Tomorrow, September 12th, is the National Day of Encouragement!

It is a day to encourage with love, passion, and enthusiasm.  A day to PEP UP.  A day to sprinkle joy where ever you may be and where ever you may go.

To give encouragement is to give compassion, give confidence, and give courage.  It is an opportunity to recognize and affirm those incredible people around you.  It is a chance to foster hope within the heart of another, allowing them to take the first steps or to continue to persevere down their path.  Encouragement can uplift downcast hearts, can bring smiles to faces, and can offer support to weary souls.

There is a lot of yuck in our world.  Bad stuff, ugly circumstances, painful situations, tragedy, loss, and loneliness.  There is so much negative that it can leave us stupefied and paralyzed, overwhelmed by what lies ahead with no idea how to help.

Hearts to Help

Our minds may be in a clutter, but I am a firm believer that most hearts and hands long to help.  It is easy to get stuck wondering what actions to take.  I have been there myself; eager to help but clueless about what to do.

So I am appealing to those helpful hearts out there and offering an opportunity to begin.  I am asking you to join me tomorrow, September 12th, for a round of Encouragement Bingo!

That’s right, Encouragement Bingo!

These BINGO cards are filled with ideas about how to encourage the people who you live with, work with, and interact with throughout the course of a normal day.   Examples include calling a parent, giving a high five, mailing a card to a friend, and sharing a snack (also known as buying a friend a coffee).

Play with your family, your friends, and your co-workers.  To print copies of the Encouragement BINGO card, just click the link below.   This will take you to a PDF file with 20 different BINGO cards in it.

Click to Print  Encouragement Bingo Cards

Each time you complete one of the activities of encouragement, simply mark that square.  Each square is a little drop of joy that we can send rippling out into the sea of humanity.  Go for a BINGO or go for a Blackout.  Any way you play, you will pour some encouragement out into our world.

BINGO Cards for Kids

I also made up a second set of Encouragement BINGO cards just for kids.  These include Kid friendly actions of encouragement like helping a parent, giving a hug, and saying “I love you.”  Little ones can learn early how to be great encouragers.

Click to Print  Kids – Encouragement Bingo Cards

Spreading Joy is a Big Win

Each encouragement activity completed will directly impact at least two people, you and the person you are encouraging, but the indirect impact could be absolutely incredible.   A drop creates a ripple, a ripple turns into a wave, and waves refreshing encouragement roll over our corners of the world.

Just think about this.  If I have a little extra PEP in my step, it benefits my family.  That’s three people in my household, excluding myself.  It affects the way I answer the phone, respond to text messages, post to Facebook, write emails, answer the door, and interact with strangers I pass at the grocery store.  Three people has now multiplied to more than I have ever tried to count.

One person can make one BIG difference!

Perhaps Encouragement BINGO is a lot to undertake on a seemingly average Tuesday.  Print a card.  Try just one encouragement activity each day for the next month.  See how far you get.

The purpose of Encouragement BINGO is to encourage and uplift people so we can spread some joy.

Have fun.  Encourage with love, passion, and enthusiasm.  Involve others.  Soak in some of that sweet joy yourself.

You are a precious treasure and a beautiful gift.

Happy National Day of Encouragement!