I recently had the opportunity to see “700 Sundays,” starring Billy Crystal. This was the second time I’ve seen this incredible one-man show, and Crystal is beyond sensational.
How can a person put on a challenging show, night in and night out, and keep it fresh and interesting? How can an entertainer like Tony Bennett sing the same songs for 50-plus years and still make every performance seem like he’s more thrilled and excited about it than anyone in the audience?
They’re pros. They give it everything they’ve got, every time, just as if it were their first or last performance. Their focus and enthusiasm are obvious.
When I played golf for the University of Minnesota in my sophomore year, I was headed for the NCAA championship tournament. To prepare, I was playing so much golf, I was certain my optic nerves had locked and could register only the color green. My game began to show signs I had decided to withdraw, by taking up residence in the rough.
Our legendary coach, Les Bolstad, gave me some of the best advice I’ve ever received. He said, “Harvey, every single shot you take from now on, I want you to say to yourself, ‘This is the last shot I’ll hit as long as I live.’ Every drive is the last drive I will ever hit. Every sand shot is the last sand shot. Every putt is the last putt.”
I learned that when you put that kind of emphasis on your performance, your concentration will intensify, and you’ll be amazed at how successful you’ll be.
I continue to use this philosophy in a lot of what I do. For example, when I make a speech, I always tell myself, “This is the last speech I am ever going to give. I am never going to make another speech as long as I live.” I put pressure on myself to always do my best.
Entertainers use this same mental trick the instant they sense they’re getting stale.
The late Eddie Albert was a close friend. He once told me, “If I don’t treat every performance as if it will be my farewell appearance, there’s a good chance it may be.”
I would sum up all of the above as focus. You must have it to excel.
But there is one other ingredient that is necessary – enthusiasm.
In his classic work, “The Laws of Success in 16 Lessons,” (Success Unlimited, 1979) Napoleon Hill says that enthusiasm in life is an essential ingredient for success. Enthusiasm energizes, refreshes and motivates the person endowed with it. Hill, one of my all-time favorite writers, says that some people are born with a natural enthusiasm, and some people have to develop it. How? Simple, he says.
Work at something you love.
Very early in his career, even after failure after failure, automaker Henry Ford remained enthusiastic. “You can do anything if you have enthusiasm. … Enthusiasm is the spark in your eye, the swing in the gait, the grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of your will and your energy to execute your ideas. Enthusiasm is at the bottom of all progress! With it, there is accomplishment. Without it, there are only alibis.”
Zig Ziglar, a master motivator and one of the most enthusiastic people I know, tells the story of a woman in his organization who was the top salesperson in his company – out of 1,200 people! When she broke all the sales records, Zig asked how she did it. She replied, “God didn’t make me with an off switch.”
If your switch is off more than on, it’s time to examine what’s making you less than motivated. Is it the job itself? Find something to love about it, or find a different line of work. Is it the fear of failure?
Then you haven’t been paying attention: Failure is an opportunity to learn and improve – and boost your enthusiasm. Are you bored? Burned out? Ready for a different challenge? Jump at the chance to try something new. Life’s too short to hate what you are doing! Find something you can be passionate about and work at it until you can’t imagine doing anything else.
Remember, if you aren’t getting excited about hitting the pavement every day, it will show. And that generates a lack of enthusiasm among your customers for whatever you’re selling. You’ll get what you give – nothing. Flip your switch to “on” and see what you can achieve!
Mackay’s Moral: Enthusiasm is contagious. Start an epidemic.
Harvey Mackay is author of the New York Times best seller “Pushing the Envelope.” He can be reached through his Web site, www.mackay.com, or at Mackay Envelope Corp., 2100 Elm St., Minneapolis, MN 55414.
