I’m a member of a group on Facebook that includes people from all over the world who are hustling on their dreams.  They state what they are dreaming about, and then they work their tail-ends off on accomplishing their goals.  It’s wonderfully encouraging to see people get excited, decide to do something, take the leap, make mistakes, get back up again, and soar!  And it’s wonderful to watch these people encourage each other day after day in their work.

Today, a lady that’s been in the group from day one like me (and someone I think I would totally be BFF’s with if we lived close) asked if anyone needed encouragement.  She was going to be passing it out!

I sat back and watched people ask for encouragement and receive beautiful, thoughtful messages from this lady.  Then I finally thought “What the heck!  I’m going to ask for encouragement.  This looks fun!”  So I did.  Minutes later, I received this:

“Stephanie You’ve got a beautiful smile and that smile shines bright. The world seems so grey for so many, but you add color and brilliance to those around you. Just by being you. You may not always feel like you are, but you are. It’s what you were made to do and it just shines forth!”

Wow!  What a special note of encouragement from someone that I barely know from the internet!

This lady sent a message to every person that requested one.  And it was a lot of people!

She did something very meaningful for many people today, and she inspired me to write more notes, Facebook posts/messages, texts, etc. to encourage others.  It was fun to watch how her words lit people up.  Brought a smile to their faces.  Meant a lot to them.

I’ve found over the years that there are a few tips that help with writing notes of encouragement:

1. Make it timely.  When you notice something that someone has done, it’s good to let them know pretty quick that you saw what they did.  It’s fine to send notes later also, but it’s a big deal when people feel seen.  Someone noticed.

2. Make it specific.  Generic notes are fine, but notes that are specific are huge and even more meaningful.  People love when you take the time to notice details and comment on them.  The more specific, the better!

This lady did a great job at this today.

When was the last time you wrote a note of encouragement to someone?  Who has done something for you lately that you could thank?  Who have you noticed doing something spectacular (or even something tiny)?

Everyone loves encouragement.  We don’t give it often enough.  And like my friend said today, ” I think it’s important to speak life to others and lavish people with love. Love is something that needs to be shared!”

Encourage on!