Now Let's Donate Some Encouragement

I feel as if, as much as many may say that they don't care a bit about what people think about them... they are lying. I don't believe a single word of it! We are such extremely social individuals that we are programmed to be able to relate to other people at a much greater extent than any other animal on the face of this earth. It's in our biology to have the urge to spend time together and share our thoughts and feelings together, so why not make this a positive experience?

One thing that I hadn't quite thought about was the idea that so many people want to help out others but don't have a single bit of time to go all out and do the big events, but from experience, I would have to disagree that those have more of an impact. I have learned so many things about myself by doing simple tasks for people that I do (or don't) love to be nice to. I'll put it this way—putting yourself out there and helping in small ways means more than most realize.

I feel that so many people are extremely negative towards what life experiences have happened to them or what kind of situations they, their family, or their country are in, which is pretty understandable. When I begin to think of all of these different problems in our society, I get pretty bummed out and start to resent the track that our world is on right now. I find there are few ways to truly pull me out of the funk that thinking of these issues puts me in.

One thing I would love to draw some attention to is the idea of encouragement. When I am extremely down—whether it be something at school or work stressing me out or having arguments with my family or friends—I get so much more out of tiny words of encouragement than I would ever have thought possible.

Encouragement, I feel, can come in different forms—like believing in someone or listening to a friend in need. I had a friend senior year who was struggling with the fact that she was heading across the country to New York City to start school. She was afraid of what was to come for her and what would happen if she failed school or couldn't find the money for rent or couldn't find a great group of friends to click with. She needed someone to listen and give a little reassurance that everything would turn out fine for her. We talked for a while and I told her the faith that I had in her that she would do a fantastic job all the way in New York.

I will never forget the letter she sent me from school that ended with the phrase “I could never say 'Thanks' enough.” She needed a little encouragement through the hard times that she was facing and I was able to donate a little time and a little encouragement to help her regain that confidence that she had in her that had been covered by fear and doubt. And, as suspected, she went out to NYC and has been succeeding in both her academic and personal life.

I feel like we have a responsibility, as I have expressed before, to ourselves and others, to help enrich the quality of life around us. Everyone deserves to live their live to the fullest and a little bit of encouragement can go so very far. Helping others isn't some cheesy topic that is reserved only for people with agendas—it truly is just bringing a bit of love into the lives of others.