Joie De Vivre
Why Enthusiasm Is A Way of Life
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None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm – Henry David Thoreau
During my travels across the world, I met two kinds of office secretaries. One that would always be smiling even if he/she was staring at a nuclear catastrophe ie one with an extremely positive mindset which to a large extent would flow from having a good boss. The really great ones would see the best in life even if their bosses would make their life miserable. Some of them would internalize anger (and smile)which is not a good way to stay happy.
The other type of secretaries would be grumpy and feel angry even at doing everything right. A lot of times we forget that we bring our personal selves to work all the time. A fight early in the morning can truly ruin your day in office. Some of these secretaries would have faced such a bad morning. For others, anger and fear were a way of getting things done. Mostly, at the cost of relationships.
I would always be more empathetic towards the second type of administrative staff. The first type could take care of themselves.
This is just a very mundane observation but the larger point I am making is that there are two and half ways to lead life ie full of zest, morose or choosing the middle path of ambivalence or the “myeh” attitude.
To be truly happy, enthusiasm is indispensable. In fact, enthusiasm breeds productivity which in turn leads to success. I have seen many couples dance the funky chicken or skydive in their 70’s. Some would call it crazy, others keeping the spark of life alive. This article is a discussion about making enthusiasm a way of living your life.
The Master Of Small Joys
Last night, I chanced upon a unique book. The book was titled “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up”. Normally, you wouldn’t think that tidying up can be magical or life changing but Marie Kondo, the author is an expert in helping people discover that joy. Personally, I do need tidying up just to help me become more efficient. The Magic takes over when that efficiency gives me happiness and my chores become my most favorite items of the day. Hard to imagine, right? I couldn’t agree more. Here’s Marie…
