One lesson playing volleyball taught me was that our words can speak life to people. One of my high school coaches, Coach Buckley, constantly reminded us that we can will someone to do something with our words. It made me a better volleyball player and it’s made me a better friend.
I’ve seen firsthand how encouragement can change the trajectory of someone’s day in my own life and others. While working at a summer camp, I taught middle and high school kids how to do various water sports. For five days, I would see the same kids and help them make miniscule changes until they finally could surf, ski, or kneeboard for several minutes at a time. I loved knowing kids were leaving camp with a brand new skill. It was pretty typical for middle school kids to grow discouraged after failure so they often needed extra words of encouragement. Seeing their faces after giving it “one more try” and succeeding is something I will never forget.
I got to see this in other places at camp. I loved working at the climbing wall and at our high ropes course. Both recreation areas allowed me to get to know kids and watch them accomplish something. We have a “challenge by choice” policy, meaning we don’t force kids to do anything they don’t want to do. When a kid is halfway up the climbing wall, we won’t force them to finish, but we can encourage them to try before letting them down. In the high ropes course, I would talk kids through our free fall and zipline. I was their last boost of encouragement before taking a leap. I loved talking to the campers after they accomplished a climb or free fall to hear how confident they sounded.
I myself have relied on encouragement. During my sophomore year in college, I went through a serious period of self-doubt. When I walked into the first day of Sports Xtra during my spring semester, I was extremely nervous and felt like an imposter. I was ready to drop the class until my assigned “veteran,” Daniel, told me the class was not as bad as it sounded and began to explain how to succeed in the course. I’m sure he had no idea how nervous I was, but his encouragement is why I have now been a part of the class for 5 semesters.
Whether in the trees, on the lake, or in a newsroom, I’ve seen how a few words can turn hesitation into confidence. I hope this reminds you to encourage those around you!