Maybe it’s because I am the middle child. You know…the peacekeeper in the family. Not that my family was full of discord, fighting, or other problems.
Actually our family was and still is, very loving and supportive. Not perfect by any means. But still, a loving family.
So it’s not about keeping the peace in the family, but I have always been the person who will compromise, accommodate, look at the other person’s point of view, and see the glass as half-full.
Whether it’s genetics, upbringing or acquired traits, as a woman in my 60s I find great fulfillment and joy by encouraging and inspiring others, particularly other women in midlife.
Beyond encouraging, I feel that sharing my knowledge, the experiences I’ve had in my life can be of help and inspiration to other women who may be going through similar experiences.
So it all sounds nice and cozy, you know…helpful, smiley faces, life is good, thumbs up, and all that good stuff.
The reality, though, is that sharing this knowledge, this inspiration, this motivation, can be tough. It’s a big, big internet world that we have, and one voice in that vastness, that Googleness, can be so very hard to hear.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s all worth it: the blog posts, the online courses, the eGuides, the email course series. It’s a lot of work and effort, and involve a monetary investment, too.
Growth is slow, exposure takes time, respect and appreciation must be earned.
How I Encourage Others
When I think about it and try to put it in concrete terms, like a list, my passion for inspiring and encouraging others does have some substance beyond a smiley face.
Whether I’m creating a course for women over 50 or chatting with a friend, there is consistency in what I do and say:
- See the situation from the other’s point of view
- Phrase a sentence from a positive perspective
- Find good qualities about the other person and say them out loud
- Always look at what I can learn from a situation first, and not point the finger at someone else
- Share my own learning experiences with honesty, even when I’ve failed
- Speak and write from the heart
- Use my own ‘voice’ when communicating
It gives me such joy when a reader sends me an email or comments on a Facebook post, and tells me how much they appreciated my words, or learned from them, or felt uplifted and encouraged by the article.
Encouraging others is a part of who I am, and I hope to always be able to use that gift in a positive and productive way.
