The Power of Encouragement

"Encourage me," she said.
She is a middle-age single mom. Life has been tough for her with few magical moments to hold on to. Trying to recover from knee surgery, yet keep up with life demands just seemed too much for her.

What could I say to help her? I wanted to be the kind of friend that could make a difference in her life. She needed one to continue on. Encouragement had worked for me in the past and I knew the power of one person who cares.

"We live by encouragement and we die without it, slowly, sadly and angrily," Celeste Holm wisely said.

Rudolf Driekurs basically says humans need encouragement as much as plants need water. That's of life and death importance!

How to encourage?

I believe the first step is to listen with empathy and sympathy to what they are going through. Think about how you feel when you go through problems and realize everyone has the same basic emotions. Awareness of other's feelings and fears takes discipline, work and having a heart of love. And that's just the beginning!

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