Encouragement is everywhere. As a lifelong Boston Celtics fan, I received more than a little encouragement on Tuesday when they traded for Kevin Garnett. It's been 21 long years since their last championship and nothing boosts your day like seeing your team on the front page of every major sports outlet.

Then yesterday I was speaking with a friend at work who mentioned that she subscribed to The Daily Saint and enjoys my morning posts. There it was again- encouragement.

The best definition of encouragement that I know is "the act of giving hope or support to someone". It costs nothing, takes less than 5 minutes and builds possibility in place of despair. It also boosts workplace morale, fosters friendship and maximizes personal productivity. So how do you do it?

Give hope to someone today by:

Being cheerful.

Writing them a note.

Buying them a donut. (it only takes one to put a smile on my face)

Paying them a compliment.

Sending them a nice email.

Posting a comment on their blog.

Sacrificing something for them.

Giving time to whatever their concern might be.

Listening.

When you look at the list above, almost all are free. Each takes less than a few minutes. Who will be the first person you encourage today?

Portable Wisdom
"If you want to build a ship, don't herd people together to collect wood
and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for
the endless immensity of the sea." Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Resources for the Road
19 Ways to Encourage Others
50 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend
8 Ways to Encourage Your Pastor