Encouragement

I recently met a man called T. Harv Eker. He created a multi-million dollar company that helps people improve their lives. He shares openly that he was not always successful, if fact, he failed in business many times and had considered giving up. But one of his friends encouraged him saying, "You are Harv Eker. You are the only Harv Eker who will ever live and the only Harv Eker who can contribute your piece in this puzzle of life. There is someone out there who needs your piece to complete their puzzle so it is your duty to keep going and not quit." Harv Eker changed his name. He is now, T. Harv Eker – T standing for 'The one and only.' He says his name is a daily reminder of who he is and the unique contribution that is his to make. Day by day, he keeps going and by learning from his mistakes his work is now spreading across the globe helping more and more people all the time. Before being encouraged by his friend, T. Harv Eker nearly quit. I'm glad he didn't because what I learned from him is helping me, too.

Today, a friend of mine encouraged me. Just now while I am writing this, the phone rang and someone called me who needed encouragement. I encouraged her. It is perfectly natural to need encouragement and perfectly appropriate to receive it. I share the story about Harv Eker because doubting ourselves or becoming nervous over various things is something that we tend to do no matter who we are or how successful we appear to be. We do this because it is in our DNA.

Instinctively, all creatures are programmed for survival. We are constantly evaluating everything as to whether or not it could harm us. In areas where we do not have a strong grasp of the terrain, we tend to over-react to everything not only as if it might harm us but as if it could actually kill us. No wonder so many of us consider giving up when the going gets tough or when we don't know what to do next.

I once took a young horse out for his first trail ride. Everything was going fine until the wind blew and the leaves of a nearby tree began to rustle. His head snapped up, eyes wide and alert, while every muscle in his body tensed for flight. Was the tree going to eat him? I think he thought it might so I petted and reassured him and encourage him that he was safe. Until horses can recognize it for the harmless item that it is, horses will spook at tin foil glistening at the side of the trail or at a piece of trash blowing innocently in their direction. One of the best ways to give a young horse confidence is by pairing him with a more experienced horse who knows the terrain better. In this way, the more experienced one doesn't over react to situations and encourages the less experienced one to learn the terrain.

We all need encouragement as we encounter new hills and valleys and as the terrain of our lives changes. It is not something to be embarrassed about or to feel ashamed to ask for. How sad would it be for all the people that T. Harv Eker has helped, had his friend not encouraged him to have the confidence to keep going? And although we may not like to admit it, we are animals by nature – and we all experience times when we become uncertain. The more we are encouraged by others, the more experience we allow ourselves to gain and learn from and when we are in the unique position to offer encouragement to someone else, it's like being the steady horse in the group and we become even more sure in ourselves.