Giving Encouragement At Any Age

World renowned motivational speaker Zig Ziglar tells the story of an eleven year old boy he met after giving a speech. After studying the boy for a few minutes, Ziglar looked him in the eye and said, "I can see that you are definitely a winner." A short time later, Ziglar received a letter from the boy. It seems his grades had improved, his teachers were treating him better, and he had a lot more friends. Nothing fundamentally changed in the boy’s circumstances except for the fact that he had been given some encouragement from someone he respected. That was all that he needed to change his life.
The most memorable gift my father has ever given me was when he told me he was proud of me. I was 32. The effect was profound. For the whole day, I felt like a little kid. I felt I could take on the world. That all the stresses, challenges and fears were things I could overcome. Just a few simple phrases were all the encouragement that I needed to lift my spirits. My dad was never a talker, he was never into sports and never encouraged me to play sports, so he never had the opportunity to cheer me on to hit harder or run faster. But my dad is a hard worker, a good provider and a good companion to my mother, whom he has been with for over the last forty years and when he said those words of encouragement, I felt I had already won every game I had ever played in my life.
It’s never too late to give encouragement. If you have kids, I encourage you to continue to bless them with words of encouragement them even after they’ve become adults. Often all the encouragement they need is the knowledge that someone believes in them. It isn't hard to provide verbal encouragement for your kids. It just takes a commitment to seeing and talking about the great things they do in their work, their attitude towards life, their ability to handle difficult situations, the progress they have made as new parents, and how well they’ve raised their kids.
Because of the encouragement I have received throughout my childhood and adult life from friends and family, I have a developed a deep and profound sense of purpose and confidence in my work and personal life. Those positive experiences have also pushed me to be on the constant lookout for opportunities to give encouragement to those around me. Young or old, wealthy or poor, we all could use some encouragement so try it at www.cheergiver.com. You might find yourself developing a habit of giving encouragement to others.

Charlie Goodman is the founder of Cheergiver.com, an inspirational/motivational website dedicated to lifting the spirits of "Be happy" is Charlie 's favorite affirmation. When he's not making funny faces and making children laugh, he can be found on Cheergiver.com giving encouragement and helping members cheer up and feel better about their circumstances.