Enthusiasm That Transcends – ElPropósito4 min de lectura

Photo by Joe Caione on Unsplash

Some people, whatever life throws at them, have a unique ability to manage themselves and stay calm, so much so that it looks like a superpower. Is it really one? I’d say yes. It runs much deeper than appearances. It’s a way of life so marked and so meaningful that every day becomes a chance to give their best. That peace, which I believe translates into well-being (the full enjoyment of the here and now), radiates through every circle and lets us see things from another perspective. So what are the strategies for staying calm and keeping that steady enthusiasm?

For one, I believe it’s clarity and awareness of our problems, knowing full well that life is a road full of stumbles, of things we get right and, above all, things we get wrong. Not a second of our existence comes without a challenge. Even so, equanimity enters our lives as we learn to bring order to what is truly worth ordering, for example by setting goals. The simple act of writing down a goal brings some order and discipline at least to our thoughts, never mind the chaos we may be living in.

The other big leap in this world of obstacles is realizing that although life is short, it’s still a road with a beginning and an end: our great life project. So the question is, what life project do we want to build? The answer may raise another big question: what meaning does this project give my life? That’s why it matters to be clear about our Life Purpose. Once that project is described, or at least sketched, and somehow aligned with a Purpose, a key step begins: devoting the time needed to develop our goals and focusing our attention on what we want to achieve. That focus requires training our attention. It may be one of the things we most need to learn as children. Otherwise we’ll have to turn to other tools, such as meditation.

Nobody is born enthusiastic. That may be another of the big conclusions I’ve drawn in life. When time is short and calm is our best ally, we come to value focus, a focus that lets us think more clearly. So it’s strategic to learn the kind of calm that keeps the spark of enthusiasm alive. Thinking positively in a hard moment may be difficult, yet (to paraphrase V. Frankl) we do hold the power to decide how we approach a situation. The essence of calm lies in finding strength in moments of weakness and spirit in times of trial.

From an energy standpoint, it helps to know what is most efficient for the brain. Motivation and enthusiasm go hand in hand with creativity, so they burn more energy, and our brain will always prefer a shorter path (worry, perhaps, which uses less). In low moments, knowing how important it is to stay creative and keep an enthusiastic spirit will be the key to finding solutions and, above all, to being surprised by what life gives us simply because we stayed calm.

Warm regards,

Rodrigo Baccaro

P.S. This week’s VELA (what I was Watching, Listening to, Reading and Learning):

• Watching: Bhutan: sustainable, happy and climate neutral? A fascinating country, and even more fascinating is how they measure their GDP. A very good report that left me longing to visit that wonderful place.
• Listening to: Cleverly Connected. A gem on YouTube for every coach, well worth hearing or watching. Sir John Whitmore: "Wisdom is what we need to use the knowledge responsible."
• Reading: Teoría General del Coaching. I’m sure this work (Leonardo Ravier’s doctoral thesis) will deserve a full post. Right now I can’t look away from such deep research on coaching and such a complete work. It finally reached me this week and I’m immersed in it. I admit I had to set aside (for now) La Conquista de América contada para escépticos.
• Learning: Rationality: what it is and how to promote it. I’m endlessly grateful this interview reached my ears. I knew little or nothing about Steven Pinker, and he’s already one of my favorites.

Author: Rodrigo Baccaro

Linkedin