“The passion of genuine enthusiasm is an energy you can generate yourself. How? Simple: by focusing your time, effort and energy on those ideas, activities and pursuits that get you excited.” ~~Rita Davenport “Enthusiasm and misplaced belief can take you a long way.” ~~John Otway “Enthusiasm does not come easy to everyone; sometimes, it is not for lack of trying, but we simply are not all naturally optimistic people. However, while negative feelings are as valid as positive ones, they can really take over our lives and harm us, in the long run.” ~~Lucy Stanmore
#11 Enthusiasm is my daily exercise.
I treasure the moments of my New Life.
Sometimes Statement #11 can feel difficult to practice especially during the holiday season. It seems that we are pulled in different directions during this time of year and it can feel natural to put our self-care further down the list. Yet to maintain our sobriety and recovery it is essential to be aware of our thoughts, feelings, and self-care needs. Enthusiasm can be simple, appreciating and acknowledging fleeting moments or savoring a cherished holiday tradition. Embracing each sober day whether it is our first or fiftieth turns the key towards action. In our WFS Program booklet it states, “Pause at random times throughout the day and identify something to appreciate about that moment. Learn which things make you smile and feel excited. Reflect on your life and find things to be thankful for.” Each day this week look for opportunities to treasure or appreciate something during the day. Yesterday, as I walked our senior chihuahua the sunrise was absolutely breathtaking. It lit up the eastern sky with an incredibly vibrant glow that I was able to carry along throughout the day. It felt mesmerizing. Embrace and illuminate your inner glow today and shine bright! Hugzzz Karen
Hi 4C Women,
Of all the WFS Statements, this has always been the most challenging for me in creating daily enthusiasm. Yet, like all of the Statements, it needs practice along with patience. For me, patience is learning that I must not compare myself to others but appreciate and acknowledge the work I am doing. Thankfully WFS has helped me to have a positive attitude (Statement #2) which is extremely helpful in putting this Statement into practice.
While I may struggle with daily enthusiasm, I absolutely have learned to treasure the “moments” of my New Life. Before WFS, I have to say I neglected and missed many treasured moments. Right now, the struggle for feeling enthusiastic is mainly because I have been sick with a respiratory infection (not Covid) for almost 3 weeks and having asthma just makes it take longer to recover. One of the positive outcomes is that it’s given me plenty of time to reflect on treasured moments. Currently, I do treasure that I have medication to help in healing, can rest as much as I need, can help my daughter who lives with me and unfortunately caught the respiratory infection from me.
Even being sick, I can facilitate my WFS meetings on Zoom, deeply appreciate my wonderful neighbor who has brought groceries for me, my dog, Molly, who brings me joy each day and the warm weather we are having in December! Mostly, I treasure my sobriety gained through such a life-changing program. I treasure the women I have met, the friends I have made and how WFS has given me a purpose in life. I treasure that above all. To have a purpose creates enthusiasm and provides much joy.
How would you describe your enthusiasm?
How do you show your enthusiasm?
What makes you feel enthusiastic? Be as specific as possible as this will help in answering the next question.
Do you include fun activities or things you love into your day? Setting time aside each day for joy or the things you love, activities that bring an instant smile to your face, nurtures your well-being. It is one way of creating a treasured moment along with enthusiasm. The key is to know where that joyful, fun feeling comes from in order to include it in your daily exercise.
Now this goes to changing our attitude. I saw a video that asked to me to make a list of things that make me unhappy and decide next time they happen, to approach them with enthusiasm and experience how differently I feel. Now that’s a different way of creating enthusiasm! I thought of so many things that don’t necessarily make me unhappy, i.e., laundry, bills, cleaning, but to approach those tasks with enthusiasm would be worth trying. Are you up to that challenge? Do you have a specific task or situation in mind? When you have faced this challenge with a different, enthusiastic attitude, how did you feel afterwards? Think about writing it down, perhaps sharing the experience with others and then try it again!
We talk a lot about choice and change in WFS. This Statement exemplifies the willingness to make a major shift in how we define enthusiasm and ways to practice it. It certainly was a positive change for me even with struggling to practice it on a daily basis. Yet, I will not judge my path because I’m still on it. I am not in competition with anyone, not even myself. I am doing the best I can and as long as I stay on the path, continue to be open to learning, I will count that as a treasured moment!
I encourage you to practice what Karen has suggested in looking for opportunities to treasure or appreciate something each day and remember to include fun and what gives you joy as you practice this Statement.
Bonded in developing enthusiasm and treasuring “moments” of your New Life, Dee | 
