By now, everyone has heard that Steve Irwin, the TV snake and crocodile rustler died after being attacked by a stingray in tropical waters.

I can relate.

I, too, was stung by a stingray in the shallows off of Coronado Island in Southern California, near the Mexican border. Surfing on a broken left toe, I stomped, by accident, with my good foot onto a ray, which swiftly rejected my cloddy advance by gouging its stinger into the side of my foot.

I have never quite felt pain like that. It was like an electrical blade had penetrated my flesh, leaving poison where it had come and gone.

I can only imagine what Mr. Irwin experienced. Demonstrating incredible reflexes, he tried to pull the stinger from his chest, but his heart, by that point, had been ruptured.

Mr. Irwin leaves those of us still in this world with many fond memories, and we can be grateful that he’ll live on in reruns and on DVD.

Those who knew him and who had the pleasure of watching him at work could see that there was something even more miraculous about him than his courage, great as it was.

It was his boundless enthusiasm.

They say all great accomplishments are really the result of enthusiasm. I suppose Steve’s message to the rest of us might be this.

Act enthusiastically, and you’ll not only make your mark, but you’ll be remembered by many, with love and appreciation.

Best-selling author of 12 books and more than 800 articles, Dr. Gary S. Goodman is considered a foremost expert in telephone effectiveness, customer service, and sales development. A top-rated speaker, seminar leader, and consultant, his clients extend across the organizational spectrum, from the Fortune 1000 to small businesses. He can be reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.