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.

Tags: achievement, based, encouragement, living, Proverbss, values, VBL, Zig, Ziglar