What is enthusiasm?
Somebody once commented on an instagram post that I’d done a very good job of taking an abstract concept and making it tangible, which was very kind of them because I often feel like I can’t really ever answer the question “What is enthusiasm?” very succinctly or effectively.
But Ellie, you say, you run a business called The Enthusiast. How can that be possible? It’s a great point, and it’s well made. I know enthusiasm when I see it and when I feel it – especially, in fact, when I feel it and live it, as I’m lucky enough to day-to-day. It’s a very embodied feeling, which can make it hard to put into words. (Brilliant! You say. Perfect for a blog post.) Often, I get away with the definition “Ah, well, you know, it’s what makes the world go round”, because many enthusiasts also recognise that feeling instantly. But what about those who feel it, but don’t know how to name it? Putting words to something gives us power, because once we name it, we can wrangle it. We can harness it. We can utilise it. So, it’s time to answer “What is enthusiasm?”
What is enthusiasm?
Annie Edison has a go at Jeff Winger for starting a wedding speech with a dictionary definition because it’s worn out, but sometimes, the dictionary is the best way to set the scene. So, in this instance, enthusiasm is:
“a feeling of energetic interest in a particular subject or activity and an eagerness to be involved in it” - Cambridge Dictionary
Sometimes, it’s also used to describe something you feel enthusiastic about, e.g.
“a subject or activity that interests you very much”.
So, as you can see it’s close to feelings such as passion, pep, ardor, zeal, zest, though different people will of course bring their own interpretations to the words – I can’t, and would never want to, tell you how you feel. But a central element to enthusiasm that these don’t quite capture is a sense of playfulness; an unadulterated, childlike joy. The kind of feeling you got chasing bubbles in your back garden, or playing in a sandpit.
The heart of enthusiasm, though, is that it’s a living part of us. It’s the fire you can feel inside you whenever you’re doing something you love. It’s the flame you can feel propelling you to move, to make, to do.
In the words of Barbara Sher: “It needs to be used, it needs to be fed, or it will atrophy – and you’ll be less than you’re meant to be.”
What does enthusiasm look like?
The question that often follows “What is enthusiasm?” is “What does enthusiasm look like?” and the answer is…it looks different to everyone.
A stereotypical picture of enthusiasm is very loud, and very in-your-face – what people would often call “too much” or “over the top” (which is a story for another blog post – one you can find here, in fact.). And whilst the dictionary definition stresses the energetic element of enthusiasm, this doesn’t have to mean outward energy. It’s energy as in active, engaged, vivacious in the ‘life’ sense of the word, energetic in the sense that every cell in our body is doing something at any given point.
In this way, you could be totally unbothered to the outside eye, but firing on all cylinders about something on the inside. Fans, fangirls, nerds, geeks, even “basic bitches” are all different forms of enthusiasts, with varying levels of enthusiasm about different things. (A lot of the time, people equate enthusiasm with extraversion, but introverts can be enthusiastic too, they just show it in a different way.)
Enthusiasm can feel different within one person, too: usually, for me, it feels like it’s lit up every synapse in my body; but sometimes it’s a lower flame, a gas hob set to simmer.
So what’s the big deal with it, then?
I said above that putting a name to something can give us the power to harness it: but it also sometimes flattens it. And you might be reading the above thinking, cool, it’s great that people like stuff. But what’s so special about it?
Well, let me tell you! Perhaps, in fact, the best way to answer “what is enthusiasm” is: it’s what I believe makes the world go round. At the very least, it’s definitely what keeps me going day-to-day. It’s joy, purpose, hope and connection, to myself and to the world around me. It’s both fuel, and sustenance. It’s what (and I don’t mean this to be hyperbolic, or dramatic) but it’s what makes life worth living. If you’re an enthusiast – not everyone is, and that’s ok – it’s a core part of how you move through the world, and one that shouldn’t be denied.
What now?
Studies show that being enthusiastic can help your mental health, your physical health, your relationships, your work, and other people’s as well. There’s very little it can’t improve, even if only by a little. Yet enthusiasm is all too often misunderstood, or totally underestimated. I want to change that. Now, it’s time to give your enthusiasm the glory it deserves. It’s time to celebrate that baby in a way it’s never been seen before.
P.s. as well as answering what is enthusiasm, here’s what it’s not: toxic positivity. A denial that anything’s wrong in the world ever. Naivety. A buzzword used to keep you working for a corporation that doesn’t see you as a person. A social sin.