Encouragement Community Friendship

Fueling Confidence in Others with 3 Es of Encouragement

Nurturing bonds and fostering growth through mutual encouragement

I was honored when Liberty Forrest, Author invited me to contribute to this lovely pub. After the glow of the compliment dimmed, my first thought was, “Yikes! What should I write?!?”

I don’t exactly have a niche. A lot of advice for new writers suggests that you must find a niche. Since my motive for writing is not to make a million dollars (although a few bucks here and there would be nice), I haven’t really tried to concentrate on finding my niche.

As I review what I have been writing, however, I realize that there are three words/topics that I continue to use in stories, poems, comments, and replies to comments. So maybe these combined are my niche: gratitude, empathy, and encouragement. Because I found such encouragement from Liberty’s invitation to write in the Hope * Healing * Humour pub, I decided to write about encouragement for my first post here — my attempt to “pay it forward”.

I find when contemplating words like gratitude, empathy, and encouragement, there are many components to each. So for this article, I am going to look at three aspects of encouragement, that when linked together, can serve to supercharge another person’s confidence.

How can we be effective in encouraging others? Let’s take a look.

Empathic listening

Sometimes just feeling heard and understood can make someone feel valued. Empathic listening involves listening with your heart and validating their emotions. Acknowledging their struggles with compassion can dispel the feelings of being alone. boosting their self-esteem and promoting a sense of connection. Don’t we all like to feel that sense of belonging? I know I have been inspired by the community I have found on Medium.

Enriching Affirmations

After one has been inspired to step out and try a new venture, you can further encourage by offering sincere affirmations for their strengths and accomplishments. These affirmations act as fuel for the inner fire of self-confidence! I’ll never forget the overwhelming feeling of excitement and gratitude (yup, I had to get that in) when I read the comments on the first story I published. Even as I wrote about overcoming imposter syndrome, I had the nagging feeling that I might not be good enough to write on Medium. But reading all of the positive comments and receiving the affirmation from “real writers” helped me believe I could keep going with this writing adventure. At 74 years old, this has been life changing for me! Encouragement is a powerful action.

Empowering Expectations

Telling me, “I look forward to seeing what you do next”, gives confidence to keep going! Knowing that you believe in me, inspires me to want to do more, try different things, and keep learning to improve. You can do the same for others. Helping someone set realistic goals is another way to charge their self-confidence and desire to continue moving forward.

Conclusion

I have enjoyed the interactions with other writers as much for what I’ve received as I have for being able to encourage others. That’s the thing about encouragement. The effects of these encouragement methods are profound. They enhance self-worth, inspire confidence, and foster a supportive environment and a stronger sense of community. When we encourage each other, everyone can thrive and be inspired.

I love one of Liberty’s requirements for submitting to Hope * Healing * Humour involves tagging and including a link for at least one other author. I have so many writers that I could tag, but I’ll start with the two editors who have given me encouragement in ways I can never repay. Now, if you think I’m trying to cozy up to these writers because they are also editors, I say razzberries 😝!! These two women have truly taken time to mentor and encourage beyond what their editing duties require. I’ve already mentioned the boost that Liberty has given to me by inviting me to contribute in this pub, but I will say it again! Thank you Liberty!!

I’m listing these ladies in the order in which we met.

First, is Trisha Faye, editor and founder of Good Vibes Club. Trisha encouraged me to take that first step and write while I was still just a reader. She responded to a comment I made on one of her stories. I mentioned I was trying to gather the courage to write. She said, “You can do it!”, and I did! One of my favorite stories is one in which she shares about her reunion with a best friend of 50 years. I shared with Trisha that I had put off reading this story because I had lost my friend of 50+ years to cancer, and I knew it would bring on the “feels”. Trisha is such a compassionate person, and that shines in her writing and in her responses to others, including me. Here is her story with a delightful title:

Next, is Carolyn Hastings, editor for Paper Poetry . My gratitude for Carolyn’s guidance in editing my poetry is only exceeded by my gratitude for her friendship. Ironically, the depth of that feeling makes it hard to find the right words to introduce her. I’m not sure I ever shared this with her, but I didn’t publish my first poem on Medium in Paper Poetry because I felt it wasn’t good enough. Carolyn had shocked me by tweeting a twittle I had included in a comment to her. With that encouragement, I posted another one — the one I mentioned above. Since then, I’ve reconnected with my love for writing poetry and even had one of my poems boosted. Carolyn’s poetry pierces right to the heart. I’m sharing with you the poem that brought Carolyn and I together. Thank you Lynda.

Both of the poems I chose to highlight from these authors have the theme of Friendship. This wonderful platform, Medium, offers so many opportunities for forging new bonds, even if not face to face. Take advantage of this opportunity by clapping, commenting and subscribing to your favorite authors. They will be so encouraged!