Don’t let discouragement die! When you see a colleague’s eyes start to well up with tears, frustrated about a tough day, pretend you didn’t see her.
The thirteen year old girl accidentally lets her sleeve slip up, showing signs of cutting. You look away in disgust, not wanting to appear to support such actions.
A frustrated mother and her three little ones sit in the pew next to you. She desperately tries to keep them engaged and quiet. You maintain your straightforward focus without connecting with the one six inches away.
Your boss is obviously faced with challenges on several fronts, you resist the temptation to leave an encouraging card on her desk. Keep discouragement alive!
An elderly neighbor struggles to move a dead limb off of her sidewalk. You carefully avoid eye contact because you are not dressed for limb removal.
Your pastor works to heal divisions in the congregation through his messages. You keep your indifference intact by exiting through a side door to avoid him. You succeed in not letting discouragement die.
The hungry twelve year old boy in front of you at the fast food restaurant has trouble finding enough change to pay for his sandwich. You carefully look at the display of flashlights, trying to mask your impatience.
The error prone employee is crestfallen as she realizes she has goofed once again. You carefully keep your quality focus intact by sternly documenting the mistake and avoiding affirming the work done well.
My wife is up past midnight, struggling to finish cooking for a work party the next morning. I watch TV in another part of the house because, of course, it’s not my fault that she didn’t start earlier.
Son calls his dad after failing a difficult chemistry test. Dad carefully avoids mentioning all the other good grades because striving to improve is important.
Dad punishes his seven year old daughter for breaking a vase she was told not to touch. He sends her crying to her room, not wanting any comforting to dilute the punishment. Ahhh, discouragement is kept alive.
Yes! Successful people we are! Discouragement will NOT become an endangered species on our watch! Long live discouragement!!
Just one little hint: if you would love to fail… at keeping discouragement alive, make up another ending for each scenario above. And Oh, by the way, be on constant alert for opportunities to fail all around you today. Shhh. Don’t tell anyone. Failing at this is a blast!!