Looking For Excitement
I just finished reading The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss and I highly recommend it, especially if you have entrepreneurial tendencies. Even if you don’t, he has great tools for working more effectively.
In the book Ferriss suggests that while we think we seek happiness, what we really want is excitement. He puts it this way: “The question you should be asking isn’t, “What do I want?” or “What are my goals? but “What would excite me?””
I don’t know your reaction to this idea but mine was something like, “Brilliant! That’s exactly it!”
I have always been concerned that the worthy concepts of “find your passion” or “follow your bliss” are too stagnant. They suggest a place or a state of having arrived; an ending. What does it mean if you find your passion, and vigorously pursue it only to discover a year or two down the road that it’s not your passion? Does that mean you’ve wasted too much precious time?
On the other hand, in looking for what excites you, you naturally tap the power of the Law of Attraction which dictates that you get more of what you focus on.
As a bonus, looking for what excites you is a pretty simple way to discover your natural gifts. Excitement is a clue.
When I was a sophomore in High School, I took a typing class (today they call it keyboarding). I confess I thought it would be an “easy A” and I was right but not because it actually was easy. Many of my classmates struggled but I discovered I had a natural gift for it. In fact, it was the first thing in my life I was good at. I got excited. The faster I typed, the more excited I got. The more excited I got, the better my typing, which is precisely how the Law of Attraction works. Focused on my ability caused it to grow and grow. Today I can keyboard 100wpm and I still enjoy it!
Sometimes excitement is a reward. My friend Thomas gets very jazzed about completing a woodworking project but, in the middle, you’d never know that. He gets frustrated, he cusses, he wonders aloud why he ever started in the first place but, when he gazes upon the end product, his excitement makes it all worthwhile.
In today’s financial climate, there is the reality of layoffs and the fear of being laid off. As you consider what your next job might be or you want to make sure you’re doing the best possible job where you are, don’t overlook the important task of knowing what excites you:
• Turning chaos into order
• Thinking up creative solutions
• Turning ideas into reality
• Completing projects
• Meeting new people
• Fixing things
• Making presentations
• Influencing another to take action
• Mentoring or coaching
That which excites you is an indicator of the kinds of work you’d be wise to pursue. If it excites you, then you will go the extra mile to do it well. That translates into having a good attitude and these days, smart companies hire for attitude and they keep the employees with the best attitudes.
As you go about your work on the job and at home, look for what excites you and jot it down. A pattern will begin to emerge and you will discover your natural gifts. If you want your life to be easier and more satisfying, then you will figure out a way to apply your gifts to the tasks at hand so they are more exciting.
Maybe you’ll achieve the 4-Hour Workweek. I hope you do. But no matter if you’re working or playing, pursuing what excites you makes life worth living.
