The Ability to Encourage

Someone encouraged a writer today. The result is this post.

"If you have the ability to see the good in people, you have a gift and we need more of you. The next step is telling them, or perhaps others around a situation that includes someone having made mistakes. I've been pushed out of many conversations by shifting the responsibility away from the person and back to the action. Right or wrong, we, as people are made to mess up. In hard times, will you be able to depend on your employer, sponsor, family, friends, etc. to support you when it happens? Say that you don't mess up, say you decide to embark on a new adventure? Or a career diversion? Or Downsize --AHH RUN!!! Downsize? "Who does that unless they're struggling?" they smirk. What happened to you being you and doing what you want, when you want and those around you supporting the effort? Especially your employer. The one that could save the other people surrounded by you a lot of heartache. Follow me, I'm going somewhere.

People change, drastically - most times. A Divorce, A Child, A Death, A Natural Disaster -- these life events move people to re-evaluate their life and the importance of their use of time - in our culture and mechanical model of business, these are "catastrophe's". No, they're not. They're a normal part of life in most cases.

Let's say that a companies inability to move and change with a persons growth contributes to divorce rates? We know it does. Money is the #1 reason people divorce. Look further, why? Uncertainty, doubt, fear, insecurity. These feelings contribute to the demise of an individual. Once this takes place (unless the marriage is fundamentally build on true love and sacrifice) one part of the unit begins to decompose, relying on the energy from the other to support its steady decline. The other gets drained, too and unable to fight off the feelings - they both begin to seek other forms of temporal satisfaction. Why do you think the entertainment industry flourishes in crisis? It's not bad or good, but it happens.

The answer? Many things, a sound foundation, seated in the Truth of Jesus Christ (my Rock) and being surrounded by an environment of people committed to helping one another grow personally and professionally. The two are synonymous. There is no such thing as "my professional life"... why separate? Who started that?

I think I'll go work at a bar. I don't drink and would rather read a book than go out.... but those people are suffering, they'll pay be big tips because of my looks and I can be a light to them and the people working there - maybe that's my place? I don't really fit in anywhere else in corporate america - they just use me and when I buck the system, it doesn't suit their fancy. A bar is about as organic as you can get, meeting people in their lowest state - knowing they have potential to be so much more - all kinds, all types and what a great place to understand people....they talk and are honest when they have a few. .. I think I'm liking this idea more and more.

I mean, if we embraced the ugly reality of pain, and encouraged people through it - instead of flicking them away, we could begin to see some significant progress in society. But, it takes someone actually doing it, instead of writing about it to make it happen. "

Writer Brandi