Enthusiasm is contagious

A little confidence and charisma can go a long way

Last week, I took my wife to the Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island for her 40th birthday.

The Grand Hotel is old school. Formal wear is required at 6pm every night, and ballroom dancing starts at 9:30pm.

The clientele is a mix. It’s a combination of retirees, and families bringing their 4 year old out dancing two hours past her bedtime.

The result is a flow to the dance floor, an inhale and an exhale. When the waltz is played, there is an inhale, as formal dancing favors the experienced. When the band plays Bruno Mars, the senior members depart as the youth occupy the floor, and my daughter executes 426 spins in a row.

There was very little overlap. In and out.

Until “The Hustle” was played.

The group collectively, and instantly, took their seats, and the dance floor remained empty. Nobody knew how to do the dance.

Until one young man got up, went to the center of the dance floor, and with a huge smile, and with the confidence of a lion, danced ‘The Hustle.’

The crowd cheered.

Then a few people walked up the dance floor, followed his lead, and learned the dance.

Now some more people joined.

Suddenly, the dance floor is packed. From 4 to 104, everybody danced in a line to ‘The Hustle.’

When the song ended, someone yelled, “play it again, I was just getting the hang of it.”

From an empty dance floor to a packed room because of the enthusiasm of one person.

And here is the kicker: he didn’t know how to do ‘The Hustle.’ He was doing the Electric Slide. It was the wrong dance.

But it didn’t matter. Enthusiasm is contagious.

And as free market advocates, we need to take that same enthusiasm towards capitalism, and freedom, as that guy did to ‘The Hustle.’

Because right now, in our country, we are treating capitalism like its cancer.

And the people peddling “Democratic Socialism” are selling it like it is a trip to an amusement park.

The product they are selling is completely wrong, but it doesn’t matter.

And we let our frustrations take over, and we become overly cynical curmudgeons.

We’re like Statler & Waldorf on the balcony of the Muppets Show. As if this is how we are going to convince ‘the youth’ to join our side.

Instead, we need to be like the people at the grocery giving free samples of bacon wrapped dates to every person walking by.

Because when you have enthusiasm, people will join you. And the best part, we are dancing the right dance.

Matt