Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm

Today's quote is from Ralph Waldo Emerson, and it is one that I know I need to remember in my life.
"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."
It's simple to say that we want to do great things in our lives, but are we really putting forth enough energy and heart into the projects that we want to make great?

I know that I have had plenty of big plans in my life, and often I have pulled back on them because I was frustrated, bored or even worried that I would be embarrassed somehow by the project. Instead of focusing on putting all of my energy into it in order to make it a success, I worked hard at the project but did not really give it my all. So even though I said I wanted to be great, I didn't really act like it.
But if you think about it, Michael Jordan didn't become a great basketball player by being afraid of what people would think about him, by cutting corners or by giving up when things got tough. He pushed ahead and put all of his energy toward becoming a great basketball player.
And great inventors don't just come up with ideas by falling into them or by thinking, "Oh well, maybe I'll invent the cell phone today while I watch television." They work diligently and with enthusiasm on their inventions.
Similarly, people who are great bus drivers, great factory workers, great grocery store clerks, great waiters or great postal workers aren't considered great because they are blase about their work and just kind of try to get through the day. They are great because people see that they care about their work and they are doing it as well as they can.
It's the same thing with parenting, being a good spouse, being a good friend, being a good pet owner or doing anything else in your life.
Too often in my life I have shied away from doing what I needed to do to be great because I was afraid of failing or of looking foolish. I'm not going to do that anymore, and I hope that you can get beyond whatever might be holding you back in your life.
You can do great things in your life, but you need to believe in yourself and in the work you are doing. You can do it.