The Importance Of Being Encouraged

Encouragement is underrated.

Not praise. Encouragement. There’s a difference.

Praise is about what someone has done. ‘That was great.’ ‘Well done.’ It’s retrospective and evaluative.

Encouragement is about who someone is and what they’re capable of. ‘I believe in you.’ ‘I think you can do this.’ It’s prospective and generative.

Praise can actually be demotivating if it’s attached to a fixed outcome. But encouragement – genuine encouragement, from someone who knows you – is one of the most powerful forces in human development.

I can trace almost every significant thing I’ve done to someone who encouraged me before I believed I could do it. Not because they were right. Because their belief gave me enough runway to find out.

Who do you need to encourage today? Not praise. Encourage.