Make Changes To Reap Happiness: Don't Curb Your Enthusiasm

Do you want lasting happiness in life? Refusing to curb your enthusiasm serves as a key characteristic to reaching that goal. Most people do not understand just how much of a role their enthusiasm plays in their day-to-day lives. If a person harnesses their enthusiasm and works toward change, they will be able to enjoy more joy and reap the rewards of true contentment.

Happiness is an emotion we all seek and it is difficult to sustain. Few understand, however, that increasing it if often deeply connected to proactively participating in life and making changes in our daily habits. When we choose to remain stagnant and put ourselves in comfortable routines, over time we can become plain and apathetic. We must actively decide to create new experiences, strike up conversations, take chances, and actively seek out different, expanding environments in order to stay attentive and motivated in life.

This is where enthusiasm comes in. Just as enthusiasm is a requirement for a successful project or job, so it is for a successful life. If a person has excited expectations—if they're enthusiastic about making the effort and taking risks—they have a better chance of reaping the rewards. You will not make the necessary changes unless you are excited about them and believe they will benefit you.

A lot of people become mentally blocked when attempting to make any kind of meaningful change in their lives. They think they will never be able to make such changes and they let that belief limit their ability to try and take action. This attitude has a profound impact on one's mental outlook: the smallest setback suddenly appears overwhelming and the person gives up too quickly. On the contrary, enthusiasm acts as a motivator, convincing us that the odds of a venture succeeding are far better than our initial expectations. Thus, enthusiasm can inspire us to look a little closer, to dive a little further, and to take a few additional chances.

The trappings of modern life have created strong pressure on us to act in certain ways in order to facilitate ‘appropriate' behavior and resources for our lives. As such, it has become commonplace for many people to repress their true enthusiasm and avoid any meaningful change or action. The unfortunate reality is that this can often lead to missed opportunities. Change can be uncomfortable, but it is necessary to bring about fresh challenges and opportunities that can bring excitement and fulfillment into our lives.

Getting around to making lifestyle changes which fully stimulate us requires us to push through the struggles as deep rooted needs must be nurtured. Sometimes our enthusiasm can directly conflict with what society says should structurally dictate our lives. For example, working in a job which we believe could offer greater satisfaction doing something else but it pays the bills. Fear of what is unfamiliar and the perceived risks of leaving the status quo dampens enthusiasm and encourages stubbornness to maintaining the same lifestyle. Success requires risk taking and being open to whatever awaits for it brings its own rewards.

These are the types of courageous changes that will often bring joy and satisfaction no matter the physical or material cost. It is these moments that truly reward us and demonstrate the value in curbing our inhibitory thoughts and practice living with unbridled enthusiasm. Doing so may take us off the beaten path, but it will introduce us to innovative problems, opportunities, and experiences that are uniquely ours that no one else can offer.

When everything seems out of line and nothing appears to be going right, understanding the essential nature of enthusiastic actions as part of a formula of happiness may be the only thing keeping one's emotional state afloat. Without enthusiasm, the risks of living a hollow and ultimately unsatisfactory life are far more likely. The greatest lesson here is that optimism is an action of the conscious mind. And it's the taking of these steps which sharpen life's focus and lead to the promises of real joy. Therefore, don't curb your enthusiasm—embrace it.