Encouragement

The Need For Encouragement• No Man is an Island

• Romans 1:11-12

• We can encourage one another

• 1 Thessalonians 5:11; 14

• Encourage and buildup

• Colossians 2:1-3

• Hearts encouraged, knitted together

• Everyone needs to do it and it's needed by everyone.

Ways to Encourage• Show Genuine Interest: I believe this is by far the most

effective way of encouraging others. Let them know you care. Express genuine interest by asking questions. Get them talking. With some hope and luck, this can lead to positive action. But don’t be fake about it and don’t go overboard

• Acknowledge what’s Important to Them. When you acknowledge what’s important to others, you provide a form of affirmation and validation about who they are and what they’re doing. Whether they can admit it or not, each of them deep down craves this acknowledgement. The affirmation and validation is like nitro for their confidence and self-esteem.

Ways to Encourage

• Say “Well done”. Nothing worth doing is ever easy. If it’s easy, then it’s not worth doing. Worthwhile things always takes time and effort. One good way of providing encouragement is simply by saying “Well done” or “Congratulations”. These magical Words of Encouragement at the right time can make all the difference between “keep going” and “give up”.

Ways to Encourage

• Say “Thank you”. Common courtesy. Good manners. It's only natural to expect a reward after hard work. It's only natural to thank someone when they do something for you. Yet, so often things go unnoticed and people preform thankless jobs and get discouraged by them. Make the change and thank them.

Ways to Encourage• Reciprocate the Favor. If someone does something nice

for you, a great way to show your appreciation is simply to reciprocate the favor. Think of this as a pendulum. They do something nice for you. You do something nice for them. They do something nice for you. You do something nice for them. And so on…

• Respond with Something Unexpected. Another effective way to encourage others is to respond with something totally unexpected. Out of the blue. That’s when the maximum impact is delivered. Such acts can reach them at an emotional level and our brains are hard wired to respond to emotional things.

Ways to Encourage• Ask for Advice or Confide in Them. This is like flattery.

Haven’t you felt like you were on top of the world when your peers asked you for advice or confided in you about something personal or important to them? Didn’t that make you want to help and do everything you can to ensure their faith in you is well founded?

• Offer to Lend a Hand. Waiting for someone to ask you for advice or help is passive. You can be proactive by offering to lend a hand. If that person sees that you are willing to commit your own time and energy in their interests, they will be more committed to seeing it through and less likely to give up themselves.

Pick Four• Show Genuine Interest

• Acknowledge What is Important to Them

• Say "Well Done"

• Say "Thank You"

• Reciprocate the Favor

• Respond with Something Unexpected

• Ask for Advice or Confide in Them

• Offer to Lend a Hand

Steps• Pick 4

• Chose 1

• Practice it for a week with everyone important in your life

• Add a 2nd and practice for a week

• Add 3rd and practice for a week

• Add the 4th and practice for a week

• Make encouragement who you are by habit