Reality Check: A Little Encouragement; Big Results

We can get news from all over the world. Some good; some awful. Along with current events, we also get information about what others are doing. That news often includes their notable accomplishments and tremendous success.
Like so much of what we see and read, we can perceive these stories in different ways. We could use them as powerful inspirations: this is what other people do, even in more difficult circumstances than ours. We might see an accomplishment story and be motivated to say, “Hey! If they can do this, so can I!” These examples can be effective motivators to spur action on our part.
And then, there is another way of looking.
We see examples of courage or perseverance or some other laudable traits and come away thinking, “Why would I bother to try? I’ll never achieve anything great like that, so I may as well sit on the couch and play on my phone.”
Now, that’s an exaggerated response. But for some, it’s not completely off the mark, is it? Rather than being inspired by the actions of others, we may find that it comes more naturally to be discouraged. In a world that seems to offer so many opportunities for discouragement, can we ever make a meaningful difference?
One way that every one of us could affect our world in a positive way is by developing the practice of encouraging others.
I was recently reminded of the power of encouragement in my own life. I spend a fair bit of my free time taking courses. In one, I’d offered a suggestion to the lecturer that I thought he might find useful. I didn’t expect a reply; busy people get lots of email and I recognized that there was a good chance that mine wouldn’t even be read.
To my surprise, he did reply. He thanked me and followed up on my suggestion. Turns out that I had, in fact, given him useful information!
Now, it probably took him about two minutes to write a couple of sentences to me. However, the fact that he bothered to do so, specifically addressing my suggestion, was remarkably encouraging. And encouragement makes a difference in a practical way.
Think about the actions we are likely to take when we feel discouraged. Maybe we sleep more than we really need to. Or we spend hours in passive activities, looking at other people’s lives through our entertainment choices or social media.
Compare that with what we do when feeling encouraged. The world seems brighter, people seem friendlier, and we move with more vigour, taking steps toward achieving what we want.
Choice Theory says we all have a set of basic needs. One is the power need. I prefer to refer to it as the recognition need, and ironically, it often goes unrecognized.
My suggestion for this week: If you want to make the world a better place, look for opportunities to recognize and encourage someone. You don’t need to make grandiose gestures or profound statements. Just look around at the people you interact with, including those close to you, like your friends, family or the folks at work. They, too, can use encouragement.
We so seldom know the effect of our actions, but maybe, just maybe, your encouragement will have a big result. It might even encourage you, too!
What can you say? Well, I recommend keeping it simple and telling the truth. Find something that is worth a positive comment. “I appreciate how you always show up when needed.” “You did a good job” or “I didn’t know that, thank you for telling me.”