rahulballiablogger.blogspot.com
I remember,
about 40 years ago, reading two
books by Frank Bettger, the baseball player, about how enthusiasm made all the
difference in his life.
His books made a difference in my life at the time and
are still well worth reading and re-reading. In 1907, he played baseball for
Johnstown in Pennsylvania for $175 dollars a month.
He was young and ambitious
but was fired for being lazy. He was not really lazy but had been trying to
control his nervousness by being laid back.
His manager told him: “Whatever you
do after you leave here, for heaven’s sake, wake yourself up and put some life
and enthusiasm into your work.” Frank went to Chester, Pennsylvania were he
played baseball for only $25 a month. Frank commented: “Well,
I couldn’t feel
very enthusiastic on that kind of money but I began to act enthusiastic.” After
a few days he was given a trial at New Haven, Connecticut.
No one knew him in
that league so he decided to establish a reputation for enthusiasm. Once
established, he would be forced to live up to his own reputation
: “From the
minute I appeared on the field I acted like a man electrified. I acted as though
I were alive with a million batteries.” Frank threw the ball hard and fast
around the diamond and ran like a madman to score for his team.
All this was on
a hot day when the thermometer was 100 degrees. The act he was putting on worked
like magic. His nervousness now worked for him by fueling his energy. His
enthusiasm affected the other players on the field and they, too, became
enthusiastic.
He felt better during the game and after it than ever before. Next
day, the New Haven newspaper wrote: “This new player, Bettger, has a barrel of
enthusiasm. He inspired our boys. They not only won the game but looked better
than any time this season.” The papers began calling him “Pep” Bettger, the life
of the team.
Enthusiasm increased his income in ten days from $25 a month to
$185 a month. This was a 700% increase. Bettger insists that he earned the
income not for his ability which was the same as before but for his enthusiasm
alone.
He could not catch or hit better than before. Two years later he was
playing 3rd base for the St Louis Cardinals. Another two years later, he injured
his arm and was forced out of baseball.
Two years after this, he ended up
selling life insurance. He was a miserable failure at this until he went to a
public speaking course run by the great Dale Carnegie. Carnegie, like his first
manager,
told him to be more enthusiastic. A salesman who is enthusiastic can
outsell a non enthusiastic salesman who has much greater knowledge.
The
enthusiastic person is like a magnet. He or she attracts and inspires others to
do what they thought was beyond them. Frank, himself, was inspired by a great
quote from Walter Chrysler. When Chrysler was asked to give the secret of
success,
he listed qualities such as ‘ability, capacity, and energy’ but added
that the real secret was ‘enthusiasm.’ “Yes, more than enthusiasm,” said
Chrysler, “I would say ‘excitement’.
I like to see men get excited. When they
get excited, they get customers excited and we get business.” Enthusiasm can
make a huge difference. We could all benefit by being enthusiastic about
something that
we currently find boring. We could be amazed at how excited we
become and how skilful we become.
We could also notice that the fire of our
enthusiasm soon spreads to other people. We could end up in the ‘major leagues’
of whatever
,we become enthusiastic about and we could have more friends, more
fun and more money!
