Encouragement

Did you ever start to think about a word or an idea, and then think about it so much that it stopped being something familiar and started again as something brand new? That is what has happened to me over the last few days with the word encouragement.

I've always been a big fan of encouragement.  Both for offering encouragement to others, and for whispering under my breath, "You can do this, Anne Marie, you've got it.  Just hang on a few more minutes.  Keep breathing in and out." I hope you all know the positive self-talk mantras you use to get yourself through the rough spots.

But as I thought about word encouragement this week, I thought a lot about the fact that the word 'courage' is embedded in there.

From Dictionary.com the prefix "en" means:

a prefix occurring originally in loanwords from French and productive in 
English on this model, forming verbs with the general sense “to cause
 (a person or thing) to be in ”the place, condition, or state named by the stem;

So using this definition, to encourage is to cause a person to be in a state or condition of courage.  Wow.

What a powerful concept.  When you encourage someone, you are endeavoring to give them the courage they need to attempt or complete something that is challenging for them.

The human spirit is both the most fragile, and the most resilient force in nature.  As our lives evolve, the fragility of our spirit ebbs and flows.  It is difficult, to impossible, to observe the strength of someone's spirit until it is tested.  Our job as humans is to build up those fragile spirits so that they can face the challenges of their day.

That is where encouragement comes in.  If you think about it, how difficult is it to offer encouragement to those that you meet throughout the day?

A simple, "You're doing a great job"; "Thanks for helping me, I needed that, and you really changed my day"; "Your smile warmed my heart, Thank you"; for those chance encounters with people we don't know.

With those who inhabit your life?  For some reason, these may be the hardest people to encourage.  It is so ridiculously easy to focus on the shoes in the den, the dishes in the sink instead of the dishwasher, the socks on the bedroom floor; instead of the soft kiss on the top of the head, the bright smile because "Mommy" walked into the room, the whispered "I love you" upon awakening and prior to getting out of bed.

You will enjoy the behavior you encourage and support.  Challenge yourself to focus on the good, to offer encouragement today.  "Thank you for being affectionate with me, I treasure that, and you lift me up with your little displays of affection"; "Mommy loves you, sweetheart, you have a beautiful heart and you make the world brighter with your smile"; "I love you too!  And I appreciate how you never let a day go by without telling me".

You have the power to give the people in your life the courage to face all of life's challenges by building up thier spirit with every interaction.  Become a force for good.  Remember we are all fragile, but resilient.  Build the resilience of those you love with encouragement and praise. 

The best part?  Encouragement and kindness feed each other.  The more you encourage those you love, the more their behavior will encourage you to continue encouraging them.

You CAN make the world a better place.  One encouraging word at a time.