Encouragement Box

We all have dark and discouraging days, especially when we're stretching ourselves to new heights and reaching into new places, and sometimes we need a little support. That's why I created my encouragement box.

The concept is very simple. Whenever someone says anything loving or supportive or beautiful to me, either on my blog, over email or in person, I take a moment to write it down on an index card and pop it in the box. I keep it simple, just a short phrase, so that I can read it easily with a quick glance. I keep the box open and visible to me when I'm working at my desk.

You can probably see that in this picture I've captured something beautiful and inspiring from the wonderful Breedale (thank you so much, Breedale!). Her comment touched my heart so deeply. Whenever I'm feeling discouraged or down, I can simply glance over and see something true, meaningful and personal that reminds me that I am loved and that people believe in me.

You might want to pretty them up or make them special with colour or calligraphy or some other personal touch. There are millions of possibilities! But for me, I had to commit to keeping it simple, doing them on the fly and not worrying about using a particular pen or format or anything else. I know myself well enough to know that if I did that, I'd get hung up on the details and never end up doing them. And besides, the beauty really comes from the love and thought behind the words - and that doesn't need any dressing up at all, just listening.

If you make an encouragement box, I'd love to hear what form it takes and how it works for you.