Many years ago, a visitor to Yellowstone National Park observed that from their perspective the difference between a bubbling thermal mud pot and a geyser was enthusiasm.
Famed motivational speaker Zig Ziglar was once asked if the excitement generated by a great presentation would last long to which he responded ‘Yes, about as long as a good shower! Both are needed daily!’
Enthusiasm is much more than momentary excitement it is a long-term labor of love born of vision. Excitement has been likened unto the waves of the sea, ever moving in great undulations up and down. Swells and troughs. True enthusiasm is like the ocean depths upon which the waves ride.
Excitement is the overriding emotion that a young recruit feels when they sign on for a stint in the military, an entertainment troupe, or a sports team. That fuel will soon run dry as the difficulty of day-to-day training and practice takes hold, or when amazing energy is needed to perform or complete an action on the stage or field of battle. Without the intense emotion that compels action called enthusiasm, efforts are short lived and lasting success in any endeavor is doomed.
The very word, enthusiasm is derived from the Greek language and means ‘inspired by God’ or ‘God is in it’ or ‘God is in us’!
It is by choosing to do good and to be good every day, that we can discover the God inspired enthusiasm that is required to go forward and not backward and take courage in the noble cause that we are engaged in. Instilling the wisdom of the past into the leaders of the future.
