There are many ways to help people. One approach is to enjoy the process of encouraging people and also evolving. A person may do this as a parent, educator, medic, mentor, leader or in another role.
Different people follow these steps in different ways. Let’s explore how they may do this by focusing on the following themes.
Enjoyment
Different people have different reasons for helping others. Many people love to be kind and see others grow. Here are some things that individuals say regarding their motivations.
“I simply enjoy encouraging people. Many people have helped me in the past. I simply want to pass on the help that I was given.”
“Much of my professional life has been spent encouraging people. This has involved being a counsellor, therapist and mentor. I still look forward to every day when I can help people.”
“I used to get nervous before giving a keynote speech. Whilst I still prepare massively, I now just feel enjoyment when looking forward to a session where I am passing on knowledge that may help people.”
Let’s return to your own life and work. What do you enjoy about encouraging people? What is the specific kind of situation where you feel in your element taking this approach?
Are there certain kinds of people that you particularly like encouraging?
What are the characteristics of these people? What may be the benefits – both for them and for yourself – of encouraging them?
Encouragement
There are many ways to encourage people. You may, for example, offer them practical, personal or professional encouragement.
Practical Encouragement
This can involve providing people with the basic materials for life. It can mean making sure they have the food, shelter and other resources needed to maintain their health, hope and happiness.
Personal Encouragement
This can involve giving people the love and support they need to develop. It can mean helping a person to follow their principles and work towards achieving their picture of success.
Professional Encouragement
This can involve helping people to build on their strengths, do satisfying work and achieve specific goals. It can also mean helping them to pass on their knowledge and leave a positive legacy.
Different people encourage others in different ways. Some may offer a safe environment, a listening ear and empathy. Some may offer practical strategies and tools that help people to achieve success.
Let’s return to your own life and work. What is your way of offering encouragement to people? How do you translate this into action? What sometimes happens as a result?
Evolution
Some people may simply find it rewarding to help others to grow and evolve. Some may also find that they learn and develop. One person expressed this in the following way.
“My aim is always put the other person first because it is about them, it is not about me. Nevertheless, I love helping them to achieve their goals. Sometimes I get what is called the helper’s high.
“I also get encouragement when encouraging people. It is as if I am following a vocation in which I feel fully alive. This helps me to explore new ways to develop.
“After the session I reflect on what went well and what I could have done better. I feel lucky to be doing stimulating work where I can help people and also continue to develop.”
Imagine that some of your work involves encouraging people. How may you sometimes help them to develop? How do you try to learn from these experiences and aim to keep evolving?
There are many ways to help people. One approach is to enjoy the process of encouraging people and also evolving. How can you continue to follow this approach in your own way?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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