Sustained enthusiasm.

Sustained.

Man.

That’s where it’s at….that’s where I need to be on a Tuesday….drinking another cup of black coffee…and feeling sustained enthusiasm for….whatever and everything.

Of course, there has to be a worthwhile target for the sustained enthusiasm.

I remember working at the bookstore and talking to an older lady who was buying a price guide for Beanie Babies.

I made the mistake of saying something like that I wondered if they would keep their value….and she countered with, “They better! I’m putting my grandchildren through college with these Beanie Babies!”

It upset her that I’d raised that question.

I dont know if she just loved the little dolls….or if greed had taken over….but, in the end, at least, the Beanie Baby economic plan didn’t really hold any water.

I guess that her sustained enthusiasm didn’t have something strong to latch onto.

She was riding the wrong train.

So “whatever and everything” isn’t appropriate.

I need to be enthusiastic about the right things.

That’s a lot of pressure before the second cup of coffee.

I do think that the key to….(what? whatever and everything?)….that the key to….the key to (takes sip of second cup of coffee)….oh! yeah….the key to any success that I’m ever going to approach….whether by design or by accident….is my level of enthusiasm.

Enthusiasm backed by action, of course.

You can’t just run around with your hands in the air, shouting “YEAH!!” …and expect to get anything worthwhile done.

You can’t stockpile Beanie Babies and gleefully rub your greedy hands together….and suppose that your enthusiasm has been well-aimed at a deserving target.

Well-aimed enthusiasm is a powerful thing.

You could move mountains with some well-aimed enthusiasm.

I guess that we all can muster some sustained enthusiasm from time to time…but, usually, in my case at least, the stuff that I sustain enthusiasm for can be kind of goofy choices.

Oh, well.

This morning the popup on my computer said that one of the Duck Dynasty guys was going to “drop some stunning news”.

That wasn’t something that I was enthusiastic over….but it bothered me that I couldn’t get it to load.

What should I care about that kind of stuff?

What should I care about weird news that’s everywhere?

That’s an enthusiasm diverter…muddying the water…a shiny bauble hanging over the garden….distracting the crows from the business at hand.

I couldn’t drink enough coffee to avoid being distracted by the latest news from the Duck Dynasty family….apparently.

Caffeine doesn’t bring focus if focus isn’t already there.

Man….I start with a title…..and go from there….and sometimes, by the time I’ve had a couple of cups of coffee, and am veering and lurching towards the end of another blog post, I realize that the title was really just a tease.

The title is a lie.

Of course enthusiasm can be overrated.

You pick some goofy path to be enthusiastic about…like, “MAN!!! THIS CRYSTAL METH YOU JUST COOKED UP IS THE BEST!!! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE…..I CAN REALLY GET MY ENTHUSIASM BEHIND THIS BATCH OF CRYSTAL METH!! GOOD COOKING, HOLMES!!! GOOD JOB!!! WHEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEE!!! THIS IS SOME GREAT CRYSTAL METH!!!”….you pick the wrong path, and enthusiasm is just going to keep you locked into the wrong ways of living.

You’ve got to have a good target.

Aim well….and keep it up.

Aim well….sharpen the ax.