Simply Encouraging Blog

Feeding

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Have you ever heard the phrase, “We feed off of each other”? I have, at least a gazillion times throughout the years. It means that two people feast on the negativity of one another, and then recreate it in never-ending and destructive cycles. So, what’s the remedy? That’s easy! Use the very same statement, but subtract the words, “off of”. What’s left is this. “We feed each other!” You see, relationships will always be about giving and receiving energy. Ideally, we take in energy from our positivity-giving habits, and then feed others with it as love and caring. If we’re busy overflowing with nourishing “food”, then we’re not as susceptible to feeding "off of" emotional garbage, and getting sick from it. Do you have a loved one who frustrates you from time to time? You probably do, because that's life, so remember; you have a fundamental decision-point to deal with every time the cycle begins to occur. You can feed off of it, and get sick, or you can feed them with higher love, and the two of you will thrive. I know this seems hard, but feast upon positive stuff, and then keep your "feel good" energy flowing by “feeding” others with it. Always be prepared to love. Love when you don’t feel like it, love when the other seems unlovely, and love, just because you can!

Simple Encouragement and Simply Encouraging are Trademarks of Simple E Creations, Inc.

Simply Encouraging® Stories & Narratives to Lighten Your Day, and Make Your Relationships Bright™!

F+

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:48:00 GMT

Lamenting his academic failings, I looked at him, and said, "Because ‘I’m @Encouraging’ (and a bit sarcastic), I would give you at least an F+ for your efforts." He immediately shot back, "Doesn't a ‘plus’ ruin the integrity of an ‘F’?" We both laughed, paused, and then staring at each other for a moment, I swear we were both thinking the same thought. "Inside of a person who thinks THAT quickly, THAT way lives an A+ student!" I decided to say it out loud, speaking “Life to potential,” and he appreciated the gift. Always remember, deep inside of our F+ struggles is an A+ something waiting to emerge. Seek it, find it, and when you do, give it a great big shout-out!

Simple Encouragement and Simply Encouraging are Trademarks of Simple E Creations, Inc.

Simply Encouraging® Stories & Narratives to Brighten Your Day, and Make Your Relationships Bright™!

Live Confidently!

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 13:23:00 GMT

Life is an ongoing process of discovery, so we’re constantly experiencing situations we’ve never faced before. For me, there doesn’t seem to be a day that goes by that I’m not presented with a brand new challenge! This is true for all of us, and while we rarely feel prepared for the next new thing, consider this. Has there ever been a challenge over which you did not ultimately prevail? I didn’t think so. Even though it doesn’t feel this way at times, deep inside, we have everything we need to live on the winning side of the street. In fact, you have resilience, resourcefulness, and drive that brought you victoriously to this time and place. This will always be the truth for your life, so embrace it, and live confidently!

Simple Encouragement and Simply Encouraging are Trademarks of Simple E Creations, Inc.

Simply Encouraging® Stories & Narratives to Brighten Your Day, and Make Your Relationships Bright™!

Victories Are Waiting!

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:27:00 GMT

Placed on a waiting list, chosen to be “first choice” in the “second round” if someone dropped out, she said, “Oh great, now I’m the best of the worst”. A few weeks and an attitude adjustment later, she happily announced her own acceptance, to which I said, “Well, now you’re the worst of the best! Is that progress?” She laughed. So, what is the moral of the story? Despite appearances, our worst situations should be filled with positive anticipation. Look at your life as it is right now. Would you consider yourself “the best of the worst”, or “the worst of the best”? I hope neither. Remember, everything changes. Your life is a process that ebbs and flows, and only your judging makes it seem “good” or “bad”. In fact, judging can stop fresh victories from flooding into our lives when we need them the most! It’s always too soon to say whether it's “good” or “bad”, or “best” or “worst”, so be thankful for what you can in your present circumstances, and be passionately hopeful! Victories are always waiting to break through, and your attitude can determine their estimated time of arrival. I hope you’ll give that some real deep thought.

Simple Encouragement and Simply Encouraging are Trademarks of Simple E Creations, Inc.

