“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Enthusiasm….. The source of the word is the Greek enthousiasmos, which ultimately comes from the adjective entheos, “having the god within,”
So, one can say if you are enthusiastic, you have a god within that is providing you with that drive, that passion to strive, to reach for your goals and to positively influence people around you.
Enthusiasm can come out in many ways, but the most important as an entrepreneur are for your products and services and for your clients.
In an ideal world you will be leaping out of bed in the morning eager to start the day because you love what you do. Ok, maybe not every single day! I admit to the odd day when doona therapy gets my vote (preferably with a fabulous new book to read) but I do have that feeling of enthusiasm and anticipation most days of the week.
If that’s not happening for you, then you need to take a bit of an audit. You have permission to consciously design your business the way you want it to be, You get to choose the clients you most want to work with and you get to choose the services that you most want to offer to those clients.
That’s the freedom of being your own boss.
If something is broken, you have the choice to fix it.
If something just doesn’t feel right anymore, you can decide to change it.
You can design a business model that has passion and enthusiasm at its heart. Because when you are working in your sweet spot, you will do your very best work and your genuine enthusiasm will be contagious – it can literally magnetise clients to you, close sales and attract loyalty and referrals.
So, if there is something currently in your business service or product mix that weighs you down, makes you feel heavy when you think about it, let it go….. you have permission ☺
Enthusiasm for your clients
I believe you also want to be feeling pretty high levels of enthusiasm for your clients, The same rule of thumb applies here as with your own business model, products and services. If you are looking at your diary and thinking “ugh, I’m seeing such and such tomorrow” and your shoulders are slumping and you have that sinking feeling in your tummy, that’s not good.
Pretty hard to fake enthusiasm in that scenario. And hey, you’re building a wholehearted business aren’t you? No faking allowed!
Another audit may be on order. Have you ever actually allowed yourself to build a picture of your ideal client? The clients that you would really, truly love to work with? Allow yourself to dream a little – who do you currently work with that you love? A client that you would happily spend time with every single day because they are a delight to work with? What makes them so? Jot down on a piece of paper all the qualities and facts about them from their demographics to the industry they are to the fact that they settle their accounts on time. If you have a love affair happening with more than one client, look deeper – what do they have in common?
You have permission to seek more of these clients and this type of work.
Yes you do.
Enthusiasm sells!
I remember when I was considering making the switch from PC to Mac. When I visited the Apple store, the fellow that spoke to me didn’t beguile me with the list of core components and technical specs for the Mac Book Pro. Rather he knocked me out with his enthusiasm for the product, its possibilities, the big wide world of “Macness” that now stretched before me. Quite frankly, he had me at hello!
When you raise your own energy and enthusiasm, people will automatically be attracted to you and what you have to offer. Enthusiasm and energy attracts!
And that enthusiasm is a natural result of doing what you love.
I received an email yesterday from one of my lovely Wholehearted Business Navigation Coaching clients, Sheryl Allen, a copywriter in Melbourne and she shared:
“This is a win that is a direct result of you saying during our first coaching call: “Give yourself permission to choose who you work with”. This afternoon, five minutes after I knocked back a boring Annual Report proofreading job, I got a call from a Tourism agency to discuss copywriting requirements for a new tourism booklet connected to another job I had pitched for that is right in my sweet spot…… No layers. No committees. Yay! I won BOTH jobs and have next week fully booked for “feel-good” work and NOTHING else”.
Can you feel the enthusiasm in that paragraph? Do you think that will reflect in the copy that she crafts? And it is it likely that her new client will be delighted and highly likely to become a repeat customer and perhaps even refer Sheryl on?
You betcha.
Enthusiasm is contagious. No one can be exposed to its radiant force without being positively affected.
Breath deeply. Take the risk. Follow your heart. Choose what enthuses you. It will have such a payoff for you – maybe not immediately, but certainly over time. And the ripples that result are immense…. A feeling of contentment, better health (say goodbye to high stress) a sense of being right on purpose with your best work just ready to burst out of you….
Do what calls loudly to you – your intuition rarely leads you astray.
