Be an Encourager!

Dear Readers,   As we look to begin a new year, many think of making resolutions. I have never been a big fan of New Year’s resolutions because I believe that living your life to a standard should be an everyday task, and not something you think about once a year. However, this year I want to encourage all of you to make a resolution with me. I want each of us to consciously make an effort to encourage one another. To encourage means to inspire with confidence; to stimulate by assistance or approval; to aid, help, promote, or advance.¹ In these days of cutthroat competition and the attitude of doing anything necessary to get ahead, trying to help others be better is rarely something considered. How much of our conversation involves talking about the negatives of people and emphasizing their shortcomings or failures? We do this as if we have none of our own! I want all of us to change that this year.   Everyone longs for encouragement. All of us want someone to tell us when we are on the right track, when we are doing a good job, when our efforts are appreciated, and when what we are doing is worth the time spent. When you are doing your job, don’t you feel depressed when all you hear is what you are doing wrong? Wouldn’t it be nice for someone to tell you when you are doing something right? Encouragement makes us feel like we are accomplishing something worthwhile and spurns us to work harder to accomplish any task. If we are inspired by words of encouragement when we are doing well, it makes us more likely to respond positively to words of correction when we miss the mark.   We know the familiar saying, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”² You should be aware that if you are always worried about being criticized for doing something, you rarely do your best. You are afraid you will make a mistake and incur the wrath of someone. In healthcare this can be a disaster! If you have someone working with a patient in an emergency situation, the last thing you want is someone who hesitates in doing the correct thing, fearing he might make a mistake! Many times this hesitation can result in a worsening problem and even death. Remember the old saying, “He who hesitates is lost”?³ Encouragement can inspire one with confidence to do the task ahead.   Part of the definition includes action on our part. We need to “stimulate by assistance, aid, help, promote, or advance.”1 All of these require us to do something for someone else. Yes, you have to get involved. Today, many of us just want to look out for ourselves and not worry about others. I assure you that getting involved with someone to provide encouragement is not only a gift to them, but a tremendous gift to yourself. Helping others will change your life for the better every time. If you don’t believe me, just ask any of the volunteers who have been involved in overseas wound care work. While you are helping others, you find that you have helped yourself in ways you cannot imagine. As I have mentioned many times, you do not have to go around the world to encourage others. You can be an encourager to your family, your colleagues, your friends, and your patients—just about anyone.   As we begin a new year, I encourage you to join me in being an encourager. I think you will be amazed at the results. Anytime we can raise someone’s spirits, they will be better for it. Hopefully, you will serve as a good example for others to emulate your actions and also become an encourager. What a great place this would be if we spent more time encouraging people rather than criticizing them! Will you join me in this New Year’s Resolution?

References

1) Urdang L, Flexner SB, eds. The Random House Dictionary of the English Language. New York, NY: Random House; 1968:436. 2) Proverbs 23:7 (KJV). 3) A proverb adapted from the play “Cato” (1713) written by English essayist and poet Joseph Addison (1672–1719).