A thought without emotional energy really has no effect. It is the amount of emotion which you put into anything in life which in actual fact is the fuel which propels it into action. The more fuel with which you stoke your fire, the higher your flames will leap and the further your reach will be.

Enthusiasm is something which we can all access in infinite quantities, simply by choosing to do so. We are not limited as to how enthusiastic we can be; it is purely a matter of one's own mindset, one's own attitude and expectations. There are no limits at all to the levels of enthusiasm which you are capable of. I find this thought really exciting and endlessly enticing. If you were to choose to be ever more enthusiastic about things in your day to day life, would this not mean that you would be ever happier in your day to day life?

When you listen to people who are speaking about something which they are passionate about, their enthusiasm is transmitted to you and it can be felt in different ways. You can hear the highly charged positive energy in their tonality, you can see it in their body languages; the more attuned can actually feel the impact too as a change in energy frequency. Enthusiasm is contagious. Enthusiasm is fun. I for one would not want to live my life without it.

I absolutely love to be around enthusiastic people. I don't want to be surrounded by dreary, unhappy, unenthusiastic vibes; they would surely dampen my flames and put out my fire. No matter how enthusiastic and happy you are, if you are subjected to negative vibes in sufficient quantity and for a long enough time, they will eventually rub off on you. Those negative vibes act like a bucket of water thrown carelessly and thoughtlessly upon your flames.

Few people intend to do this to you; rather they inadvertently emit the vibes which they are feeling. They do not realize or appreciate that they have a store of limitless enthusiasm at their fingertips. It's as if they have turned a blind eye to their own ability to energize their life with enthusiasm.

For those who know how to be enthusiastic, life is fun; life really is a ball! I love listening to motivational speakers and feeling the vibration of their energy. I remember giving a tape (yes it was a few years ago now!) of Anthony Robins to a friend to listen to and her being absolutely blown away by it. I recall her saying that she was listening to it while driving and only realized later than she had begun to drive significantly faster, as she found her own energy levels responding to his enthusiasm.

Those who work out on a regular basis know the impact of listening to different types of music. Some tracks are conducive to a great workout, whilst others aren't. We do find our energy levels are automatically affected by the tempo and rhythm. I as a hypnotherapist am only too aware of the effect of relaxation music upon your psyche. Think too of the "Mozart effect". The fact that we are moved and changed by not only music but all energy vibes is undeniable.

If you want to be happy, then choose to be enthusiastic. Happiness does not come from the outside world; it comes from how you choose to think, what you choose to think about, and what influences you choose to surround yourself with.

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in hypnosis for change.