Getting what you want from life – success, happiness, achieving personal goals – will happen on the basis of what you put into life.
Talent is good. Hard work is a must. Poise under pressure helps. Resilience is usually required. Proper training and a spirit of learning accompany longterm achievement. You already know how important belief is to me: you gotta believe!
But one of the most common missing ingredients from success recipes that I’ve seen is enthusiasm … that excitement and passion to do whatever it takes to achieve whatever you want.
When some people talk about their dreams and goals they do it with such little excitement and enthusiasm that I want to tell them to go look for a new dream and some new goals that will get them fired up.
As an NBA owner I saw a lot of marvelous athletes. All of them were talented. Most of them worked pretty hard. They had the poise to handle pressure situations. What enabled okay players to become good players … and good players to become great players … and great players to become legends was passion for the game … they were the ones who were as excited to practice as they were to play.
As an NBA owner I also saw a lot of tremendous fans who were committed to our team and community and weren’t afraid to show it. Some of them got so excited they looked a little bit crazy. I loved watching the happiness and spark that came from being a fanatic. I understood that. I was a fanatic too.
The secret is to capture the excitement we feel at particular and special moments in life and let that enthusiasm spill out onto the dreams, goals, and endeavors that matter most to us. Excitement, enthusiasm, and passion are invigorating – that simply means they provide additional strength.
What matters most to you in life? What do you most want to accomplish? Who are the most important people in your life? Get excited about them. Get excited about life!