When you have an opportunity to encourage someone, do it. You never know what a person is going through – that’s true whether they live in a mansion or a mud hut.
Here’s an important principle to keep in mind: People tend to become what the most important people in their lives think of them!
So think the best, believe the best, and express the best toward them.
You say, ‘But they need to stop making the same stupid mistakes!’ Change happens by centimetres, not kilometres. Even when it seems simple, it’s rarely easy. The only way we can break old habits is to form new ones, and that takes time and practice – lots of it.
You can’t tell people something once and expect them to get it; they need to hear it over and over before they can make the adjustment. And how you tell them can determine whether they freeze in fear or soar above the obstacles.
Be persistent. Never give up trying to help them improve. Acknowledge every step of progress they make.
The way to get lasting results is through patience, love and encouragement.