Wow..three months into this. How do you like it? I have to say..it's a part of my days now. I think about Joygiving all the time. No really..ALL. THE. TIME. And I love it. :D I won't make you wait any longer..here's the third challenge:
Encourage
Yep. Easy-peasy. Encourage. Well, what do I mean by that? How can this be something with Joygiving? Let me explain..
The other day I was at the store. The checker lady was clearly flustered. She was new and in training, and couldn't grasp all the buttons and scanning and smile at the same time. The line behind me was getting longer and longer and longer. Oh my little heart was breaking for her. I knew, it was going to be a bad day. In this moment, one of two things could have happend. 1. I could have gotten upset at her for taking so long, or 2. I could have smiled, been patient and encouraged her. What would you have done? Maybe a better question could be, "What do you normally do?"
What do we do when we're in a situation where we see someone who is just hanging on? Do we watch from the sidelines and hope they get it? Do we step up next to them and encourage?
The whole part of Joygiving is to help others. Bring joy to other people through small and simple steps. It might take 3 seconds to smile at someone, to say, "Hey, you're doing great, keep going." But to them..it can change the whole day, sometimes the whole outlook on life. You never know.
So this month, the goal is to: Encourage. Encourage your kids, your friends, your neighbors, your spouse, your grocery store checker. To help you out, and for anyone that wants them, I have some 'Encourage Cards' I made. (I know..cool name, right? HA!) What is an 'Encourage Card'? Well, it's a little wallet sized card with an encouraging quote on it. You might be thinking, 'What do I do with one of these?" Simple. :D Leave them all over. Leave them in your kids' school lunches, in your hubby's car. Give it to someone who looks like they might need a little pick me up. Post it on your bathroom mirror. How do you get some? Again..easy. :D (I love those 'Easy' buttons from the store. :D) Just leave a comment on this post telling me how you want and WILL encourage someone this month. I'll send you some "Encourage Cards" shortly so you can get encouraging. :D
We all fall flat on our knees from time to time. When that happens, it's..well, embarrassing, but it also hurts. Isn't it amazing when someone comes up beside us, extends their hand and helps us up? Isn't it awesome when we have someone say something positive to us? When someone encourages us..even when we feel like giving up?
I love this idea. I love seeing little changes in people when they know that someone is on their side. Let's be those cheerleaders. :D Let's LIVE..
