Enthusiasm changes a loafer into a go-getter By DIETER KRIEG EPHRATA If you've got enthusiasm, you’ve got a head start on the road to success in whatever you do, exclaims Karl Kettering, a motivational and inspirational speaker who travels across the country to deliver his message to businessmen, industrialists, athletes, and clubs. On Tuesday of this week, however, he stayed in his home town and gave his presentation to the annual Christmas party of the Ephrata Young Farmers. “Enthusiasm is that certain something that makes us great. It makes us friends. It makes you smile, it makes others smile. It builds confidence in yourself and in your fellow man. Enthusiasm even makes fun out of hard work. It changes things, people, situations, attitudes. And en thusiasm even changes prejudices. I’ve seen it happen,” Kettering stated. “It changes the procrastinator into a producer, the pessimist mto an optimist, the loafer into a go-getter,” he continued. “Enthusiasm tells things about the kind of worker you are. Enthusiasm opens more doors, and closes more sales. It turns prospects into customers. Explaining the meaning of the word, Kettermg said “enthusiasm” comes from the Greek words meaning “God within you.” “If you’ve got entusiasm, give it to everyone around you and thank God for it' And if you don’t have enthusiasm, get down on your hands on knees and pray for it!” Ket tering proclaimed The son of a minister, Kettermg has delivered his motivational senes of lectures to 19 of the 26 major league baseball clubs in the United States. In addition, he talks to business organizations, industry, and clubs. He conducts “Progress Through People” seminars which outline self motivation, sales skills, and management techniques. A 20-year veteran of salesmanship, he has spent the past nine years as sales mnager for WBYO Radio, Boyertown. NORTHEAST SEED SUPPLY, INC. Certified Soybean Seed Early Orders Volume Discounts . Dealers Wanted Deliveries Available Call For Price Quotations 609-769-2943 or 609-769-2055 Wholesale Merry Christmas Prosperous New Year Your Local John Deere Dealer Retail and Sincere Wishes for a “You’re never enthusiastic about anything that you haven’t taken time for to become involved with personally He is regarded as the most successful spot salesman in Christian radio. “It’s fun being enthusiastic!” Kettering emphasized at various points m his speech. He’s convinced of it, and he tries hard to convince others of it. “Enthusiasm may be the most persuasive as well as the most contagious quality in the human personality,” Kettering observed. “Many people have lost their en tusiasm. That’s sad. But what’s more sad is that many people never had any enthusiasm to lose.” According to Kettering, enthusiasm has three fun damental requirements: 1 Personal involvement, 2. First-hand knowledge, and 3. A positive attitude. “You’re never enthusiastic about anything that you haven’t taken time for to become involved with per sonally,” Kettering challenged. As for first-hand knowledge, he says he personally won’t address a subject unless he has first-hand knowledge of it. According to him, it’s a prerequisite for true enthusiasm. A positive attitude p^OGraODUCERSn I Get Top Price for * ▲ ■***> ** ' A Sold in sorted lots the auction way. See them £ weighed and sold and pick up your check. ? ♦ SALE EVERY MONDAY 8:00 A.M. ♦ $ NEW HOLLAND SALES STABLES. INC. ♦ Phone 717-354-4341 . Daily Market Report - Phone 717-354-7288 t Abe Diffenbach, Manager Karl K. Kettering Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 23,1978 is essential because “the world is full of negative thinkers” but the positive sides of life need to be ac centuated. “Everything about us should be positive, but what happens is we get clinkers in our thinkers, don’t we?” the professional motivator asked. His task is to nd people of negative thoughts. Quoting Andrew Carnegie, Kettering said: “Show me a person with above average enthusiasm, and I’ll show you a person who’ll make history.” Kettering himself is a firm believer in those words. “More often than not, enthusiasm is the difference bet ween winning and losing,” he says. According to Kettering, Alabama football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant once observed: “Playing at home can count for an extra 30 per cent towards victory because of the enthusiasm that a home crowd can kindle in a group of players.” Noting that many victories in athletic contests come by very small margins, Kettering says; “Enthusiasm gives an individual that slight edge, and that extra edge is often the key between victory and defeat. When people have enthusiasm, great things can be achieved. “Enthusiasm is like a disease; it’s highly contagious; no one is immune to it. If you’ve got it, everyone around you is sure to get it. It spreads fast. If you’ve got it, you show it. If you’ve got it you feel it. It lights up your face, puts spring in your step, a twinkle in your eye. En thusiasm builds power within us. It pulls us out of mediocrity and common-place. Enthusiasm is that cer tain something that makes us great,” Kettering pointed out. Illustrating his point, Kettering asked his audience to think about waking up to an alarm clock on a morning when it’s cold and blustery outside. The person with a positive attitude greets the day with a cheerful “Good morning, Lord!” while the unenthusiastic individual might say “Good Lord, morning! ” According to Kettering, enthusiasm is actually an end result, and not a beginning part of any endeavor. “When you know you can do something, and you’re confident that you can do it, and you desire to do it above all else, enthusiasm is the natural result. And this all adds up to winning. I know that we’re all motivated by win ning,” Kettering said. In concluding his remarks, he offered the following poem: “If you think you are beaten, you are. If you think you dare not, you don’t. If you’d like to win, but think you can’t, it’s almost certain you won’t. If you think you will lose, you’ve lost, for out in the world you will find success begins with a person’s will. It’s all m the state of mind. If you think you’re outclassed, you are. You’ve got to think high to rise. You’ve got to be sure of yourself before you’ll ever win a prize. Life’s battles‘won’t always go to the strongest or fastest man. But sooner or later the person who wins is the person who thinks he can.” 105
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