Join me for a simple, yet profound, practice of creating enthusiasm, inspired by New Dimensions guest, Anat Baniel, who works with children and adults with special needs, and is the author of Kids Beyond Limits: Breakthrough Results for Children with Autism, Asperger’s, Brain Damage, ADHD, and Undiagnosed Developmental Delays. She says, “Enthusiasm is a profound act of bringing godlike inspiration to the process.”
To begin, remember a time when you were feeling enthusiastic, a time when you were truly excited about something: traveling to a special place, anticipating participation in a favorite activity, waiting for Santa Claus on the night before Christmas. Recall this experience and hold it in your memory for at least 20 seconds. Do this at least three times a day in order to strengthen your “enthusiasm muscle.”
For me, tapping into some moment in my childhood, before cynicism and disappointment set in, puts me into
unadulterated enthusiasm. For example: as a ten year old I was totally smitten by horses. My dearest friend Marsha and I would huddle in the back seat of her mom’s Pontiac as Mrs. Lee chauffeured us on our weekly drive to the stable. With joyous excitement we’d anticipate which horse our instructor, Woody, would select for us. Would it be Sunset or Suzy-Q? Maybe it would be Princess or (big swoon) Rob Roy! Aldous Huxley gives a big hint about why we need to fan the flames of enthusiasm in our lives, “The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.”
As we have learned, repetition in our thought patterns creates new neural pathways. By repeating this exercise
on a regular basis, we will create a super neural-highway to our natural source of the energy. This practice will
enhance our ability to become independent of the life destruction caused by the flotsam and jetsam that clog our
neural pathways. Henry David Thoreau observes, “None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.”
Justine Willis Toms
September, 2013
