What is that place between perseverance and defeat?  It is what makes someone stay motivated and persistent while others give up and quit. I believe it is Enthusiasm!

How does one get it and how does one keep it? 

Look through your own life experiences to times when you lost your desire to work at something whether it was a career, your team goals, business deal, relationship or something less dramatic as painting a room.  So you didn’t finish the room or you were too tired to touch up the trim.  Maybe you don’t call it quitting because it is insignificant on the giant spectrum of life but with something like a marriage or career, the results could be disastrous.

Imagine you wanted something so wonderful – so out of reach – anything – a car, a career, a house, a spouse, a smaller waistline, whatever it is – imagine it.  Do you feel energy inside you – don’t worry about how you will get it – just imagine it.  The how isn’t important – release that from your mind.  OK, you have that image now.  Now think about that every day.  That image.  Keep that image alive.  Every time you think about it you can add more detail to it.  If it were a house, you can start to add furniture and accessorize the house.  The color of the walls, the carpet or tile or wood flooring.  The light fixtures.  Every time you think about it feel the energy.  That energy is enthusiasm.

Now that you know what that feels like – let’s build on that feeling and keep it alive.  You have a job to do, some task, and you aren’t feeling too motivated or enthusiastic about it.  You can use self-talk to give you energy.  You know that if you do it now you will be grateful later.  You know that this task is the right thing to do and the benefits will outweigh the energy spent on the task now.  Focus on the end result to build your motivation.

Sustain enthusiasm by understanding what the outcome is to your actions.  Enthusiasm is an emotion that you show and feel and sometimes when you aren’t feeling so enthusiastic about something, you can pretend to be and the more you pretend, you trick your mind into believing that you actually are enthusiastic.  It is a phenomenon that will help you sustain your enthusiasm when you aren’t feeling very motivated or full of energy.

Being enthusiastic about a task at hand will spill into other areas of your life and you will see that your positive enthusiastic attitude will lighten up a room.  You will become that person others are drawn to.

How many times have you heard someone say – I don’t want any drama in my life.  That is a very trendy term right now and if you or someone you know is single and dating – that is tossed around like please and thank you!

Some of us are drama junkies and thrive for it as it gives us a sense of importance.  We create it and then swoop in as the savior to “fix” whatever caused it.  Most people claim to hate drama and this is especially true in organizations.

Now you are probably wondering, what is drama?  Drama is any situation that involves conflict leading to a climax.

Does that change your view of drama already?

As much as people abhor conflicting situations, most relationships that stand the test of time do so due to the presence of productive conflicts. Unfortunately on the job, where interpersonal skills are most required, conflicting situations are avoided like a plague.

Author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Patrick Lencioni distinguished between “productive ideological conflict and interpersonal politics”. The former is “limited to concepts and ideas and avoids personality-focused, mean spirited attacks.” Great organizations have thrived on productive ideological conflicts that results in buy-in from every member of the team as the process allows for every opinion to be heard and considered so no one harbors resentment for an agreed decision and way forward.

We all know someone who seems to attract drama. Usually these people don’t really want that in their lives but due to some underlying trauma they have experienced in the past, the drama is like a comfortable place for them.  They relive the trauma over and over through drama filled episodes and some of us get caught up in it again and again.

Conflicts in adults can be compared to the terrible twos. Toddlers who haven’t developed their communication skills when dealing with conflict will typically act out with a temper tantrum.  Imagine an adult who is unable to regulate their emotions to handle conflict, he will act out with an adult temper tantrum that may include backstabbing, gossiping, and verbal abuse.

How would you like to learn how to navigate through drama with ease?

Drama exists in the movies for a reason – it is entertaining.  It gives us a distraction momentarily.  We are attracted to drama in the movies much like we are attracted to it in the real world even if we claim we aren’t.  Drama is caused by a distorted thought and we always have the option, the choice, to engage or disengage in the events about to unfold.

1. Staying away from distorted thinking and distorted thinkers is a start.  If you don’t feed the beast, it will go somewhere else to eat.
2. When someone is unloading on you, listen.  Just listen.  They are looking for an ear not your opinion.

This will keep you from engaging in the situation, which can escalate the problem. Don’t talk – don’t discuss – don’t look for a solution.  Let the energy die down before engaging in any conversation.