Encouragement can be as simple as a smile:)

trayc-wWhen I run I listen to the music of U2 or Cold Play to keep me in the ‘zone’ and inspired to keep going.  While running the other day I found another source that kept me moving quickly along my route.  I noticed that when women smiled at me I felt a burst of energy.  It was their way of saying “you go girl”  with a simple smile.

It’s different when men smile, you still feel the burst of energy but it quite often (not always) has a sexual charge connected to it.  When women smile at me it just feels like it is for no other reason than support.  I am not saying that when every man smiles at me it’s sexually charged (that’s an entirely different post) but I think it’s naturally different.  I know men are also very supportive and their energy is very powerful as well.  I have many male friends who are equally as supportive as my female ones.

We all learn from a very young age that encouragement is vital to success.  We can succeed without it, but it certainly helps.  We start with encouraging our babies to talk, walk and learn.  Encouragement is what gets them to take that first step or say their first word.  As our kids grow we continue to encourage them in school and sports and they flourish and learn so quickly.  Kids thrive on encouragement, so do adults.

As adults I think we don’t encourage one another as much as we should.  We have stopped giving those words of encouragement to our colleagues, possibly because of our competitive nature.  I know for myself when I get encouraging words from both of my partners I work harder and push myself more.  If your girlfriend tells you that you look like you’ve lost weight, you don’t go grab a cupcake for lunch, you go for a run.  Encouragement!  If your boyfriend tells you that you look like you’ve dropped a few (not in those exact words) you feel sexy, wink.  Let’s be clear though that manipulative encouragement can totally backfire!

It’s all about positive energy.  You get back what you put out there.  I never thought of a smile before as a form of encouragement.  But I believe it is.  Bonnie wrote a great post on ‘The Power of a Smile’ which is so true.  Encouragement is a gift that is free to give to anyone, anywhere, anytime that, as I learned running, can be as simple as a smile  🙂  Have you encouraged anyone today?  I hope I inspired you to 🙂

Tracy

"Exploring the never-ending desires that fuel all life, while finding lyrical beauty in everyday happenings."

8 Comments

  • Rick

    A smile….. what a great gift a smile is ! I’ve never really thought of a smile as encouragement, but after reading Tracy’s article this morning I will be using it as a form of encouragement today. I’m a Construction Superintendent with 20 to 40 men and a few women out on the job site everyday and to me encouragement is part of my job. Not many boss’s feel that way but if they did we would have far more productive work places. I find that you can encourage people in so many different ways…. saying ” Good morning ” to each person as you see them, and making sure you go and see each person fairly quickly at the beginning of each day. A kind word of any sort….. nice, well done, looks good, your good at this……. so many small words that are of no effort whatsoever can just make a person day. The way I try to remind myself to continue to do this daily is to remember how good I felt when someone acnolaged me with a kind word, or told me ” nice work .”

    To accomplish the same thing with just a smile….. very cool thought ! We can add that twist to the smile that says what we want the smile to mean……. ” Way To Go ” or ” Well Done ” You can be sure that I will be thinking differently about smiling today ! I missed the post on ( the power of a smile ) so I will be looking back for it at some point for sure.

    I’m not sure about the ” Guy ” smile thing…… being a bit of a workout fanatic, when I see someone running male or female…… particularly if their a bit over weight I want to get out of my truck and cheer them on ! I know I always say to myself ” Ya ! Keep It Up ! ” It’s difficult to say anything….. but the right smile will work just fine from now on. Thanks to this post, Tracy ! ” Well Done ! ” Can you feel my Smile…..

    This Was Great Tracy ! I Need To Go Give Out A Few Smiles !

  • bonnie

    This post is exactly what we at Tara Cronica are trying to do, encourage and inspire others!

    Well put Tracy! I’ve been fortunate to have you encouraging me in every aspect of my life for so many years now and I want you to know it means everything to me. : )

  • Jacquie

    A smile is the quickest way to add beauty to the world, whether it’s on your own face or on someone else’s. And they tend to be contagious. Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins in the body that act as natural pain killers and lift seratonin levels (they fight depression) so when you smile at someone you are, literally, making them feel better! Woo Hoo : )

    I find even adding smiley faces has the same effect!
    Love the message here, Tracy : )
    PS
    Francesco always ends his emails “smile ya later”

  • Rick

    Stress Break…… Well, as I went about checking on the different crews on site this morning and how the building was progressing, I started practicing my ( encouragement smile. ) I must say it’s different than my usual smile….. or lack of smiles in this very stressful business I’m in. I thought I’d share a comment. One of my crew members said ” Your usually in a decent mood, but why so smiley today ” I responded with ….
    ” Nothing…. just pleased with your work ! ” He was glowing….. ha,ha ! It Works !

    Bonnie, I looked back just now to your ( power of a smile ) article…… wow, how did I miss that. Absolutely fantastic ! I pretty much quoted you on the ( smile being a great gift ) I’m sorry now that I missed that back in Feb. I would have been practicing my smiles already. To cool to think here I am ( ex tough guy type ) pondering the fact that I’m going to start to figure out what type of smile is best suited for the situation.

    You ladies are difference maker’s ! Keep up the great work !!!

  • tracy

    If we can reach just one person and make a difference it’s all worth while. Thank you Rick for all your support and great feedback, we all appreciate it ! You have in turn made us smile 🙂

  • Lawrence

    I love everything about this post. The most beautiful trait of a person is their smile. How can you not want to be around someone who is laughing and smiling all the time?

    And then you talk about U2 and Coldplay – musics version of a smile. So many great lyrics and notes between those two bands.

    One of my favorite songs is ‘Smile’. MJ does a good version of it.

    Thanks for the smile.

  • Francesco

    For the love of a smile…Tracey… I agree. The simplest of things done with meaning are more valuable than the greatest of things without it…
    I’ll smile you when I see you… It will only be natural…

    Smile ya later Jacquie….

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