I am recalling a quote I once read so that you can end the pity party, funk, or down mood that you may be in now. The quote goes as follows.
“It is all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done.” – Author Unknown
With that note, I am going to encourage you to flush now, and flush every morning after today so you can begin each day fresh and with a new outlook on life. We all have times that we forget to flush, but in recent years it seems that more and more people do not flush at all. The lack of encouragement for a positive day, of a successful business trip, of a great day at school or work, of a spectacular weekend, of being more prosperous, of getting healthier, of having balance, and so much more, has made our world into a negative place. As in all negative situations, we have a hard time of getting what we want. Why? Because we live in a world that lacks encouragement!
Why do we not encourage others?
1. WIIFM
Each and every one of us at some point turns on WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) and we forget to tune it back to WIIFThem (What’s In It Them). Every day, we wake up to WIIFThem but even before breakfast we feel that people are blaming us or attacking us, so we switch back to WIIFM. In doing so we ignore others, we retreat, we begin to avoid people. We go at life on our own channel, oblivious of the positive power of others. We forget that of which we put out in the world, we receive. We forget to look at the successful people in the world who live by encouragement.
2. We do not know how to encourage others.
Have you ever searched for inspirational or motivational quotes? You find a whole list, pages and pages, of quotes and you begin reading them one after the other. Possibly by the third or fourth quote, you feel it. You feel this sudden build up of happiness, positivity, will, and the strength to go at the day with all you got. You got the power! That particular quote created a spark in your circuit board and turned you closer to WIIFThem. What you felt, is encouragement.
We have never been trained to encourage others because we have never been taught to understand the different channels, languages, and perspectives other people are on. The best way to learn is through trial and error.
Before I share with you different methods of encouragement, I am going to have to ask you to please flush and tune into WIIFThem.
Steps for Encouragement:
– Begin with those closest to you.
– Be aware of what effects and encourages you. Ex. Share the quote that you felt so empowering with your friends and family.
– Instead of giving others reasons why they cannot, give them reasons why they can.
– Be there for others. Really, just be there. More often than not, we do not see how much we affect others who care about us. We do not realize this because they are commonly on WIIFM. By just being there, in their presence, know that you are encouraging them.
– Ask for help even when you do not need it. To be near you and involved in something that you are working on is a great form of encouragement. Too often we forget how much the little things matter and how greatly they affect others in a positive way.
– Most importantly, tell people who have encouraged you that you are grateful. When a person realizes they have this magnificent power, they will use it more frequently.
What are ways you encourage others?
By encouraging others you are tuning them into WIIFThem. By doing so, you are causing a ripple effect in the world. Let’s make this world a more positive one; you have the power to be the world changer. Remember, what you send out in the world is what others AND yourself receive.
Stay Positive and Solace
Garth E. Beyer
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WIIFT, I like that.
It’s an interesting experiment to see if you can do something without expecting a reward back from it, just for the sake of doing something good.
There is, of course, a big reward, but the difference is that it comes from within rather than from an external source, which makes it infinitely more longlasting and meaningful.
Right, I’m off to do some ripply WIIFTs.