Recently, a friend and fellow ENTHUSIAST told me he loved my videos and the ENTHUSIASM I showed in them. Then he said, “Hold on, I can say this…” Then looked up to the sky as if to search for just the right words and proceeded to say, “‘I am on a mission to break the monotony of the mundane and the mediocre by bringing as much ENTHUSIASM to as many businesses, ministries, marriages, and individual lives as I possibly can.’” He had just quoted my mission statement which I repeat at the beginning of every video I do!!  Wow! (Thanks for the encouragement John!)

We continued to talk about the content of the videos and the meaning of the word ENTHUSIASM. A definition we are mostly familiar with goes something like this: “Ardent and lively interest or eagerness” (Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition).

However, the word ENTHUSIASM actually comes from two Greek words, “En” meaning “in” and “thus” which is a form of the word “Theo” which is Greek for “God”. It is where we get our English word “Theology” which means “a study of God”. The original meaning of the word “ENTHUSIASM” was “God in you” or “God inspired”.

One of the main antonyms of “ENTHUSIASM” is the word “mundane”. The most familiar definition of the word “mundane” is “Common; ordinary; banal; unimaginative” (Dictionary.com Unabridged). However, another definition is “of or relating to this world or earth as contrasted with heaven; worldly; earthly” (Dictionary.com Unabridged).

I have developed my own personal definition of each of these words…

ENTHUSIASM: A God-inspired fire ignited deep within your soul that drives you to never settle, live with passion, and turn the world upside down!

MUNDANE: A worldly imprisoned mediocrity that steals, kills, and destroys your soul and restrains you until you settle for the status quo, live a passionless life, and barely even make a dent in the world.

Back in January I sat down and wrote out what it means to be a fellow ENTHUSIAST. Here is what I wrote…

I am escaping the mundane jungle and living as an ENTHUSIAST. I am ready to leave the mediocre and the status quo behind. The “box” that so many talk about may inform me but it will not contain me.

I will fight the fight, run the race, step beyond my stride, I will seek out the greatness in others. So, we can share our journey together.

I cannot be satisfied. It is not in my DNA. I cannot grasp the concept of arrival.

I am only limited by my imagination and my imagination is limitless and running wild. I cannot control it and therefore it is controlling me. The greatest nation in the world is imagination.

I cannot be still. I cannot be held. I cannot be settled.

Here I go! My time is come. I will surpass myself daily.

I cannot hold back. I serve a God with no limitations and therefore when I allow God’s power to work through me I have no limits.

I have left the land of the mundanians. They are no longer my tribe. They are too small to fit me any longer. I have entered the land of the ENTHUSIASTS. Igniting my ENTHUSIASM has become my daily routine. The ENTHUSIASTS will change the world and any part they cannot change they will leave to its own small, mediocre, status quo, mundane demise.

I have not come this far to only come this far. There is still more ENTHUSIASM to spread and I will be the number one ENTHUSIASM spreader in the world!

This is what ENTHUSIASM means to me! This is what it means to be a fellow ENTHUSIASTS!! If you choose to travel with me, this is our journey together!!!

What does ENTHUSIASM mean to you?