To say that Thom is an enthusiastic man is to say that taming wild bears is a wee bit risky.
Thom has a lot of friends – as the wildly enthusiastic tend to do – and many of his friends encouraged him to strike out and start a business. “You’re dying in your job,” they said. “Everyone else is so reserved and you’re miserable here.”
Instantly keen, Thom started researching. Shortly thereafter, there was an Announcement.
“I’m going to sell peanuts in bulk!!!” he crowed.
“Wow. That’s interesting. Why?”
“Because I can get them cheap from a buddy of mine in Taiwan and circuses need suppliers and I love circuses!”
Thom’s friends said, “Neat!” and waited to hear more.
Shortly thereafter… “Forget about the peanuts! I have something so. Much. BETTER!!!”
“Oh really? Awesome! What is it?”
“I’m going to design websites! You know I’ve been dabbling in it for years, and people need good websites! With colours!”
“Ohhh, sweet idea Thom! Yeah, you’d be great at that. Oh, I know some people who have said they’re thinking of getting a website. I’ll be sure to recommend you!”
And Thom’s friends made plans to tell friends-of-friends about this great designer they know, until…
“Actually, I’m not going to do web design after all.”
“What? But that was a great idea. Why?”
“Well, I’m actually pretty rusty and I don’t really like being locked away from people that much. But I have a MUCH better plan!”
“Oh? Alright, let’s hear it.”
“I’m going to be a dog walker!!!”
“Huh.”
Next week: “I mean… a web designer! Again!”
“Mine engineer!”
“Photographer!”
“Polo team coach!”
“Camel trainer!”
Eventually Sophie took Thom aside. “Thom, stop messing with us.”
He looked hurt and confused. “What? I’m not!”
“You don’t mean to, honey, but you are. Every time you announce that you’ve chosen your career path, we all have to mentally shift gears to get used to the idea. And every time you announce another thing like it’s definitely gonna happen, we have to do it again. Excitement is a non-renewable resource, honey.”
“It’s isn’t for me!”
“It isn’t for you. But it is for us.”
“Oh. Shit. I’m sorry. What do I do about it?”
“You just need to stop telling us about something like it’s a done deal before it IS one. Just say that you’re playing around with an idea, or thinking about something. And for some things, maybe don’t tell us at all.”
“But… but…”
“Honey, I know it’ll be hard for you. But would you rather have us burn all our enthusiasm on the wrong decisions and then be lukewarm when the real thing comes?”
“No, of course not.”
“Besides, we get really attached to the options we like. I was so stoked with that web designer idea, and when you changed your mind I felt seriously let down. That’s the downside of getting us excited, chickadee.”
“But I gotta tell someone! I gotta!”
“So tell a couple of people, that’s cool. But don’t make an announcement about it. Tell them you’re thinking about this thing and ask their opinion. And don’t get pissy if they’re not on board with it. Because you do.”
Thom fidgeted and agreed, then muttered, “It sounds like you don’t like my enthusiasm.”
Sophie slapped his arm. “Not true! It’s just… your enthusiasm is like rocket fuel. You can burn it off in little fires all over the place, or you can use it to get a big damn rocket into outer space. And I want to see you rocket, not burn.”
And so Thom did his best. It must be said there was still a certain amount of waste.
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