This is Glynn Gilcrease of I Am An Encourager. I am often asked, what encourages me? How do I motivate myself? How do I lift my own spirits from time to time? You know it has been said that motivating yourself is kind of like exercise. Too often we think of doing something once a year, once a month, something like that. We know that we cannot exercise like that. We must exercise daily to make exercise work for our bodies. In terms of our spirit, I have found that it is much the same. We need to do something daily to encourage ourselves, to life our spirits. I looked back through my library, looked at what resources I have used to motivate myself, to transform myself, to encourage myself through dark times.
The Books
I would like to share some of these sources with you. Several of them are from the old classics, lets call them. There is Dale Carnegies, How to Win Friends and Influence People. There is Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. There is Psycho Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz, the plastic surgeon who wrote a beautiful book when he discovered that people needed to work from the inside out, not the outside in. Then there is Emmet Foxes, Power Through Constructive Thinking. One of the interesting things I found in reviewing these books again, they still inspire me today, is that several of them, for example, Power Through Constructive Thinking and How to Win Friends and influence were written back in the 1930s during the time of the great depression. You can imagine that people responded to these books because it gave them something to look forward to, it gave them hope. But it also gave them techniques and actual methodologies to follow, to inspire, and to make our lives better. They all have themes in common when you really look back at it. These themes are: Stay Positive even through the bad times because positive thinking can turn things around and stick to our goals and know that one of these days we will achieve them.
Mother Tereasa
As time has gone on, there is of course Mother Tereasa and her wonderful book of peace, her words, her own life, and how her own life and dedication to serve others create a remarkable record of achievement in caring for those who had nothing. Mother Tereasa’s words encourage me even to this day. Then in more modern times, there is The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. Again with the idea that our intentions, what our mind thinks about, what we have going on inside ourselves to try and transform our lives is what matters. His basic four agreements, be truthful, not take things personally, to not make assumptions, and always do our best. I find those encouraging and I draw from that time to time. As well, the old classic, Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence people. He said something that still rings true. For example, when I got to Lawyer Seminars learning how to win over juries. Dale Carnegie said, before persuading someone with logic, we must win their hearts and that is so true today.
What is the Point?!
I hope that this morning as I have touched my own heart by reviewing a lot of these resources that I turn to everyday, so would your heart be touched. With regard to, I Am An Encourager, there is a wonderful book, The Art of Encouragement by Cindy Paul. She takes in her Art of Encouragement, quotes from great leaders, distills them into powerful recommendations for how we can make our lives better. I noticed that one of the things she points was reading spiritual books is encouraging. I think that is so true and one of my points in talking with you today, build a collection a collection that are things that inspire you. Books that you can pull from the shelf and random turn to a page that lifts your spirits that encourages you if you will. Thank you for letting me share with you. I want to bring you encouragement. May your day be blessed.
