In his book of daily readings, Daily Creative: Find Your Inspiration to Spark Creative Energy and Fight Burnout, Todd Henry suggests “Take a moment to encourage someone else. It may change their life and yours.”
A simple word of encouragement can make a huge difference to someone. It’s a small thing that can have a gigantic impact for good in someone’s life. For something that takes so little time and effort on our part, it probably has more Return on Investment than anything else we can do.
All of us have stories of when someone gave us a word of encouragement, and it made a huge difference in our life. When I was a high school teenager in a small church, I didn’t know what I might be able to do. Several ministers saw a potential in me I didn’t see, and encouraged me to obtain a formal religious education and begin preaching. Those words of encouragement led to 20 years in ministry as a minister for civilian churches and an Air Force Chaplain.
Friends already in the Air Force motivated me to join the Air Force to obtain my GI Bill educational benefits. Their encouragement resulted in a 33-year career as a medical administration tech, a Chaplain, and a JAG (a lawyer in the Air Force). I’ve had many experiences I would have never had and my military retirement made it possible for me to retire. Encouragement from a professor in graduate school helped me to develop research and independent thinking skills that have served me my whole life.
How to Give Encouragement
• Listen. In order for encouragement to be effective, it needs to be tailored to the individual. Before you can encourage someone, you need to know about them. You have to know what’s going on in the person’s life and what they are struggling with, or what choices they are considering.
• Offer sincere compliments. People often don’t realize the strengths and skills they have. They don’t consider the significance of what they’ve accomplished. It’s just what they do, so they discount it. You can encourage them by highlighting their strengths and accomplishments, and encourage them to build on them.
• Offer words of encouragement and be their cheerleader. Be genuine when you encourage someone. Let them know you have faith in their abilities and that you’re supporting them.
• Sometimes expressing appreciation can also be a form of encouragement. Did you receive great service from a server at a restaurant? Telling them what a great job they did not only expresses your gratitude but also encourages them to continue providing excellent service because of your appreciation.
Encouraging Others Benefits Me
It makes me feel good about myself when I encourage others. I see it as a way I can serve other people.
In his book Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking, Jon Acuff includes encouraging others in his collection of daily mantras, which he calls his “New Anthem.” “Winning is contagious. When I help others win, I win too.” He’s right — I win when I encourage others to win.
Make it a Practice to Encourage Others
Encouraging others costs us nothing, but can bring tremendous benefits to both them and us.
We need to get into the habit of looking for ways to authentically encourage other people. Is a friend considering applying for a new job, starting a new career, or considering doing something else different? If you think they’d be good at it, take a moment and encourage them.