#WorkMomSays that enthusiasm is a secret weapon in career success. In this episode, Lori delves into how genuine enthusiasm can differentiate you from others in the workplace, enhance your energy, and positively impact your career trajectory. Learn practical strategies for maintaining and boosting enthusiasm, recognize what might be draining it, and harness the science of positive energy to become more effective and noticeable in your professional life. Themes discussed in this episode The critical role of enthusiasm in professional success Strategies to maintain and boost enthusiasm at work Recognizing and mitigating factors that diminish enthusiasm Leveraging positive energy in personal interactions and meetings Episode Highlights Time-stamped inflection points from the show 00:12 – Introduction to the concept of enthusiasm as a key differentiator in career success. 01:38 – The importance of bringing energy into spaces and communication projects to stand out. 03:47 – Examples of how to demonstrate genuine enthusiasm in the workplace. 06:40 – The science of energy: How positive energy and enthusiasm can influence others. 08:36 – Common factors that kill enthusiasm and how to combat them with micro-breaks and reframing techniques. 10:49 – Practical tips to boost enthusiasm, including daily learning goals and volunteering for new projects. Top Quotes 00:31 – “Enthusiasm differentiates the seriously successful from the people who just slog through their days.” 03:22 – “Multitasking throws your enthusiasm off. You cannot have enthusiasm for something you’re not paying attention to.” 13:01 – “Volunteer for something that’s slightly outside of your comfort zone… build the plane while you’re flying it.” 13:53 – “You don’t have to be the loudest person in the room to be enthusiastic, but you need to care.” Transcript 00:12LORI: Hello, I’m Lori Jo Vest, aka Work Mom, and I am so happy to be here today with you. I want to talk about something that’s really important to your career success, and what that is is how enthusiasm is a secret weapon. Enthusiasm is something that differentiates the seriously successful from the people who just slog through their days. There’s a lot to be said for it. So we’re going to dig into a couple things: reasons that you may be losing yours, how to beef it back up, and why it’s so important. 00:48So, do you ever wonder why some people just light up a room? You know, they walk in and everybody perks up, and they talk to everybody, and they greet everybody, and they’ve just got a really great positive energy. And some other people just kind of slither in, or wander in and sit down and don’t say anything. That’s the difference between having enthusiasm and not having enthusiasm. I’m not talking about cheesy, over-the-top, loud, obnoxious, fake stuff. None of that. I’m talking about genuine interest in other people, genuine commitment to being a positive person in the workspace. Those kinds of things are what are going to help you with enthusiasm. 01:38We have the ability to bring energy with us into spaces and communication projects, even on the hard days. When you can do that, you will differentiate yourself from the vast majority of people. And the reason is, these days, we’re looking at quiet quitting. People are frustrated, prices are high. You know, there’s a lot of crazy things happening in the world, and people are just kind of on edge. If you can be the one that’s consistently positive and brings that positive energy, it’s huge. I mean, it’s absolutely amazing, the difference in how people perceive you. 02:21So a lot of things happened during the pandemic that brought us into a place of lack of communication