So, why Enthusiasms?

The Enthusiasms Origin Story:

This all began with the idea of coming up with a funny shirt. I've always loved messing around with words and phrases, what I like to call "the George Carlin effect," and got to thinking, I could come up with something that was unique, a fun play on words and get a laugh.

A phrase I had used for a long time was "you're problem is you've got no enthusiasms." It was meant as a dig but basically said, "you're unhappy, life’s not great? It's your lack of interests that's the problem. Get involved!" So you could say, I took the non Tony Robbins positive affirmation approach.

As I started considering that phrase for one of my soon to be best selling hilarious shirts, it struck me that maybe it would work better turned around. Why not make it positive? The world always needs another heaping tablespoon of positivity added to it. So initially I thought, "Got Enthusiasms?" But that was coat tailing too much on "Got Milk?" I wanted something more original and definite. A call to action. That's when I landed on "Have Enthusiasms!" Yes, with the single exclamation point. Note how I only used one and didn't go with obnoxious overused multiple exclamation points to make my point!!!

This entire journey into finding a fun shirt idea turned into so much more. As I messed around with the concept of "Have Enthusiasms!" I had a revelation about what that simple phrase means to me and how it has informed my life. Whenever I've added an “Enthusiasm” to my life, I've been happier, more passionate and more involved in my own life. Whether learning new songs on guitar, trying to improve my tennis game, creative writing, hiking, trying my hand at stand up comedy, reading a new book or even allowing myself time to sit and enjoy time with friends and family, it's then that I feel that I'm really living my life and challenging myself to grow and, most importantly, being in the moment. The joys, passions, interests, pursuits, loves, challenges and inspirations are all inside the idea of "Have Enthusiasms!"

Have Enthusiams! is a way of saying, get off your ass, do something, love something, be inspired and be involved in this life of yours. Whatever it is that makes you happy, do it! And have as many Enthusiasms as you like. Life can be good if YOU make it good. We have abilities and choices. It's in having a purpose and a drive and the mere act of trying and doing that is a constant reminder of how capable we are and how good it feels to not only do something you're enthusiastic about but to get better at it and to learn something new.

What inspires me about the Enthusiasms idea is that it is empowering, inclusive, non judgmental, inspiring and all about joy but it encourages all of those from the inside of each individual. It’s not about competing or being the best or being a virtuoso or having natural born abilities, but in the joy of trying, of exploring who you are and finding contentment in the experience. The full scale effect is not only feeling better about yourself, happier in your own skin but in the ripple effects on the people and relationships in your life. If we're more inspired and involved in our lives, we're more interesting to the people around us and can inspire the same actions in them. The ‘ol pebble thrown into a pond effect, right? Happiness comes from the inside - that’s not breaking new ground but the idea and mission of Enthusiasms will serve as a reminder and hopefully the repackaging of this age old adage will reignite and remind some of the “elders” (present company included) and have a great impact on the next generation. If I can be a model for my daughter and get this idea ingrained earlier than the bulb clicked on for me, that will be a legacy to be proud of.

So get out there and dream, pursue, inspire, create, mentor, share, discover, explore and live Enthusiasms!

Thanks for finding us and being a big part of what inspires me!

Keith