Wednesday, December 16, 2009

The Art and Necessity of Encouragement

Being an encourager is hard work.

In our society of, "Me," there is little time given for the guy or gal next to you and how you might impact their lives - and your own. It's an interesting fact that when you ask for help in finding a job you'll often get the link for the open position but absolutely no help on actually making a connection which everyone needs to actually get the job. Good or bad, everyone needs that to actually find that perfect job (Or job change) and finding someone to partner with in the search - or for that matter in many other areas of life has become a real difficulty that no one should have to deal with in that hunt for any kind of career especially in the almost no-hire atmosphere that exists today.

My experience over the years has proved to me the typical contact from friends or acquaintances when it comes to the hunt for a job usually ends up being, "step away and let the person fall on their own sword!" No one really wants to take the chance because of the distinct possibility that they'll end up looking bad or worse yet end up giving themselves that image of the pushy person who opened the door to what might turn into the office problem problem child.

There is always a risk in recommending or encouraging someone to apply for a job, but there can also be benefits. How do we teach people that the idea that no one survives as that, "rugged individual." We all need help at sometime in our lives.

We're not taught in school or college how to do that encouragement, or how to be an encourager - but some how we're suppose to just know how to be that kind of person. Most people simply do not know how much this kind of action can change people's lives. This could possibly be the best gift people could give to others in these difficult economic times.

5 comments:

  1. I think being an encourager does not even require hard work. It simply needs a loving and caring attitude for others around you. No one can be truly happy from inside if others around him/her are in any sort of difficult situation - you simply feel their pain and their difficulty becomes your own. Unfortunately, this basic human nature is increasingly becoming rare probably due this so-called self-centered'race' for money, but thoughtful posts like this are a reminder for us to look within ourselves. Thanks for sharing these beautiful thoughts.

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  2. Calling it an art really gets to the point. Maybe schools can't teach encouragement, as it requires the seasoning of the artist by life experiences.

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  3. It's true: it never pays to get caught in the middle. But encouraging one too is somewhat of a difficult straight to navigate. People ultimately have to find their own way. They can only model themselves off other people, words said to them either fall on deaf ears or are inevitably misunderstood.

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  4. Meam,
    you are so right! Our me centered, money centered life leaves little human caring in the picture.

    ChrisJ,
    It is an art, but how do we get parents to care enough to teach it by example? Sure wish I knew how to Make it a priority for some of those I know!

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  5. Robert,
    I think you're so right...caring is becoming something that isn't important anymore. I know so few anymore who takes a chance, but if you know a person sometimes all a person needs is that chance to help.

    I've personally experienced that chance taking, and was so grateful for that opportunity to prove myself!

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