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Sunday, October 7, 2012

Serene Sunday Encouragement, Why Do It

Serene Sunday - it can bring you a sense of serenity to encourage someone else.

encouragementEach Serene Sunday throughout the month of October will be devoted to encouragement.  Today the article is all about why should encourage others. Future Serene Sundays will be dedicated to:
who to encourage
how to encourage 
when to encourage

It is my hope that by reading these articles you will improve your life and the lives of those around you by spreading the warming caress of encouragement.

According to the online dictionary, www.dictionary.com, encouragement is defined as follows:

en·cour·age·ment

   [en-kur-ij-muhnt, -kuhr-]  Show IPA
noun
1.
the act of encouraging.
2.
the state of being encouraged.
3.
something that encouragesPraise is the greatestencouragement.

No matter where I find myself, or what I find myself doing, I seek to encourage other people. I admit my reasons for doing so may be selfish. Misery loves company, but you know what, that company doesn't have to be me. So, I try to encourage people. I find ways to make them feel as if their every dream and desire is theirs for the taking, they just have to reach out and take. The words, phrases, ideas, pictures and other things I use to provide encouragement are genuine and unique to each situation.

When you are trying to encourage someone, you are thinking about what will make the recipient feel good, what will give the recipient the strength, courage or kick in the butt to do something.  Think about a mother trying to get a baby to eat the mashed bananas. She will talk in a sweet tone. She will make a smiling face and she will insist softly and sweetly that the baby can eat the smashed banana. If she is good, not only will she make the baby feel he can eat the mashed banana, the mama will make the baby feel that life will be so much better if he eats the bananas. When you encourage, you should try to do the same thing.

If you have a friend who wants to start a new sideline business, but she is scared don't sit and pity party with her. Don't have one of those indulgent conversations about all the things that could go wrong and should keep her from even trying. Instead throw an encouragement party. This is the time to tell your friend to put on her big girl panties and her fake it until she makes it dress and get moving. Tell her to write a business plan, to figure out where she is going to get customers, to do something towards taking the business from dream to reality. 



But all of that was a side track onto how to encourage which will be discussed in a future article.  Now back to the why to encourage. I do not like to hang around miserable people. When people are smiling, happy and feeling confident about the world and their place in it, they are more fun to be around. Have you ever noticed that miserable people literally make you sick but happy people make you feel good. So, for your own good health, encourage people around you and put them in a good mood.  Encourage the people you are around so you can have a better time. Encouraging others will make them better to be around and make your life better.

Encourage others because we reap what we sow. You know the expression, what goes around comes around. If you are a person who is known for encouraging other people, folks will rally around to encourage you. You should encourage others because there will be days when you need encouragement.  Every person on the planet has days when they are feeling sad, tired, or down in the dumps. On those days you will want people to give you encouragement and to pick you up. The notions of the Golden Rule, karma and reaping what you so all say that if you spread encouragement, encouragement will come to you when you need it. You will be surprised at how the encouragement comes as a surprise  when you need it, but didn't ask for it yet.

 I have tried to build a reputation as a cheerleader, someone who encourages others and helps them to reach their dreams.  Over the past month, when I have been having hard days at work or with the kids while my husband was away I have had people in the real world and through social media give me encouragement in the form of words, Twitter posts, blog posts, phone calls and greeting cards. I mean I have been brought to tears of joy by people giving me encouragement, just when I needed it. I am not going to lie or act nonchalant about it, I cried like a baby wanting a bottle and I was so thrilled and so happy. The encouragement I received, just in a nick of time was like water to the thirsty or food to the hungry. It was just what I needed, when I needed it and it was wonderful. 

Encouragement can save a life, or a dream. So go ahead, be a hero, spread some encouragement. If you encourage others, encouragement will come to you when you need it. So the question for you this Serene Sunday is why do you encourage other people?

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