To the enthusiastic, challenge is an adventure. Enthusiasm does not ignore the bumps in the road, but it prefers to enjoy the thrill of life rather than trouble over its turbulence.

Whether at sport or on the job, Teddy Roosevelt thrived on the challenges that made each day and adventure.

Richard Welling, a Harvard classmate of Roosevelt, told the following story as typical of Roosevelt's indomitable enthusiasm.

Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)   Theodore Roosevelt was Vice President when William McKinley was assassinated. At age 42, Roosevelt became the youngest U.S. President> Whatever his interest, Roosevelt pursued it with extraordinary zeal. "I always believe in going hard at everything," he said time and again. This was the basis for living what he called the "strenuous life," and he advocated it for both the individual and the nation.

It was Roosevelt who suggested the two go ice-skating one blustery winter afternoon. In Welling's opinion, the day proved too windy: "Rough ice, dull skates, wretched skaters scuffling about...arms waving like windmills in a gale." Welling was ready to quit. "The afternoon's sport," in his opinion, "was clearly a flop."

Roosevelt's attitude was quite different, however. "Isn't this bully!" Roosevelt exclaimed, already becoming known for his punchy expressions.

"The harder it blew," Welling recounted, "...the more often I had to hear, 'Isn't this bully!'"

But this wasn't just a sporting demeanor. He donned the same adventuresome, "bully" attitude at work. In 1895, Roosevelt was one of four commissioners responsible to institute reforms in the New York City Police Department.

Roosevelt was frustrated by the bureaucracy of his new position. "I have to dial with three colleagues," he wrote, "solve terribly difficult problems, and do my word under hampering laws.... Yet, in spite of all the nervous strain and worry, I am glad I undertook it; for it is a man's work."

An adult-sized adventure - that was Roosevelt's attitude in every difficult task he undertook. In fact, the more troubling the job, the more enthusiastic Roosevelt seemed to be.

As Assistant Secretary or the Navy, a soldier in the Spanish-American War, and then President of the United States, Roosevelt exuded a consistent spirit of adventuresome glee. Even in the thick of battle or the heat of some political crisis, one might occasionally catch a glimpse of him grinning ear-to-ear.

For all its ups and downs, life was an adventure for Teddy Roosevelt, and he determined to give every day all the enthusiasm he could muster.

ENTHUSIASM ON THE JOB

No one knows what a day will hold.

Every day is full of uncertainty, but life is not random chance. There are things you can do today to influence what will happen tomorrow.

Anticipate tomorrow. Plan for it. Act to bring about worthwhile goals. But don't let curve balls frustrate you. When the unexpected happens, stretch your thinking and adapt your plan. That's the adventure of life.

ENTHUSIASM WITH BALANCE

Life is unpredictable. Making predictions and adjusting for the unexpected is part of the adventure. The little ups and downs add spice to life.

But when the bottom drops out and serious tragedy plunges your whole life into a deep pit, the adventure suddenly comes to and end.

Enthusiasm must be kept in balance with patience. Patience is "accepting a difficult situation without giving a deadline to remove it." It is taking the necessary time and energy to respectfully, thoroughly, and rightly respond to difficulty.

Life is an adventure, but it is not a game. Real troubles should be given the seriousness they warrant. Serious troubles call for appropriate grief or concern. Patience is granting to each situation the full attention it deserves.

Live enthusiastically. Live patiently.

ENTHUSIASM VS. APATHY

Expressing joy in each task as I give it my best effort

Enthusiasm comes from an ancient Greek term that was applied to a prophet who spoke by divine inspiration. In Greek, the word meant, "to have God inside."

One who believed that his words were the words of a god (or God Himself) spoke with absolute confidence and zeal. By the early eighteenth century, the word enthusiasm in English came to be used descriptively of any fervent or zealous individual, especially one zealous for a cause.

en·thu·si·asm n 1: the state of being inspired or animated 2: strong excitement or feeling 3: a disposition of openness to new instructions 4: enlivening or exulting influence

Enthusiasm is recognizing the fullest potential of a given task and drawing upon the excitement of the anticipated result to energize present efforts.

COMMITMENT

Enthusiasm is similar to, but not synonymous with, optimism.

Optimism is the philosophy that everything works out for the best. Enthusiasm is a commitment to make the best of everything.

Optimism alone lends itself towards passivity, letting things happen and hoping for the best. Enthusiasm enables one to see the best outcome possible and motivates him or her to act to secure it.

HOPE

Enthusiasm is not possible in the face of certain failure. But what is "certain failure"? To the enthusiastic, the only certain failure is the failure that has already occurred. And even that might yet be rectified.

Enthusiasm is the character quality related to hope. Indomitable hope does not give in to what is likely. Rather, hopeful enthusiasm strives wholeheartedly for what is right.

Enthusiasm is not rooted in chance. It is rooted in the conviction of what is right and the belief that what is right will ultimately be rewarded.

WORK

Enthusiasm is a working word. One cannot truly be enthusiastic without being about something. Neither can one truly be enthusiastic about something without rolling up his sleeves and doing something about it.

ENTHUSIASM AT HOME
 

THINK ENTHUSIASM 1. How can you enjoy the adventure of life without ignoring its sensitive realities? 2. It is good to be enthusiastic in the face of life's challenges. But how should a person respond to problems that result from personal wrongdoing? 3. Discuss the difference between anticipation and dread. How do these attitudes affect enthusiasm? “I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life.” - Theodore Roosevelt

Your example in the face of hardships will have a profound influence on how your children weather trials throughout their lives. When possible, include your children when you and your spouse are facing difficult decisions.

Some delicate circumstances are best handled without the children; but as much as possible, use crises as opportunities to teach your children. Teach them about finances. Teach them responsibility. Teach them about relationships. Above all, teach them by your example how to face difficulties with appropriate patience and enthusiasm.

Character definitions and information used by permission. Copyright Character Training Institute. www.characterfirst.com
 

Comment on this article