Encouragement File

        Do you sometimes find it difficult to stay encouraged while you are trying to achieve your goals? I know I do. Here’s a little trick to help you bounce back if you ever start feeling down, build an Encouragement File. Kind words and compliments help when you start to get discouraged; however, when you need the encouragement, it can be in short supply. Started collecting the kind things that people say, and the cards and notes they send, to save them for just the right occasion. When you start to feel the negative thoughts creeping in, refresh yourself by reading the kind words that others have given to you.
        There is another use for the Encouragement File. In a professional setting, it is often called a Brag File. I have personally used my Work Encouragement File in corporate settings to remind myself some of the things I have accomplished throughout the year and the recognition that my efforts garnered. This really comes in handy around review time. Often the best words to give to a supervisor when you are being reviewed are their own positive words about you.
        You may be sitting there saying to yourself, “Chris, I don’t have anything to put into an Encouragement File. No one compliments me. I don’t get any letters, notes, or emails.” If this is you, and even if it’s not, I have a simple, but not easy exercise I want you to try. I want you to take out a notepad or open a blank document. Write the numbers from one to 20 down the side. Now, I want you to write down 20 things you like about yourself. These could be qualities you have, good things you have done, or improvements you have made over time. Living a Values Based Life challenges you to identify your deeply held values and also what strengths you bring to the table. If you are determined to achieve great things, you must know what you have to offer. Take your list and put a copy in your new Encouragement File. Refer back to it often. This is one of the building blocks to the life that you want,
        Another way to add things to your Encouragement File is to add to the files of others. One of my favorite quotes comes from the book of Proverbs (11:25), “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Zig Ziglar, one of my favorite speakers, says it this way: “You can have anything in life that you want if, and only if, you will help enough other people get what they want.” Take a moment, write a letter, make a small investment of time to make a large investment in someone else’s life. Good things will come back to you, and when they do, you can add them to your Encouragement File. One last thing, remember that you must always be on the lookout for ways to live out who you are and help others fulfill their potential as you fulfill yours. The Encouragement File is not about resting on your laurels; it’s about building upon them.

Speaking Faith Into Someone’s Life

        In honor of Father’s Day, I want to ask my readers an important question: Are you speaking faith into someone else’s life?  Research has shown that people who feel loved and feel that someone else is paying attention to them perform at a higher level.  Simply stated, people rise to our expectations of them.  When I say “speaking faith,” I don’t necessarily mean talking about God; I mean faith in themselves.  Like you, this someone else has the seeds of Greatness inside them. The greatest gift that we can give to someone else is helping them see how special they are, and that we value their contribution.

        My challenge to you this week is to find a way to compliment someone else everyday.  Remember that “I love you” is a great compliment.  Your spouse will never get tired of hearing it, and your children can never hear it enough.  Also, look for those people who may not get the support they need on a regular basis.  Mark Twain said that he could live a whole year on one good compliment.  Let’s make it someone’s year by taking the time to invest in them.  Why should we spend the time to invest in someone else?  Zig Ziglar says that we can have anything in life that we want if we will only help enough other people get what they want.  If you want to fulfill your potential, help others fulfill theirs.  If you do this, and focus on how you can use your talents, abilities and passions to help those around you, you can add a new role to your life: leader.

        To learn about how you can further develop your leadership abilities, please visit the VBL Homepage and schedule a session with me today.  I can take you through a process that connects who you are to what you do.  When your daily actions are line with you deeply held values, you lay a credible claim to inner-peace, and can inspire and lead others.   

The Growth Plan

        Values-Based Living is about continually growing into the person you were born to be.  Recently, I described VBL Coaching to a prospective client as the process of helping him discover who he is and drafting a plan to build his life around that.  After talking to him about the components of the life plan we would develop, he asked me why his guidance counselor never taught him this process.  I think a lot of us wonder the same thing.  That is why I developed VBL, to let people know about the incredible power that comes from knowing yourself and aligning your choices and actions with who you are.

        This young man had recently graduated from a university in Nashville and is now wondering where he goes from here.  We talked briefly about how personal growth doesn’t “just happen” after a certain point in life.  When we are young, we naturally grow physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially.  We make friends at school and other ready-made social places.  After people graduate and finish their formal education, there is often this feeling of “What’s next?” when they realize no one is there to guide their development.  I often hear the same thing from people who have been in the corporate world for a short time, but long enough to figure out that they can’t depend on HR to give them career direction.  If you are asking yourself what is next for you, I have a simple exercise that may help.

        The scariest statistic that I have encountered while helping people fulfill their potential is that after graduating high school or college, 50% of Americans never read another book.  On the other hand, the average millionaire reads at least one non-fiction book a month.  The simple truth is that leaders are readers.  If you want to grow in your life, you have to invest in yourself by giving your mind new ideas and thought to ponder.  Write down the areas of your life that you want to develop and the topics you want to know more about.  Under each heading, write down at least three books that you want to read.  For help on this, you can look at my Recommended Reading List for ideas.  Amazon is a great source for building your reading lists as well.  I encourage you to read widely and deeply in all areas of your life. The more you study the different areas of your life, the more power you can unleash in your quest for greatness.  Remember that we live in a knowledge-based economy.  If you allow your mind to atrophy for lack of new stimulation, you are destroying your ability to win. 

        If you are ready to develop a plan that will help you fulfill your potential by aligning your actions with who you are, you can schedule a coaching session with me today.  In VBL Coaching, we will look at the seven key areas of your life and help you draft a plan to connect who you are to what you do.  If you think that there is more to life that what you are currently experiencing, and want to know how VBL can help you, let me know.