Day 189 of 2026- "Enthusiasm Is the Great Hill-Climber": What Elbert Hubbard Meant

 Hi Friends,

I came across the quote, "Enthusiasm is the great hill-climber," by Elbert Hubbard. It suggests that enthusiasm helps people overcome challenges. A hill can stand for something difficult, like a goal, a problem, or a responsibility. When someone has enthusiasm, they are more willing to keep going, even when things get hard.

Enthusiasm gives people motivation. It helps them believe they can succeed and makes the journey feel less stressful. If a student is excited about learning, studying becomes easier. If a person is enthusiastic about a dream, they are more likely to work hard for it.

This morning I got a very literal version of the quote. I was on the elliptical and raised the incline by two levels. The first minute felt fine. By the third, my legs were burning, my breathing got louder, and a voice in my head suggested I put it back down. That is the moment the quote is really about.

What kept me going was not discipline, at least not at first. It was curiosity. I wanted to see if I could finish the interval at the higher setting, and I started counting down in small pieces. Thirty seconds, then twenty, then ten. Somewhere in there the climb stopped feeling like punishment and started feeling like a game I was winning. When I finished, I was tired, but I was also pleased, and that pleasure is what makes me want to try again tomorrow.

That is the part of enthusiasm people often overlook. It does not have to be a big, loud feeling. Sometimes it is just a spark of interest that makes the hard part worth attempting. Without it, the incline is a chore. With it, the incline is a challenge.

It also helps to know where your spark comes from, because it differs for everyone. For me, it is tracking little progress, like one more minute at the higher setting than last week. For someone else, it might be a workout partner, a playlist, or a reward afterward. If a goal has gone flat for you, ask what would make one part of it more interesting, and change that part first.

Enthusiasm does not remove the hill, though. The incline was still steep, and my legs still burned. What changed was my willingness to stay on it. That is the honest version of the quote: it does not make the obstacles smaller; it gives you the energy to climb over them.

So if something in your life feels like a hill right now, look for the spark that makes it worth climbing, even a small one, and start there.

Wishing you peace and happiness from my heart to yours!

Peace

Monita