The Secret of Success

What is enthusiasm but interest plus inspiration? It is "inspired interest"—that is what enthusiasm truly is. Through the power of enthusiasm, the great achievements of life are expressed and accomplished.

Enthusiasm is not a physical object that some people possess and others lack. All people possess it potentially, but only a few are able to express it. The majority of people are afraid to let themselves "feel" a thing, and then afraid to let that feeling express itself in powerful action—much like the steam in an engine. Most people do not know how to generate the steam of enthusiasm. They fail to keep the fires of interest and desire kindled under their "mental boilers," and as a result, they fail to generate any power.

Enthusiasm may be developed by cultivating interest in and a love for your task. Interest, confidence, and desire arouse enthusiasm. It is then up to you to either concentrate it—so that its effect is directed straight original: "strait" toward the person or object you wish to move—or else allow it to dissipate into the air without result. Like steam, enthusiasm may be wasted or utilized. Through concentrated direction, it produces results; through foolish waste and dissipation, it fails to do so. The more interest you take in a thing, the more your confidence and desire grow—and from these arises the "steam" of enthusiasm. Remember always that interest is the mother of enthusiasm.

An enthusiastic person naturally tends toward an optimistic frame of mind. By doing so, they spread an atmosphere of confident, cheerful expectation which inspires confidence in others and aids them in their endeavors. Such a person surrounds themselves with a mental aura of success—they radiate original: "vibrates" success—and those who enter their presence unconsciously pick up on those vibrations. Enthusiasm is very contagious; someone filled with the right quality and degree of it unconsciously communicates their interest, earnestness, and expectations to others.

Enthusiasm plays an important part in what is called "personal magnetism." It is a live, warm, and vital mental quality that quickens the pulse of both the person using it and those affected by it. It is the opposite of the cold-blooded indifference so often encountered in business, which causes many sales to be lost and many good opportunities to be "turned down."

A person who lacks enthusiasm is robbed of more than half of their power of personal influence. No matter how good their arguments may be, or how worthy original: "meritorious" their proposition is, unless they possess the warm, vital quality of enthusiasm, their efforts are largely wasted and their results are diminished. Think of the salespeople who have approached you. Remember how some produced the chilling effect of a damp cellar, while others caused you to sit up and take notice—despite yourself—because of their earnest interest and enthusiasm. Analyze the impression produced on you by the different people you have encountered, and you will see how great an influence enthusiasm ex— The text cuts off here, continuing on the next page.