Spiritual Practices

Enthusiasm

Spiritual Practice: Pick some ordinary task that you often do, then imagine yourself performing that action with enthusiasm. Then instill enthusiasm into it every time you do it. Feel the joy of that enthusiasm. Let that enthusiasm spill over into all the other things you do. Let enthusiasm become your way of operating in the world.

Spiritual Practice: The word “enthusiasm" comes from the Greek “en theos," meaning “in God." So when we feel enthusiastic, we are “in God," or more accurately, in tune with the consciousness of God. To help manifest that state, repeat this affirmation with joy: “I am in God. God is in me." Repeat this two or three times a day for five minutes or longer.

Spiritual Practice: If you don't feel enthusiastic, smile and act as if you were enthusiastic. Shakespeare wrote: “Assume a virtue if you have it not." This isn't hypocrisy if you genuinely want to be enthusiastic. “Assuming" an enthusiastic attitude, you might find, will “trick" you into actually being enthusiastic.

Spiritual Practice: Change the way you view obstacles if you want to hold on to your enthusiasm. Obstacles can either be roadblocks and stumbling blocks, or they can be steppingstones to something greater. See obstacles as steppingstones and your enthusiasm remains intact.

Spiritual Practice: Decide to perform routine tasks more quickly or more efficiently, and get excited about it. That extra effort will help instill enthusiasm into the task. Instead of being the same old thing, it becomes a challenge to get excited about. Perhaps the tasks that used to be boring now take less time to perform—and are done with enthusiasm as well.