It’s easy to deflate others. But, it takes skill to lift people.

Leaders encourage – losers discourage.

Discouragement comes quickly, easily, and without thought. Encouragement – positive momentum – is a fragile flame that requires fuel, protection, and repetition.

Encouragement fuels success;
discouragement destroys it.

Nine ways to discourage others:

1. Pile on work until they’re buried and then punish their mistakes or short-falls.
2. Always know more.
3. Criticize from the sidelines.
4. Focusing on the negative past or dark future.
5. Neglect forward focus.
6. Withholding recognition and reward.
7. Minimizing hard work by saying, “You’ve done well but you still have far to go.”
8. Take credit for their work.
9. Improve on their work while not working yourself.

Power of encouragement:

Discouraged people overestimate problems and underestimate opportunities. Don’t argue with their assessments. The issue is discouragement. Focus on encouraging, perceptions will change. Encouraged people courageously see opportunities and take next steps.

Bonus tip: Intervene before discouragement sets…

Proverbs 16:18 
“Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.”

The spirit of pride has to be the absolute king of all the negative and destructive qualities that can enter into our personalities – and no one is safe and immune from it. All Christians, young and old, saint or not, have got to keep a sharp eye on this negative quality, and do everything they can not to let this spirit get a foothold and grip into their personalities and mindsets.

This cancerous, lethal, and destructive quality, probably more than any other negative quality, has brought down more kingdoms, toppled more empires, caused more wars, destroyed more marriages, ruined more friendships, and led more criminals into our jail systems than all of the other negative qualities combined and put together. “Pride goes before destruction….”

Saddam Hussein, Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin and all the rest of the despotic and evil…