The Courage to Be Enthusiastic

There are days when smiles are plentiful. It’s easy to spread enthusiasm far and wide when it feels like there is a never-ending well to draw from.

But what about the days when we are worn out?

I was in a Pilates class this week. Our instructor is in her mid-eighties and has been teaching modern dance for decades. She is incredible, so incredible that you have to sign up for her class a month in advance. I keep going back because I get a little stronger every time.

This class was tough. At one point, while squatting on tip-toe, we used resistance bands to work our arms. She started counting the reps. Once she reached ten, she added another ten.

I almost quit. I would have quit, except that the girl next to me said something positive and she kept working. I figured if she could do it, so could I.

I was uncomfortable, don’t get me wrong. I did not want to stand on my toes anymore. I did not want to squat. And I surely did not want to keep moving my arms. I was tuckered out. At first, I was even a little irritated that my neighbor did not commiserate with my wanting to quit. Couldn’t she sense my frustration?

But she kept going with a big smile on her face.

Then I thought what the heck? Why not borrow her enthusiasm and keep going?

After class, I let her know that she helped me.

She said that she had decided, in advance, to double down on the enthusiasm when the class got hard. She said it was easy for her to get discouraged, to want to quit when her muscles were tired. But expressing enthusiasm for whatever crazy moves our teacher told us to do helped her do the movements. She knew Connie had our best interest at heart and wanted us to get stronger, even if our bodies were tired.

Enthusiasm is unexpected when times are hard. Fear of what people around us will say if we give a pep talk might keep us silent. Fear of appearing unrealistic might make us inactive. It takes courage to raise the level of positivity when you are fresh out of options.

When you are plumb tuckered out from loving, sharing, caring, and being available— dig deep from the well of enthusiasm and have the courage to carry on. Your enthusiasm is contagious, your courage catching.

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“Some philosophers say courage is the most important of all the virtues because, without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently. You can’t be consistently fair or kind or true or honest or generous. None of those things.

You can be anything erratically, but to be it consistently, you have to have courage.”

Maya Angelou

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