It is invisible. But it is as real and important as you and me. You can easily sense “enthusiasm”, (lack of it) when you talk to people, or when you go to visit an organization.

Usually, every child is born enthusiastic. But children loose their enthusiasm as they grow into adults. They loose enthusiasm when they learn to be worldly and practical. They over generalize few failures in life and develop a mood of resignation. The mood of resignation limits the sense of enthusiasm. The absence of enthusiasm alone costs a fortune to the government, society, family, and the individual himself.

The good news is that now there are tools to measure enthusiasm. You can also set your own indicators calling it Conditions of Satisfaction. For example, when you go to an organization you can feel the enthusiasm of the staff as soon as you enter – by the way the receptionist receives you, the way you are treated, the number of times the staff smiles or the way they present themselves. Let’s review and reflect if that ingredient is missing in our life or project that we deal with. Currently, the whole nation seems to lack it, often indicated by the way people talk in meetings, parties or homes.

People from the developmental sector should use it as one of the most important criteria while selecting or evaluating a project or selecting an executive or officers for their office. We should also give a serious thought about maintaining that in our own offices and homes.

Developing enthusiasm in a person is not as difficult as it seems. It only involves determination and an integration of emotional skills, intelligence and attitude in every aspect of communication and training. It may look complex, but it is in fact easier than we imagine. Stimulating or nurturing the seed of enthusiasm in a person is more simpler than brushing our teeth provided we are determined to become a little receptive to human feelings and emotions. Usually it is only a word, or a thought away. Saying I love you to a person you love will make that person more enthusiastic.

Acknowledging your colleagues for their good work will make them enthusiastic to do more to impress you if you are in the position of power. Bringing sweet little memory back in the present will make us happier and enthusiastic. The idea is to trigger the dormant enthusiastic feelings that every person has in his/her subconscious mind by asking positively stimulating questions such as: “What is the best thing that happened to you in life?” It will help shift the mental focus from the present negative mindset to a totally positive mindset. This will change the way the person sees the world and becomes more enthusiastic.

The least we can do is make people feel better about themselves.

This article by Rajeeb Satyal was published in the Kathmandu Post.