Daily Inspiration 4-7-10

"You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins."

-- Jim Stovall

"Remember, man does not live on bread alone:

sometimes he needs a little buttering up."

-- John C Maxwell

If I get to choose what goes on my tombstone, or how I am remembered in the years after I am gone it is very short, and it is this: Terry Minion, Encourager.

My desire to be an encourager is from a simple source: I never got enough of it as a child from my perspective, and whenever I did get it, I was instantly ablaze with excitement and strong desire to do even better. I have recognized that it is one of my spiritual gifts to be an encourager. I find that I don't require the encouragement I used to crave anymore by giving it away all day, every day to others. Strangely enough, that in itself is encouraging to me and fulfilling at the same time.

What I highly recommend is each of us to encourage each other. There is nothing quite like it to show your caring, your love, your interest and it even boosts performance dramatically in business. It must be sincere, and that will be easy because there is so much potential in each of us, that we have barely scratched the surface in all of man's time on earth.

It's far better to catch someone doing something well and compliment them, than to catch them missing the mark and chastise them. In many business environments, too many look for what is wrong. That same thing happens in the home as well--especially with children. We are all better served as encouragers rather than correctors.

I could give you a list of stories of how much people have changed just from a little encouragement and I've even received communications years later of how it benefited them. That reward is so awesome to receive, but the real reward was watching them grow and become more, seeking more of their vast potential.

That is how these Daily Inspirations got started. I saw a number of people that needed some hope and some encouragement, and started a daily email to them, and it has expanded from that to serve hundreds. There are all kinds of ways to encourage each other, and the easiest is just saying something nice and uplifting to people you live with, work with or meet. Compliment something about them, tell them something they did or are doing that is special and good, or well done. Something as simple as, 'you have a beautiful smile' is good. It doesn't take much, but it holds huge meaning to them. Get started today. You won't regret a single second of it.

I Am An Encourager To Everyone I Know And Meet.

Spread Some Joy Today--Start today being encouraging to others. Compliment their dress, their shoes, their smile, their enthusiasm, their hair. Make sure it is something positive is the only rule. How many times have we thought how nice someone looked today, but said nothing? Today is the day to change that.