Doesn’t it feel great when you put your heart and soul into something, music for example, and you feel the enthusiasm? You’re in a flow, the world is at your feet. This is what you need to succeed. How can enthusiasm slow you down??
There are two different versions of enthusiasm.
The first version is the enthusiasm that I describe above. It’s the enthusiasm you feel after you’ve accomplished something. The inner fire is burning, you feel happy. You feel it when you succeed in a test, at your first live show, when getting great reviews on your new album or when playing your first show in front of thousands of people. You’ve done it, you feel proud and you radiate with enthusiasm.
The second version of enthusiasm slows you down.
I experienced it some days ago. I was premature enthusiast with some shows that weren’t even confirmed yet. The expectation of the shows made me enthusiastic already. Until I got a mail that the drummer is not available on the proposed dates. The disappointment felt like a collapsing house of cards. The disappointment made it impossible to think straight. I couldn’t think of solutions to make the shows happen anyway.
Premature enthusiasm puts you in an emotional roller-coaster. The big feelings of enthusiasm and disappointment give you the illusion to be alive, to live life to the max. The emotional roller-coaster of premature enthusiasm asks a lot of time and energy.
It’s much more efficient to move right ahead. You will reach your goal much quicker, without getting so tired. Moving right ahead also means, that you have time and energy left to look at the surroundings. When you ride a bicycle in the mountains, you don’t have much time or energy left for anything but moving the bicycle. You have to stop to enjoy the view. In a flat country like the Netherlands you have time and energy left to look around you while driving.
When you want to be enthusiast, you can better look around you to discover real reasons for becoming enthusiast. I got enthusiast for coming with the right ideas, for moving into the right direction. By the way, the shows I talked about did happen, with a guest drummer.