Powerful Words: I Believe in You

Take a minute to think about someone who has inspired you to have confidence in yourself.

It might be…

A coach shouting encouraging words from the sidelines

A teacher who was so impressed with your report that he/she encouraged you to publish it

A friend who often asked to hear you play the piano when they visited

A boss who gave you freedom to do your job as you thought best and praised you for your contributions

Someone who helped you see your unique gifts

Are you picturing this person?  You very well may have several people in mind.

People who believe in us – and share their words of confidence with us – help us grow.  Their confidence in our abilities helps us to see those qualities in ourselves.

We enjoy hearing words of affirmation.  We thrive on words of encouragement.  We gain confidence when someone tells us they believe in our abilities.  It takes so little time to share our positive observations with another person.

The words you share might be brief,
but the sentiment may have a lasting impact.

I used to work for a program that provided mentoring to young people, many of whom heard frequent criticisms and putdowns.  They rarely – if ever – heard words of affirmation.  These young people were discouraged, making questionable choices for themselves, and generally not living productive and fulfilled lives.  Once they became participants in our programs, they were connected with a mentor and other supportive individuals.  I found it so gratifying to see these young people blossom because they finally had people in their lives who believed in them and told them so.  These young people began to gain confidence and could see the qualities and characteristics in themselves that made them special.

We all benefit from having people in our lives who believe in us.
When we hear their words of validation,
it feels good and we gain confidence.

Make someone’s day.  I encourage you to share your observations with those people in your life that you admire, who have qualities that you like, and who make a difference to you.  I’d love to hear about your experiences after you do so.

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