I was in a meeting with a client the other day. He is the owner of a highly respected professional training company. Very well-spoken, amicable, confident person & an excellent professional by all indications.
Asking questions about how he started off, I was surprised to discover that about a year into it he almost gave up and went back to his previous job.
He’d come across his first difficult client – always skeptical and unhappy with just about anything he did for them. They worked together for a few months during which time my client started questioning everything. His self-esteem suffered, his confidence too.
As he was feeling down, contemplating letting all the work he put into starting his business go to waste, he got a message from another client he’d worked with about a month earlier. “You are God sent. Your help around here made all the difference”, the email read.
“This one line kept me going, it made me realise that what I do is valuable” he told me.
He is going strong for more than 17 years now. Excellent professional who is currently working to scale his business.
My point is –words matter.
A lot. They can be the difference between somebody pursuing their dreams or giving up.
What are the greatest words of encouragement you’ve received from someone?