Simply Encouraging® Stories & Narratives to Brighten Your Day, and Make Your Relationships Bright™!

Quiet Roots

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 15:40:00 GMT

Spring is a time of renewal when new life is budding everywhere! Yet, with all of these blossoms, and their promise of harvest, we must never forget the quiet roots that work through the dark seasons, providing strength for the blossoms to emerge and say, “I’m alive!” For every fresh victory blossoming in your life right now, there have been many “quiet root encouragers" along the way. Please take time to remember them, and to sincerely thank each and every one. “Thank you” is that special place where encouraging “quiet roots” and hopeful blossoms smile at the mysterious connectedness of life, and enjoy the harvest it brings.

Simple Encouragement and Simply Encouraging are Trademarks of Simple E Creations, Inc.

Simply Encouraging® Stories & Narratives to Brighten Your Day, and Make Your Relationships Bright™!

Leadership Positions

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 04:00:00 GMT

I've challenged so many people to leadership throughout the years, and very often, this is what I hear. "They won't let me lead!" What?!? Since when does a leader need permission to lead? I understand that leadership brings resistance, because leadership invites change. But if we serve and love out of an inspired vision, the resistance relaxes, and identification with the vision we're moving towards begins to take hold. We become less, the vision becomes more, and then, the mission completes itself. See, isn't that easy? All it takes is radical commitment, years of precious life, relentless hard work, seasons of loneliness, unwavering faith, laser focus, incredible love, grueling sacrifice, and ultimately, the willingness to become invisible to that, which is greater. Our culture is desperately hungry for leaders that serve and love. Any volunteers?

(And in case you’re wondering, what you just read applies whether you’re a friend, spouse, parent, politician, CEO, or the president of a country! Read it again from your particular perspective, and you’ll see what I mean).

Simple Encouragement and Simply Encouraging are Trademarks of Simple E Creations, Inc.

Simply Encouraging® Stories & Narratives to Brighten Your Day, and Make Your Relationships Bright™!

A Very Good Day!

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 04:00:00 GMT

If we receive praise, it's a good day. If we receive criticism, then it's a better day! Think of it this way. We get to refine ourselves through feedback, and when it comes to criticism, sometimes what feels like a bad day can really be a good day, although we may not know it until much later. If uncomfortable mirrors are being held up for you to look into today, don't wait until tomorrow to realize that this isn't necessarily a bad day after all. Get busy putting what you're learning about yourself into action, and make it a very good day, right now!

Simple Encouragement and Simply Encouraging are Trademarks of Simple E Creations, Inc.

Simply Encouraging® Stories & Narratives to Brighten Your Day, and Make Your Relationships Bright™!

Happy?

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 23:32:00 GMT

What makes you happy? People love that question, and typically they lean gleefully into the answer. I know you’re ready to make your list, kind of like getting ready for Santa’s lap, but wait! Let me encourage you to throw away the pen and paper, erase the “hard drive”, and consider this. Sometimes we can be so demanding of what we think will make us happy that we totally miss what really will. Sometimes we can be so demanding of what we think will make us happy that we can make ourselves downright miserable. Perhaps for today you can just relax, and let IT find YOU!

Simple Encouragement and Simply Encouraging are Trademarks of Simple E Creations, Inc.

Simply Encouraging® Stories & Narratives to Brighten Your Day, and Make Your Relationships Bright™!

Striving

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 21:08:00 GMT

It’s often subtle, and we can easily miss the event if we’re not trained to look for it. This “main feature” is “now showing” in people all around you, and the event is “striving”. From the most ambitious “go-getter” to that so-called “lazy bum”, EVERYBODY has a stirring deep inside that desires to move them beyond themselves. I am certainly trying to escape “me”, and I believe that you are trying to escape “you”. We all yearn for this “great escape” to immensity, but we can’t do it alone. Just as we watch for a baby’s first step away from “babyhood”, so we should always be vigilant for that budding progression in others, as subtle as it might be. And at the slightest sign of someone’s emerging to the next level, we should call it by name, and open our arms wide to it, with smiles and celebration! One way I “escape me” is by striving to support others in their transcendence. Why don’t you give it a try! You’ll be less of you, and more of something far greater if you do.

