional. Your energy level rises, as does your enjoyment, which causes you to do what you are doing well because you enjoy it. This brings greater satisfaction to you personally as a wonderful cycle develops. Quite often you are more focused and in the present moment. This also affects those around you.
What causes you to be enthusiastic?
“…substantial and rewarding work…”
“Knowing that I truly enjoy doing what I am about to be doing.”
“The opportunity to do that which I do well and feel passionate about.”
“Something deep inside that is generated when you really believe and show it.”
Doing what you love may not be the first thing that comes to mind for you as a primary cause of enthusiasm. I am sure you’ll agree that it does play an important role. And now you have something else to add to your tools and resources to enhance your quality of life and deepen your connection with Spirit.
Enthusiastically!
Antoinette
© 2007 Antoinette S. Webster. All rights reserved. www.ASystemthatWorks.com.To find out more about Enthusiasm! How To Draw It To Yourself & Keep ItSM, contact Antoinette today to at Info (at) ASystemthatWorks.com.
Antoinette is also available for speaking engagements, keynotes and spouse programs along with training programs, retreats and workshops. And she works with a limited number of individuals and groups for ongoing coaching. Contact her at 513.887.0600 or Info (at) ASystemthatWorks.com to schedule a program for your organization—in person or by teleseminar—or an appointment for a private session.
