Her principal told the new teacher her first class was a group of intellectually gifted students. She was delighted to work with such inquisitive, creative and enthusiastic youngsters, and actively challenged and encouraged them in their learning adventure that year. Their test scores were impressive. She welcomed their constant questions and taught them to use resources that guided them to the answers. Both she and the students were sad when the end of the school year approached.
It wasn’t until AFTER their triumphant advancement to the next grade that the young teacher learned the truth. Those students were not gifted – in fact, they were marginal, with a history of underachieving. It was her daily encouragement, support and expectation that they would excel that completely changed the educational experience for the students.
Encouragement is the magical component in helping others acquire confidence and achieve their goals. The teacher expected her young charges to shine intellectually, and created the safe space and nurturing environment for them to do so. Every one of them met her expectations.
Similarly, if a student, parent or boss indicates verbally or even silently that someone will fail, that negative outcome will probably be met, too. That’s why mindfully visualizing the most positive outcome, for others and yourself, is such an important part of staying on track and achieving goals.
Here are a few more tips to use the power of encouragement:
- Mistakes = growth opportunities . No matter how badly you mess up, if you take the time to access what went wrong, and determine how to avoid similar errors, it was not a complete disaster. We actually tend to learn more from mistakes than from times in our life when everything is progressing smoothly.
- Daily Inspiration . There are many apps and websites that offer free daily positive things to think about. When your mind processes nurturing ideas, you feel validated, and encouraged to pursue your goals. A few to check out include Daily OM: Nurturing Mind Body & Spirit ( http://www.dailyom.com/ ), Daily Word, A Unity Publication ( http://www.dailyword.com/ ) and Brainy Quote (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes_of_the_day.html).
- Celebrate small victories . Every huge transformation and success begins with the first step. Eating just one more serving of raw organic vegetables each day, getting outside for a daily walk and breathing deeply instead of lashing out in anger might seem inconsequential, but are actually clear indicators that you’re making serious upgrades to your life. Congratulating yourself for making these small shifts will encourage you to stick with them, and initiate more.
- Affirmations are your friend . An affirmation, even if you don’t believe it 100%, will still shift you out of a negative space, and start to rewire your brain with a completely different and positive thought. Thoughts become things. How encouraging is that!
- Seek out your spiritual tribe . Finding a supportive group of like-minded people, either through social media or in your geographical community, does wonders in helping you stick to your plan.
Find constant encouragement, support and compassion at the Optimum Health Institute missions in San Diego and Austin, Texas. With detoxifying raw organic vegan meals, fascinating classes and spiritual fellowship, our caring team can help you achieve your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual goals for optimal health. Visit our website at www.optimumhealth.org , and call us at (800) 993-4325 to make your reservation.