Simple Encouragement and Simply Encouraging are Trademarks of Simple E Creations, Inc.

Simply Encouraging® Stories & Narratives to Brighten Your Day, and Make Your Relationships Bright™!

Look Up!

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 05:00:00 GMT

If you want to be lifted up, look up! I know that might sound "religious" to some, but here’s what I mean. The next time you’re walking along outdoors, stop for a moment, bend your head way back, and look straight up at the sky. Here are some of the things I notice when I do this. My eyebrows lift up, my eyes open wider, and lots of light comes rushing in! I feel the muscles in my face stretch in such a way that when I look forward again, I feel like smiling. I notice my neck and trapezius muscles relax, showing me that tension was there. Of course, the sky itself is always sensational! Today, it was crystal clear, and deep blue, almost delicious looking. Look up! Do it lots. It’s free, and the benefits are incredible!

Simple Encouragement and Simply Encouraging are Trademarks of Simple E Creations, Inc.

Simply Encouraging® Stories & Narratives to Brighten Your Day, and Make Your Relationships Bright™!

Be Graceful!

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 15:36:00 GMT

As a professional confidante, everybody lies to me. I know THAT got your attention, but they do! Everybody lies to me about something, that is, until they’re ready not to. And the fact is, I have a lot to do with how long that process takes. Here’s how it works. Shame hides, and grace invites it into the light. Grace says, “I won’t judge you”, and it says, “I will respect you, no matter what”. At times, grace is hard to give, and sometimes, grace is harder to receive. This is because we all judge, and we all have shame. We all tend to point the finger of judgment, and we all have those “dark corners” of our lives that we would rather keep hidden with deception and lies. Perhaps the realization of this fact, felt deeply, is what produces grace-filled love in the first place! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we never had to hide in shame, or feel its crippling effects? Wouldn’t it be liberating to live life not having to deceive ourselves, and each other? Be radically honest with yourself, and then with your finger pointed in the right direction, it will be easy to be a grace-giver! When we’re free of our shadows, then we’re free to help others to be free of theirs. The light of grace carries such tremendous power that if love makes the world go ‘round, then grace keeps it on its axis. Be graceful! People will love you for it.

Simple Encouragement and Simply Encouraging are Trademarks of Simple E Creations, Inc.

Simply Encouraging® Stories & Narratives to Brighten Your Day, and Make Your Relationships Bright™!

Simple Encouragement 2013

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 00:49:00 GMT

Our world is desperate for the high road of encouragement. The world is aching for Simple Encouragement®, the essence of “Life, healing and light™”. For me, there is no better thing to do than put words to paper that inspire people to make 2013 a year that embraces all of humanity in peace, with deep, sacred connection.

Encouragement is cultivating people from all of your heart, to all of their being.

As a worldview, encouragement is an attitude of loving engagement, and what does this loving engagement reveal? Engaging others with an attitude of love, we are likely to experience hidden potential that the other can barely see, much less express. We may discover buried hurt begging for expression, and longing for the comfort of another. We might see a pocket of subtle shame, hiding, desiring a touch of understanding acceptance to free it. An attitude of loving engagement can speak “Life to potential, healing to pain, and light to darkness™” in a way that frees souls! This is the heart of Simple Encouragement®, and it will always cause the very best to rise in people.

It’s amazing what can be found deep within another when we search them with the right heart.

We can take one others for granted, you know, until that certain tragedy comes along. At those times, times of loss, we wish we had taken the time to really know that special being more deeply. When we search others with a heart that is free of pride, longing to give, and truly seeking to know, then we find the very best within them. Don’t be fooled by surface appearances, and remember, true love is curious, and cares to the point of action.

Help those around you to be bright! After all, they are your reflection.

I know; this is a hard one to “own”, but it’s true! Save for some unique situations, the look upon the faces of others tends to reflect the heart that is within us. Ponder that thought a bit, and it will certainly create the spiritual equivalent of “Happy Hour”! And when all is said and done, here’s the deal. Love is the flame. Encouragement is the spark. Feel the warmth!

