On Encouragement

Are we putting behind the concept of encouragement and support and bringing hard realism further?

 

Possibly reality checks have become the face of modern optimism. Posing someone to face the bitter truth head on may encourage them at times, but also reflects back as a potential trauma. 

When you're constantly reminded of your limitations, does it push you to try harder or make you accept defeat, believing you have no control?

For some, being told “you can’t” can become a reason to prove otherwise. But for many, especially when the message is affirmed without hope, it seeds quiet resignation: “Maybe I really can’t.”

So the key isn’t just being aware of limits, but how that awareness is framed. If it’s delivered with the idea that change is possible, it can become fuel. If it’s given as a final truth, it becomes a cage.

Don't sell hope, encourage and empower new thoughts. 

Reality checks need to be given, but with solutions to overcome. Mere criticism of ideas brings no good to the thinker or the critic, while an active discussion where both bitter truths and possible solutions are discussed bring productive thoughts to life. Criticism that only tears down is empty; criticism that opens doors, even if they’re hard to walk through, is meaningful.

Sometimes people think being honest means only saying the hard, painful truths. But if we only point out problems without helping find ways to fix them, it just makes others feel stuck or sad. Real support isn’t about pretending everything is okay, but also not just saying, “You can’t do this.” It’s better to say, “Yes, this is hard, but here’s how you might try to work through it.” Encouragement should help you think in new ways, not give fake hope or make you feel powerless. The best kind of truth shows you the problem and gives you a path forward.