"It’s hard to find fault with eagerness. It seems like such a good thing – people motivated and eager to work, take on a project, change their lives, change the world.
"But not too far down the road, eagerness shows its ugly side. People become so committed to their cause or work that they become missionaries. They want everyone to work on this particular issue, or do this diet, or follow this plan that will change your life.
"People also can let their commitment to being of service grow into exaggerated heroism. They’re willing to take on any problem you give them. They keep looking for the next great cause. They seem unstoppable in their motivation and energy. “Bring it on!” is their life slogan.
"Such people are like supernovas – great clouds of fiery, burning gasses that appear powerful and beautiful but are actually already dead. They’ve exhausted their energy, blown themselves up, and what we’re observing in the night sky is just their gaseous remains.
"Eagerness is a good start, but its propensity for unfettered growth requires vigilance. Like a parasite, it tends to kill off its host.
"It’s not a bad thing when our eagerness fades and we find ourselves just doing the work, bored at times, motivated at others, working day by day on little tasks, hoping that some of what we’re doing is useful, but not really sure.
"It’s good not to be a supernova." ~Margaret J. Wheatley “Perserverence”
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When I had satisfied myself that no star of that kind had ever shone before, I was led into such perplexity by the unbelievability of the thing that I began to doubt the faith of my own eyes.
— Tycho Brahe
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