the enthusiasm equation

why some things leave us more alive than when we started

This is a field guide to the strange force that turns painted rocks, wooden boxes, frogs, and ordinary people into movements.

Why do some forms of effort drain us, while others bring us back to life?

Every summer, I watch this mystery unfold at camp. This is my 11th summer serving at an 8 week overnight camp in west Tennessee. Young people who should, by all reasonable standards, be collapsing into small piles of exhaustion somehow become more themselves as the week goes on.

They sleep too little. They lose their voices. They happily hike in the often scorching southern heat. They lead songs no one requested and perform skits that should have never made it past the planning stage. They’re tired

… and yet …

I’ve watched executives leave events depleted after two days in air-conditioned hotel ballrooms with fancy chairs and unlimited coffee.

There’s lots of ways to be tired. The worst kind is the kind that leave you smaller. The tired that comes from too many tabs open in your brain, too many passwords to remember, too many hours assembling furniture with instructions translated from Swedish into hieroglyphics and then into English.

There’s another kind of tired, though. The tired that follows an afternoon helping a friend move. The tired that comes after making a meal for people you love. The tired that settles into your bones after staying too late around a campfire talking. You might arrive home exhausted, but somehow you’re renewed in a way that leaves you more yourself than you were before.

How is this possible? I’ve been wondering about that difference. For years, I’ve been collecting clues ….

Exhibit A: rocks

A woman (Megan Murphy) paints a rock with a few encouraging words.

She leaves it on a beach in Massachusetts. She wonders if a stranger who needs it might find it.

Years later, the Kindness Rocks Project has spread around the world.

Exhibit B: a little library

A man (Todd Bol) in Wisconsin builds a tiny wooden library in honor of his mother, a former schoolteacher who loved books.

He stocks it with a few favorites and invites neighbors to take one and leave one.

Now, thousands of Little Free Libraries stand in front yards and schoolyards in more than a hundred countries.

No business plan. No viral strategy. No intentions of starting global movements.

Just little things, lovingly done.

NONE OF THIS IS EFFICIENT.

Why do people do things? Why do some things expand beyond our initial intention? How is it that some acts energize both us and the people around us in such a way that it multiplies beyond anything we could’ve imagined?

Before there were millions of painted rocks or hundreds of little libraries or any other number of wonderful little delights in our world there was a person and a question:

I wonder if this might brighten someone’s day?

Here is something I’ve scribbled in the margins of enough notebooks now that I suppose it qualifies as a sort of equation:

joy + curiosity + action = momentum

Each of these are powerful on their own, but together seem to add up to something unstoppable.

JOY is not to be mistaken as fleeting happiness. I mean something more. Deep delight. The kind of steady, wild affection that comes from a bright inner knowing that makes you lean in a little closer to life.

CURIOSITY is that part of you that asks … What if? Curiosity is caring. It’s noticing. It’s a willingness to remain interested a few moments longer than practicality might advise. hmmm… what if?….

ACTION is that brave and often unimpressive decision to just do the thing. Send the invite. Bake the cookies. Make the sketch. Offer to help. Start. Even if you’re not ready… do the thing, already.

I began to notice the combination everywhere.

It’s in all the movements I am drawn to.

It’s in the projects of mine that have caught on and found audiences beyond anything I ever imagined.

It’s in the creative spirits and artists I admire. Take a look…

Exhibit C: Fred.

Exhibit D: Corita.

Exhibit E: Kermit.

There’s an equation in you.

Find your joy, follow your curiosity, and take action.

Momentum has a way of showing up when these things combine.

“WHAT IF?” I used to love that question. In recent years, though, I’m embarrased to admit that it’s been replaced often with a different question. “WHY BOTHER?”

The ‘why bother?’ sounds mature. Responsible, even. It seems wise, realistic, and maybe even protecting me from getting my hopes up or getting hurt again. I understand that voice. I really do.

Today, though, I wanted to risk blasting out my secret equation to you good people. Why bother? Well, we need more folks like you joyfully and curiously bringing us into a better world.

Take this. Do this. Go make something happen. See what happens.

We often think of enthusiasm as a personality trait, but I’m learning it’s a practice. It’s a way of meeting the world.

It’s this weird willingness to remain delighted and refuse to stop wondering. It’s a commitment to take any small steps you can to help bring others towards the joy too. It’s why I named this newsletter, The Enthusiast. It’s what I’ve been learning from all of you.

I wish I could tell you enthusiasm will guarantee success.
I wish I could tell you it protects you from all disappointments.

I can, though, tell you this: it helps keep us awake.

And in a world that constantly tries to tip us towards cynicism, distraction, and disengagement, staying awake with a big goofy grin on your face may be one of the bravest things we can do.

AAAAAA! Go for it!

1. THE FABULIST! I co-wrote a play and it’s headed to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Read about it here. Get tickets here. Also… let me know if you’ll be there!

2. ZIP and the TINY SPROUTS! Very cute and huggable plush toys of the characters I created are now available. So excited for mine to arrive soon. I’m very proud of this little show. See them here.

3. SHARE! Thank you for sharing my work and inviting other people into this community. Grateful. May the best be yet to come.