Encouragement is the act of giving someone support, confidence, and hope.

Even if we know that everyone needs encouragement, not everyone has the will to give it away.  Our selfish human nature makes us love to judge others or put them down.

In a world where challenges abound, it’s easy for us to feel discouraged.  The thought of giving up is always present in our minds just because there is no one we can turn to for words of encouragement.  Everyone is too busy with his own affairs.  This makes forget our moral obligation to each other being a part of a family or society.

But when we are in the midst of a trial and someone tells us “Don’t lose hope, I believe you can do it,” its amazing how those words can keep us alive and energized.  Encouraging words can do wonders to make us work harder instead of thinking about surrender.  We can never underestimate the power of positive words to change our outlooks in life.

Here are some of the most important benefits of encouragement:

1. It helps to provide us with energy to accomplish our objective.

Words of encouragement works like energy pills that can give us the strength that we need to overcome the obstacles that lay between us and our objectives.  It is a light in the tunnel that gives us hope, knowing that there’s someone who believes that we can make it.

Truly, challenges can make us physically and emotionally drained, but with the right words, we can be revitalized.  Positive words have the power to give us the strength that we need to go on.

2. It gives us hope.

When we are at our lowest, we tend to withdraw from other people because we fear their judgment.  But if there’s someone who can empower us with encouragement, that person will be our bringer of hope.

Words of encouragement is the spark that gives us hope when we are in the dark.  It motivates us to take one small step after another until we see the light.

3. It helps us to change our perspective.

When we are in the middle of trials and challenges, we can get confused.  It can lead us to view things differently.  It can sometimes point our focus on immediate and petty things.  Our desire to survive makes us unable to see the big picture, and it often leads us to make wrong decisions.

A word of encouragement can help to calm us and make us stop to analyze what’s going on in our life.  It has the power to make us see the situation from a better perspective.

4. It helps to restore self-confidence.

Encouragement is not just a confidence booster.  It is also a restorer of self-confidence.

Encouragement is a show of other people’s confidence and support in your abilities.  If people trust that you can do it, is there any other reason why you can’t trust yourself?

5. It helps to make people work harder.

Encouragement makes people work harder to finish a task.

6. It helps to make people succeed.

Encouragement is a great motivator.  It makes people exert greater effort to accomplish their objectives.  It helps to make people successful in their endeavors.

7. It helps to build self-esteem.

Words of encouragement can help to make people feel good about themselves.  This will build their confidence – one of the most important things they need to face the harsh realities of life.