Effusive

Unrestrained enthusiasm and the magic of sharing joy more than thanks.

I’m built to help people so I’m inclined to do it whether I’m paid or not. If people ask what they can give in return, I invite them to share the joy of their results. Offer me a window into the happiness that arises. Share the good feelings with me.

People will make their appreciation known but sometimes it doesn’t quite hit the mark. They feel their words are not enough. And often it’s true, their words aren’t enough, because they’re not accessing their feelings properly. They're not conveying the full flush of thrill and delight that was sparked. That’s what I truly adore – to hear the fullness of exuberant expression. To witness people in the full flight of their joy. That’s the very best kind of thanks – being welcomed to share in all the uplifted feelings.

The magic is in hearing how much you feel good about yourself and what happened, not so much how you feel good about what I contributed. Thanking me for who I am or what I did is no match for sharing how you feel about what happened to you.

Even better is hearing someone’s feelings while they’re still captured by them. It doesn’t matter if we’re not in the same location. You can call. You can record and send a voice note. Don’t wait to share until we meet again in person. The vibrance of the feelings will fade so that the story loses it’s liveliness over time. Share in the moment. Share at the peak. Practice celebrating with others. Have fun spilling over. Be heard and seen in brightness.

And the thing about sharing our joy while it’s still alive is that it has a way of deepening us into it even further to extend how it moves us. There’s something in the speaking of feelings to another that invites even more richness to be revealed. Many times I’ve had stunning experiences, but it wasn’t until I was reliving it by telling a friend that I was moved to tears. Something in the openhearted sharing of our joy can stir even more beauty to the surface.