Zeal | Zest | Zenith

Zeal: Great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective.

Zest: A feeling of pleasure and enthusiasm

Zenith: The high point

Whenever we step into a new role, there is generally an extra dose of adrenaline when we start and over time it averages out. While the real satisfaction of our journey is when the job is well done i.e. The ultimate destination, the high point is a point during the journey when we feel content with what we have accomplished.

Back in 2010, I joined Ernst & Young as an intern. For several years, joining a Big 4 was a dream and the excitement of joining and kickstarting my corporate career is something I cannot express in words. Over time with the law of diminishing marginal utility, the overdose of energy lowered but the happiness of being part of the organization stayed with me. I was an intern with them when I cleared the CA Final exams and that was my high point when I was promoted as a Consultant. Quitting the job was a tough decision because I still believed there was a lot more I could learn from the organization but life had other plans.

Does it happen with us when we join Toastmasters – we are super excited to attend every meeting and gradually we think it’s okay to skip a few? Some of us take up the ExCom role to find a new purpose for our journey, some of us take part in the contests, and many of us leave thinking we’ll come back soon – the reason for our zeal can keep changing but if our zest for the program is intact, we’ll definitely find our zenith.

My excitement was highest when I was selected as an Area Director, a little lower for the next few years I served in the District office but my satisfaction levels have been the maximum this year. I think over time our zeal transitions into zest as we reach our zenith.