Find your childhood enthusiasm
“Enthusiasm is the electricity of life. How do you get it?You act enthusiastic until you make it a habit.” Gordon Parks
My son LOVES Marvel Transformer characters.
He can tell you every single detail about their attributes, skills, and how frequently they crash in the movies. His enthusiasm around these vehicles is only rivaled by his enthusiasm for Lego's, and Clash of Clans, and climbing the walls, and chocolate, and sleeping and...
Yup. The kid leaks enthusiasm. His sister is similarly wired.
Perhaps it's an age thing. Maybe as kids we all start out enthusiastic and slowly loose the habit. Life has a way of dulling our joy.
But it doesn't have to stay that way!
Nope. You can decide what you want to be enthusiastic about. You can decide to skip when you're sick of walking or sing when you're feeling sluggish. You can see the mundane and REACT to it with wonder and energy. Can you picture it? Think about how Steve Martin rejoices when "the new phone books are here!!"
Since you know how I love to make lists, I decided to find things where I could, with very little effort, generate real, child-like enthusiasm.
- Go to the mailbox and fist pump while saying, "I got something!!!"
- Ask the dog repeatedly, with a high voice, "Do you want to take a walk? No? How about now??"
- Slurp hot cocoa WITH marshmallows and smack your lips.
- Play reckless backgammon with said cocoa nearby while leaving multiple pieces open.
- Do a dance upon discovering a fully charged phone.
- Encourage the kids to set world-record speeds as they race down the stair on their bottoms.
- Purge the home of all blue pens with an elaborate pen toss game into the kitchen garbage can.
- Interrupt the kids' homework time by suggesting a game of hide and seek.
- Challenge your family to a post-dinner contest of "create your own creature" and document the results!
- Eat artichokes and avocados just because you love 'em.
- Ride the roller coaster with your hands UP!!!
- Rally the family around to give a standing ovation to the last person walking through the door in the evening.
- When nothing else works, take a family jumping picture!
Yes. You can make this a big day!
Things are going to start happening now...