Enthusiasm Is Not Transferable

A lot of the time, you feel that your excitement about a particular topic or piece of conversation isn't being reciprocated in kind. You realise the other person isn't as interested as you thought they'd be. They're listening to what you're saying out of courtesy, not attention. They won't remember most of the conversation by the time you circle back to it. This feeling deflates us, because we assume the other person isn't interested in us. We forget that most of the information we share is out of context, and frankly, absurd to the listener. Your excitement is born out of many factors, not a single simple act. Say you're getting promoted and you tell your friends about it. They'll be happy that you got promoted, but they won't share the same enthusiasm you're feeling. Your enthusiasm is a byproduct of many things: the effort you put in, the politics you survived, the challenges you overcame, the sheer desperation you endured in the hope of that promotion. All of this comes together…