"Encouragement offers more potential than cash. The amount of cash is limited, but you have an unlimited supply of encouragement ... encouragement feeds people’s souls." Kenneth Blanchard Author: The One Minute Manager

Everyone needs encouragement at one time or another, from the CEO, mother, father, child, or employee, to the professional athlete or performer.

Encouragement means to inspire, incite, foster, or stimulate courage with hope.

As many of us can recall, as children, we sometimes needed encouragement to complete a task. What we can not give to ourselves, we borrow from those around us.

For us as adults, our early situations may have changed but the human condition of needing support has not. At some level, we all need to be encouraged.

Whatever your life purpose and whether your work is in healthcare, education, business, criminal justice, ministry, families, or myriad thousands of other responsibilities, your overall activity should leave others feeling encouraged.

If your life or actions do not include the foundation of encouragement toward others, you need to evaluate how encouragement can become part of your purpose.

Start by giving it away. Encouragement is not something to be saved, collected, or withheld; that approach has little redeeming value. Encouragement is a perishable item best enjoyed in the moment. Once the aircraft has left the ground, an empty seat is a lost opportunity. When you hesitate in offering your encouragement, the opportunity is gone.

A funny thing happens when you encourage others—you feel encouraged and better about yourself.

Before I encourage each of you reading this article, I want to acknowledge the many encouragements that you as readers have given me.

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER underestimate the power of your encouraging words toward any other person! For example, many people seem to think that successful individuals need less encouragement. Don’t discount the impact you have or can have with everyone you meet. At any given moment, you can make a difference in someone else’s life by encouraging him or her. We need to remind ourselves that while this creates invaluable results, it costs us nothing.

It is important to graciously and thankfully accept encouragement from others. In other words, don’t discount your value or their confidence in you.

Finally, be authentic and intentional in your encouragement. Be real but look for opportunities to encourage others. Make it part of your mindset to encourage someone every single day. Give it away—your act of encouragement can and will affect millions.

The movie Pay It Forward calculated that three acts of kindness given away by one individual, then repeated by each person down the line daily, would, within two weeks, impact 4,787,969 lives.

Here is my challenge to you: before the end of today, encourage at least three individuals and ask them to do the same for three people each. I guarantee you will feel more confident and better about yourself as you do so.

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