Walking through Central Park each morning, I often encounter a dog I’ve written about before.  Whenever she sees someone she knows, or when she runs among the trees, she simply barks and barks and barks and barks.  Her enthusiasm is infectious, and people can’t help but smile.  The other morning, I asked her human companion how he managed to deal with her barking in his apartment.  He told me that she never barks at home.  She saves it all up for Central Park each morning.

That fact really impressed me.  This delightful dog had figured out that she has full license each and every day to let go in Central Park – to allow herself to bark and run up to people and other dogs, and to generally enjoy herself fully.   As I continued on my journey to my office, I began to think about enthusiasm and where and when we experience it.  This dog embodies sheer delight, and she doesn’t hold anything back.   Her way of being got me to wondering about those places where each of us may have sources of enthusiasm where we hold back, or not allow ourselves to fully express our delight in the moment. 

For this week’s experiment, I invite you to notice where enthusiasm invites you to engage it and where you do and don’t allow it full expression.  It may be a moment of small delight, or something that lifts your spirits in a powerful way.  Or, it may be an urge to dance or swing your arms wide.  It may be an urge to sing out loud or to laugh from your belly. 

As you explore where and when you do and don’t allow yourself to engage life enthusiastically, notice what happens this week if you allow yourself to go ahead and experience, as well as express, your enthusiasm in the moment.  Find out what happens inside you when you fully experience and express your delight, even if you don’t do so “out loud.”  And, especially notice what it’s like when you have an urge to engage life enthusiastically and stop yourself.  You’ll notice a truly different experience between allowing and not allowing an active expression of delight in your life.

Remember, as with all experiments, engage this one without judgment.  The invitation is to be curious and kind to yourself with your responses.  Most of us have learned ways to stop ourselves from expressing our enthusiasm out loud, so this week’s experiment can be a gentle reminder to see what happens when you follow your internal experience and allow it to be what it is most naturally.