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Think
Enthusiastically.

Monday Motivating Moment

December 5, 2005

Your Weekly Attitude Booster

Now You Are Cooking!

Are you missing the essential ingredient of enthusiasm from your life? Being enthusiastic about a project or job frees the natural energy that flows from that mental attitude of excitement.

Sometimes it is very difficult to feel enthusiastic about an endeavor; and when enthusiasm is lacking, it seems to take more energy to get started and complete the project. You have to turn up the heat of excitement!

What do you do if you need excitement but don't have it? Can you manufacture it? Absolutely, it can be created. You must first decide to add this ingredient to the mixture of actions and skills.

Taking an example from the workplace: you have to create the budget for your department, a task that you really dislike. You know that it will require making adjustments that are going to create tension in the department. You also know that your boss will pick apart your budget, and defending your work is not pleasant. What do you do?

You accept that you have a job to do and that your attitude will determine how painful (or not) it is to complete the task.
You visualize the end result. What will the budget look like and how will you feel when it is completed? Imagine your boss complementing you on a job well done.
Tackle the project as though you are going to solve a great mystery and that there are many clues which you must address and resolve.
Verbally (or mentally) pat yourself on your back as you accomplish each step of the process. Acknowledge that you are one step closer to yet another success story.
Throughout your project, keep replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. Keep congratulating yourself on accomplishing your goal.
Celebrate your achievement. Do something nice for yourself for maintaining a good attitude and enthusiasm during the process. This will help you in the future when you tackle yet another project, because you know that you will reward yourself in the end. That gives you something to look forward to.

There are aspects of our lives that are not particularly exciting. It is our state of mind that makes them more so. Why bother? Why not? Isn't it a lot more fun to go through life seeing aspects of it as a game to be played with great spirit, enthusiasm, and a sense of triumph?

"Every memorable act in the history of the world is a triumph of enthusiasm. Nothing great was ever achieved without it because it gives any challenge or any occupation, no matter how frightening or difficult, a new meaning. Without enthusiasm you are doomed to a life of mediocrity but with it you can accomplish miracles."
~ Og Mandino ~

Affirmation for the Week:

“I am enthusiastic about my life and the challenges in it. I choose whether to be on fire or to be bland.”

Have a "now you are cooking" week!

Mary Rau-Foster,

Copyright 2005 by Mary Rau-Foster. All rights reserved.
However, if you find this information helpful, we grant you permission, and strongly encourage you, to print this page and put it on your bulletin board, or download an Adobe PDF file with a printable version. Thank you.

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