Monday, June 20, 2011

Trust30; day 22: Enthusiasm


Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” is a great line from Emerson. If there’s no enthusiasm in what you do, it won’t be remarkable and certainly won’t connect with people on an emotional basis. But, if you put that magic energy into all of your work, you can create something that touches people on a deeper level. How can you bring MORE enthusiasm into your work? What do you have to think or believe about your work to be totally excited about it? Answer it now

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Today's prompt presents a great opportunity to reflect on what has been created here in this Trust30 project. As I sit here and start to think about it, the organic, dynamic, attractive power of it begins to more fully show itself to me and I shake my head, blown away.

I won't even dare attempt to place myself in anyone's shoes but my own. Simply because I have admired the work of Seth Godin in previous years have I attempted to occasionally check and see what new thing he was up to.

The "mystery element" that began to change the dynamic of that interest was unexpectedly receiving a Kindle for Christmas. Now exploring, signing up for blogs to be electronically delivered, buying both new and classic books when inspired and being able to do a lot more reading while traveling began to move the pieces around for me.

That brought about awareness of "Poke The Box" and The Domino Project and the new paradigm that Seth and his team was committed to birthing. "Do The Work" followed suit and then "Self-Reliance" and a little off-shoot called the Trust30 project sprang up as a tributary. Who knew? (Other than Seth, of course...)

As I had started to read more blogs on a regular basis, my own languishing blog, "Amazed and Amused," began to approach the door of my mind much like a prodigal son. Always mentally declaring my intention to write and post, every real and imaginable excuse sprang to life and "prevented" me from doing so.

Besides, there were no readers (big surprise!) Who was I disappointing?

Be careful when you ask questions like that, whether out loud or in one's mind. An answer will always show up and get in your face.

I was in a hotel room in Buffalo, NY on May 31st. I had just taken a drive to Niagara Falls to walk in the night air, stand silently by the American falls and clear my mind. I was approaching exhaustion with the road and my job as a trainer. The batteries were getting increasingly more difficult to recharge and I was doing myself no favors with my brutal sleeping habits (not getting enough.)

When I returned back to the hotel, Trust30 made itself known to me. There was no decision to be made; I was committed regardless of any and all circumstances. If I wasn't going to stand up for mySelf and be who I really was, something that had haunted me for longer than I could recall, when was that time going to come?

The answer? Now... and I've never looked back.

I am "amazed and amused" at how this community has formed with no external impetus, no familiar guiding hand of any kind from the organizers. Yet I find this to be a tremendous source of delight and inspiration. What I read from others in this world wide locale consistently puts a smile on my face and lights the joy in my heart.

I have asked no one for anything and what I've received in return is priceless beyond measure. I know it is because when I made the decision to do this, even before I was aware of posting my articles via Facebook (eventually I've got to start utilizing my Twitter account as well), I was "all in." All of me was going to do this, no holding back.

That decision felt good. That's how I knew it was one made via alignment with my "authentic self" that we've been talking of in many of the recent posts.

Everyone has had to have heard the oft quoted, "Do what you love, the money will follow." For the longest time, I doubted, always asked, "How?"

No more. I run with my passion from this point on and let the cards fall where they may. My appreciation for this ongoing experience and the juice it has pulsed through my veins is priceless, worth far more than gold.

The funny thing is, I know that the "gold," in material form is coming too. I've seen it happen before and I now remember what the feeling was like just previous to arrival.

It felt just like this... but not as strong.

Gratitude to Seth and his team and the Domino Project and to all of you who have brought their attention to my thoughts and feelings expressed in this form. You have given me great riches and I do value and appreciate them.

And just think, we aren't done yet!


4 comments:

  1. Goodness, you captured my sentiments, too. From not writing my blog to doing it every day with this challenge to never looking back as my passion grows. Great piece.

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  2. Thank you for this wonderful post my like-minded friend. This experience, along with all of the learning and stretching and answering of difficult questions, has been amazing. Throw in the new friends I have made through this challenge, and it has literally been a life changer for me. I am infinitely grateful for it.

    There's no going back now.

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  3. Thanks, Rich. The perfect pacing of this post put me in mind of Jonathan Raban's beautifully written New York Times article, 'The Getaway Car', which I highly recommend:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/magazine/the-last-father-daughter-road-trip.html?_r=1

    This month has been quite a road trip, too - and I've hardly left my study.

    Well being,
    CB

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  4. And thanks to you all for beautifully illustrating the sentinment I was attempting to capture in this post.

    Namaste.
    Rich

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