It's Impossible to Succeed Without Encouragement. Here's Why. There are several underlying factors that cause success, but encouragement from those around you is among the most important.
By Jonny Caplan Edited by Jessica Thomas
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
I've spent my career searching far and wide for the secret that makes certain entrepreneurs successful.
Depending on who you ask (as you will probably get a different response from each person), some say money, some say education, some say opportunities or perhaps luck and resources.
There is no simple answer to what it takes to succeed, as it also can depend on circumstances, timing, market conditions and potentially several other factors and parties.
What I did discover, through my hard effort and experience, is that there are some underlying principles, character traits and common denominators that cause a person to be successful in life.
I recently wrote about one of those traits (how to harness the power of resilience), and another of those crucial factors is…encouragement. It is next to impossible to achieve anything without some kind of encouragement. Few of us have the natural self-confidence and resilience it takes to overcome obstacles and hurdles and eventually reach the finish line.
Related: 7 Ways to Sincerely Encourage Your Employees
You'd be surprised by how much influence other people's opinions of us impact our lives. Many of us deny that this is the case, but it's only become more apparent with the rise of social media.
Coinciding with the general lack of person-to-person civility that was standard practice in the last century, our mannerisms have changed, and it has given rise to much criticism of one another. This is evidenced by online trolls, who are now alleged to be ruining the internet.
Television and film programming today leans more towards thrillers, violence, negativity and deceit, compared to the same programming of 50 years ago, which was more family-oriented, comedic and romantic.
What we see and what we read influences our decisions and behavior continually, and that's why a little bit of positive encouragement can go a long way.
A recent study conducted to measure the effects of verbal encouragement on physical performance documented results that were "significantly higher" with words of encouragement.
If we were able to compute and measure the metrics associated with support and encouragement from those who we respect, the needle would be off the scale.
Encouragement goes a huge way, and humans can be quick to judge, critique and question things we don't understand or haven't experienced personally.
Related: 5 Ways Leaders Can Make Their Teams Happier and Healthier Without Spending Much
I once met the legendary Shimon Peres, the eighth prime minister and ninth president of Israel, while on location filming at the robotics lab at Tel Aviv University. He told the university students that we need to make robots more human rather than trying to make humans more robotic. It was riveting.
I remember him saying, "What the world needs today are three simple things … encouragement, encouragement, encouragement".
I can't stress how powerful it is to elevate, uplift and encourage another individual. Those words of encouragement and support can be a game-changing factor in if the person goes on to smash their targets or give up hopelessly.
A study carried out by Stanford University found categorically that positivity makes kids more successful. Social media has fundamentally changed how we communicate with one another, making person-to-person communication even more challenging. It's easier for us to be critical when we can't see how harsh or shallow words affect someone.
We are blessed with the ability to choose how we act and speak. As humans, we are powerful beings, with an abundance of abilities and verticals of motion and speech.
In addition, the technology we have created has the power to connect, enlighten, educate and empower or to divide us, causing pain and sadness. And our words on all platforms and verticals have monumental implications on our lives and each other.
What if I told you that giving others a boost of positive encouragement has a roll-on effect on you, causing you to be more positive, proactive, motivated and inspired? It's a no-brainer.
Next time a friend or colleague asks for some feedback on their new idea or concept, or you find yourself online commenting on the project or post of another, realize that your words might drastically increase or decrease the person's chances of achieving their goals.
Try to spend your life being encouraging of others, and you might be incredibly surprised at what results.
