“Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
These words sing to me. When you pursue a passion to do something, it’s easy to become enthused and this enthusiasm fuels motivation and ultimately success. The more you pursue the passion, the more you become enthused and motivated.
As an example, Thomas Edison had a passion to create a commercially viable light bulb. He didn’t invent the electric light. Indeed, historians report that as many as 20 people invented different types of electric lights during the seven decades before Edison created his. However, none of them were able to create a practical light bulb.
In 1878, Edison began aggressively trying to create a light bulb that shined bright enough and long enough to be useful. He identified the workable components (a suitable filament within a vacuum bulb) in 1879, improved on it in 1880, and created an electric light company in 1881.
No one knows how many experiments he tried, but Edison once said that he came up with three thousand different theories related to the electric light. However, his experiments only proved two of them correct. Passion helped him keep going even after proving as many as 2998 theories incorrect.
Principle #38 in Jack Canfield’s book “The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be” is Fuel Your Success With Passion and Enthusiasm. This is the last principle within the “Transform Yourself for Success” section.
Passion as a Teacher
A passion to teach has bubbled up within me as long as I can remember. I enjoy sharing knowledge with others through many different outlets such as in the classroom, with videos, books, and online materials.
I’m certainly no Edison. However, by pursuing this passion, I have been able to create the Get Certified Get Ahead brand and help many people get ahead in their careers. One of the simple joys I experience almost every day is hearing from people telling me that they’ve passed a certification exam using one of my books and/or online study materials.
What’s Your Passion
How about you? Do you know what your passions are? Many people don’t.
Try this. Imagine that you won the lottery. You bought a new home, cars, all the toys you wanted, and you took the trips you’ve always dreamed about.
And then, what would you do with your time? What would you do that makes you the happiest and the most fulfilled? This is very likely at least one of your passions.
Even though you may not have won the lottery yet, you can still pursue this passion. And as you pursue one passion, you’ll very likely discover others.
“Passion makes your days fly by.
It helps you get more done in less time.
It helps you make better decisions.
And it attracts others to you.
They want to be associated with you and your success.”
– Jack Canfield
About This Post
I’ve been learning from Jack Canfield (of Chicken Soup for the Soul fame) since 2008. I credit much of my success (including authoring or co-authoring more than 40 books) to applying principles in my life that he teaches. I’m currently going through his book “The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be,” covering one principle a week.
Here’s a link to other musing’s on Jack Canfield’s Success Principles.
| You Can Do Anything | 7 Life Lessons Powerful Principles for Living a Fulfilled Life |
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