The Magic of Encouraging Yourself

The word encouragement derives first from the Latin word for heart, cor, but I like the meaning from the old French word encouragier, meaning to strengthen the heart.

After all, isn’t that what encouragement is? The act of strengthening hearts – either our own or those of others?

If you think this is such a “soft skill, think about the following situations that demand encouragement:

Asking for a raise/promotion, making an important presentation, speaking a unique idea at a meeting knowing others will disagree, walking into a room full of strangers, your first day (fill in the blank), asking for a date, asking for commitment, speaking up when no one else will, disagreeing with someone powerful, being judged unfairly… and of course, all the typical things: divorce, death, illness, catastrophes of any kind.

Here’s the bottom line. We all need it from time to time.

And, we are pretty random about how we use it – especially for ourselves. We are frequently our own worst critics. We somehow think if we get there first, we can mitigate the comments that other people make. Instead, our harsh judgment erodes our confidence, creating hesitation and lowering our ability to risk exposing ourselves to judgment that may or may not happen.

Encouragement is a power tool and a power-full tool. Before you can encourage others, you must learn to encourage yourself so you can find your strength in any situation and cause joy on demand.

Please join us at our next interactive presentation: The Magic of Encouraging Yourself https://tremendous-trader-678.ck.page/95d6b34954