We all need encouragement from time to time, and from time to time, we find ourselves encouraging those around us in simple but effective ways. Cheering on another person, a friend, a family member, or even a stranger, happens without second thought, hesitation, or doubt. An affirming nod, a smile, a listening ear, a look of understanding can do more than change someone’s day–it could alter the course of a life.
But, how often do we encourage ourselves? How often do we pat ourselves on the back, remind ourselves of past victories, or, affirm our own heart’s cry? Perhaps not as frequently as we should or need to. It’s an easy thing to do, it takes just three second. But, a word of caution: don’t let the simplicity decrease the perceived value of self-encouragement. It is vital to you achieving your goals and dreams, and to aiding your overall well-being.
You and I both know I’m not telling you anything you don’t already understand. I’m just reminding you to encourage the person you’re with most often, to be one of, if the biggest and best encourager in your personal camp.
Simple Ways to Encourage Yourself
Ready to do it? Just think about one of your goals and say these brief phrases aloud, at whatever volume you feel, and with the utmost conviction and determination you can muster:
- “I must do this.”
- “I can do this.”
- “I will do this.”
- “I got this.”
Research shows that for some, verbalizing such self-talk phrases using you instead of I has a much greater effect, especially when it comes to stress control. If that’s the case for you, use these instead:
- “You must do this.”
- “You can do this.”
- “You will do this.”
- “You got this.”
Powerful Words with Strong Gestures
Whenever you need a stronger boost, need to evoke a much more robust and powerful feeling, try this. Stand up, thrust your hands high, and roar from the depths of your soul, with your whole mind, body, and heart any of the above phrases.
If that doesn’t spark you, try a superhero pose, or simply fold your arm, gaze at your goal, physically or within your mind’s eye, and let fly your chosen phrase.
What Works for Me
Using you instead of I certainly works well for me. As I confront and battle through the daily challenges I face on the journey of building my dream since taking my leap of faith, I’ve relied on these and other phrases often, daily, hourly, or by the minute, especially when I experience one of those particularly tough days. I don’t always have someone around me to offer a word of encouragement, so the ability to encourage myself to keep believing, keep pushing, keep fighting, is absolutely necessary.
While I don’t employ the “arms of victory” method often, certain other subtle gestures and voice tones, thoughts and phrases support, encourage, and fire me up just as much. Be sure to experiment for yourself and find what works for you.
So there you go. Being your own best encourager is unbelievably easy and undeniably necessary. Of course none of this is to say we don’t need the encouragement of others, because we do. But it should be clear, self-encouragement is self-love, and the better and more consistent we are at encouraging ourselves, the deeper the positive impact will be when we encourage others.
Give it try. You got this, of that, I have no doubt!
Eric
Still need a little extra encouragement to awaken your internal encourager? Check out this super-simple reminder that I wrote back in 2017.