Thanksgiving is a grateful state of mind, celebrated in heartbeats. Moment by moment, I am grateful for you!

Well, it’s true, and I thought it would be the ideal quote as I begin to close this article. I am so grateful to be able to connect with so many, helping you all to shine with “Life, healing and light”™ right there in your special corner of the world. You have a crucial mission to fulfill, so please, give someone the blessing of a “deeper you”. They deserve it, and you do too!

Aim high, hope deeply; expect miracles! I’m wishing you all a Simply Encouraging® New Year, and a blessed 2013!

Simple Encouragement and Simply Encouraging are Trademarks of Simple E Creations, Inc.

Simply Encouraging® Stories & Narratives to Brighten Your Day, and Make Your Relationships Bright™!

Joy To The World!

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 05:00:00 GMT

The plight of a “caregiver” I spoke with is summed up in their statement, “Although I don’t suffer his condition; I suffer his condition”. It made me wonder; are people suffering my "condition”, or am I making it easy for them? In case you’re wondering, my “condition” is “humanity”, and we all suffer it sooner or later, in one way or another. Unfortunately, there are some conditions that come with great pain beyond our control, and we simply burden others for a season of time. Yet, many of our “conditions” are well within our reach; “conditions” like negative attitudes or selfish outlooks. Given the fact that we have to burden one another some of the time, I think we should “balance the equation” and comfort others where we can. And if you’re “suffering a condition” that is of your own doing, then please, clean it up! If it’s within your power, then “condition your heart” such that you are a comfort and joy to those around you. Joy to the world! Actually, what a wonderful mantra for the season, and all year long. Joy to the world… Live it!

Simple Encouragement and Simply Encouraging are Trademarks of Simple E Creations, Inc.

Simply Encouraging® Stories & Narratives to Brighten Your Day, and Make Your Relationships Bright™!

When You Don't Know What To Do

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Voice stressed, she asked, “What do you do when you don’t know what to do?” My instinctive response was to tell her, “Nothing”, but I wasn’t comfortable with its seeming lack of sophistication. Of course, I thought about saying, “I would wait until the answer reveals itself”, but I just as quickly realized that despite its wise and “guru-ish” quality, it’s not quite what I would want to hear if I were the one who was in distress. So, what do YOU do when you don’t know what to do? For me, I gather data, LOTS of data. That’s what God made Google for! I talk with my choicest advisors to “brainstorm” all sorts of wild ideas. I get myself moving, usually by taking long walks in nature where I ramble on in self-talk and prayer, and very often, inspiration rises from the ruins of my worn-out psychological mind. And naps; sometimes naps are good. Actually, sometimes naps are VERY good! But when all is said and done, try to honor that life is a process, and if the process is loving and full of light, then the outcome will always be excellent.

Simple Encouragement and Simply Encouraging are Trademarks of Simple E Creations, Inc.

Simply Encouraging® Stories & Narratives to Brighten Your Day, and Make Your Relationships Bright™!

Be Light!

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 14:18:00 GMT

“If our hearts are in the right place, we provide a soft light by which others can examine themselves without fear.”

This is the third facet in the trilogy of Simple Encouragement® ~ “Light to darkness”. People have a conscience, and they examine it on the inside to the degree that they feel loved and accepted on the outside. Let’s not distract people with our judgments. Let's offer loving grace, and then marvel at how they grow in the “soil” of our caring.

Simple Encouragement® is, “Speaking life to potential, healing to pain, and light to darkness™”. It’s "A Quiet Cause” full of “Life, Healing, and Light!™” Feel free to “surf” around these pages, and I trust that you will enjoy the experience.

I believe that encouragement is cultivating people from all of our heart, to all of their being, so I hope these writings will stimulate and encourage your highest calling.

And remember, if you want to "delight", then "be light"!

Simple Encouragement and Simply Encouraging are Trademarks of Simple E Creations, Inc.

Simply Encouraging® Stories & Narratives to Brighten Your Day, and Make Your Relationships Bright™!