Encouragement

Change is hard!

As much as we know that the old faithful patterns and behaviours aren’t really working anymore...
‘It takes a touch of genius, and a lot of courage, to move in the opposite direction’ (Einstein).

Enter Encouragement….

When I think about encouragement it starts inside myself with a choice.

I choose to believe that people are born with the potential to self-actualise.

I choose to believe in people’s innate ability to work things out for themselves.

I choose to believe that the things that stop people, or block them, from moving forward are untrue, limiting beliefs and assumptions about themselves, or the way that the world works.

I choose to believe that in their own time, with the right conditions, the right information, a few finely tuned questions and some encouragement, they will liberate themselves from those assumptions, if they want to.

Of course, it’s not to say that people always behave in that way, but when I make the choice to believe in them and the process of their personal development, it brings a warm glow of encouragement into the room, and it seems to work its magic.

When I listen with generative attention to their thoughts as they share them with me, curious as to where their thinking will go next, encouragement is there.

When I watch with curious interest as they sit silently, their brains firing and fizzing away at lightning speed, thinking for themselves, encouragement is there.

Even the questions that we ask in a Thinking Environment are encouraging.
They are invitational questions, mere prompts, to get you back on track with the thinking that we believe you have the power to do.

“What do you want to think about, and what are your thoughts?”
“What more do you think, or feel, or want to say?”
“What could you credibly assume instead?”

And in a more tangible way, we always offer appreciation for the things that we notice that are good. Encouragement is present as we bring to light the qualities that you possess, the steps that you are making, the challenges that you have overcome.
A mirror held up to remind you that you are respected, valued and heard.

As we offer encouragement, it generates self-belief, confidence, hope, and an appetite to take calculated risks and embrace new possibilities.
It opens the doors to change.

This way of encouragement throws ‘competition’ and being ‘better than’ out of the window.

Those kinds of comparisons, condemnation or judgement can be distracting and unhelpful. They can fuel rivalry and undermine self-worth. They can stifle creativity and exploration of the untried or unknown for fear of ‘failure’.
The only person we need to be accountable to is ourselves!

Our true potential is accessed when we feel psychologically safe enough to engage in healthy challenge and think courageously. When we are encouraged to enjoy the messy world of thinking things through and learning for ourselves, we start to understand that the going round in circles, the things that don’t work and the u-turns that we make are necessary parts of the process.

With the inspirations and motivations that we find there, we can, in our own time, take steps forward in a way that is sustainable and suited to our own unique personalities and life circumstances. In tune with our own heart, mind, purpose and values.

…and we need to be encouraged to do that!