Infectious Enthusiasm

Early in my business career, a mentor introduced me to the notion of “infectious enthusiasm.” My interpretation of that powerful concept is that any person who comes in contact with me could become inspired as a result of the positive attitude, energy and demeanor that I displayed.

Not only did I love the sound of that phrase, but more importantly, I realized   that acting in that manner would enhance the lives of those around me.

Living life with an enthusiastic attitude and subsequently being an inspiration to those who you come in contact with…well, that’s the way that I strive to exist.

A good barometer for a self-check here: do others chase after you knowing that you create joy, or are they running away from you as fast as they can?

Personal Recalibration

Maintaining a positive work environment goes a long way toward improved productivity, energy, employee retention…and having fun at what you’re doing.

Leadership includes an obligation to create enthusiasm, despite what may be occurring in either your personal life, professional world, or both!  On some days, you may have life challenges that potentially drain you and make it hard to “plug it in” as that high energy role model.

When I find myself approaching a less-than-desirable emotional state, realizing the negative effect that has on myself as well as those around me, I attempt to catch myself and quickly “recalibrate.”

This entails a simple ten second “time-out” where I relax my body, take a few deep breaths, and change my thought pattern toward all that I have and all that I am blessed with.

The quote below is a good reminder for anyone when they find themselves going in a negative direction.

 

 

 

 

Reflect and Reignite

As each year ends, my wife and I go through an exercise wherein we review our journals from the prior year, reflect on what we have, and in some cases have not, accomplished.

The end goal is to establish what our “top-ten highlight reel” might look like for the year gone by…we are typically amazed by all that has been achieved.

A post-exercise routine of comparing our respective “top-tens” is not only fun, but also provides a barometer for how well our values and beliefs are aligned, i.e. what’s truly important to each of us. It further reinforces the many blessings we have in our lives and the people and events that are shaping our destiny.

Further, this practice helps to create positive feelings and an inner-state that tends to energize a constructive planning effort for what we would like to realize during the upcoming year.

If nothing else, take time to reflect on your core values and guiding principles; and reignite your internal flame by establishing some meaningful, challenging and achievable goals to shoot for entering this new year.