By Christine Carron
Today is National Encouragement Day. Find a writer, or writers, and lay some encouragement on them. Consider it your Goodjelly move of the day.
Goodjelly’s not-so-stealth mission is to teach writers how to unleash their writing progress. How? By teaching them the same process and project management techniques used by the most innovative and creative companies in the world. Part of that effort includes helping writers (a) strengthen (or reclaim) their power and agency and (b) instill more kindness and joy into their writing practice.
That last bit about kindness and joy is not for feel good reasons. (Though kindness and joy do feel better than harshness and criticism.) Kindness and joy are actually smart, proven strategies for getting things done.
Here are two excerpts from a Fast Company article Why Positive Encouragement Works Better Than Criticism by Belle Beth Cooper.
In his book Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships, Daniel Goleman explains that heightened prefrontal activity, which is associated with positive emotions, enhances mental abilities such as “creative thinking, cognitive flexibility, and the processing of information.” The left prefrontal area of our brains, which lights up with activity when we’re in a positive mood, is also associated with reminding us of the good feelings we’ll have when we reach a long-term goal.
and
In Focus, Goleman looked at how talking about positive goals and dreams can be a better way to encourage employees. Richard Boyatzis, a psychologist at Case Western Reserve University explained that focusing on what someone needs to do to “fix” themselves will effectively close them down to new possibilities or ideas.
So encouragement supports creative thinking and cognitive flexibility; reminds us writers how good it will feel to reach a long-term goal; and keeps us open to new possibilities and ideas.
Seriously, go find a writer and encourage them today. And if you are a writer, give yourself some pep and love. It could make all the difference in helping them, or you, stay on the writerly adventure.
Need some ideas?
(An encouragement acrostic)
Y ou are a writer.
O h, my word-wielding friend, do not doubt that.
U nfurl your your grit, your fierce determination.
R elease all fears
O rient ever toward your possibility.
C laim your creative soul and above all
K now this to be true: You’ve got this!
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