The way to get enthusiastic about doing anything is to get involved in doing it. You can’t just expect to magically become enthusiastic before you ever lift a finger. It’s nearly impossible to talk yourself into doing what you must do, but don’t want to do. So stop talking, stop trying to convince yourself, and just start doing. Spend the first fifteen minutes complaining about it and feeling sorry for yourself if you want. But while you’re complaining, be busy doing.

Once you’ve begun the effort, you’ll discover it’s not nearly as bad as you thought it would be. After you’re a few hours into it, you may even find yourself feeling a little bit of passion and enthusiasm.

You cannot create real enthusiasm just by thinking about it or wishing for it. You create enthusiasm by investing yourself in the effort. So if there’s some necessary task you’ve been avoiding because it’s just not your thing, do it anyway. Jump-start your enthusiasm with a little effort, and feel the power as that enthusiasm continues to carry you through.

-— Ralph Marston