Speak Life

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We use our words to encourage and affirm.  We decide to "make an intentional effort to make another person strong" by building them up. Speaking life includes truthfulness, praise, expressed confidence and strength.

When we encourage a person, we see their potential, believe in them and express to them that they can excel by putting forth  effort and self discipline.  We assure them that we will be there for them as they do the work. We cheer them along the way.  

Speaking life is speaking truthfully.  I had a high school student that had the potential to excel in his work.  However, this required turning in assignments on time and studying for exams. The truth was that two missing assignments and a few zeros had the potential to bring a grade down from an A or 95% to an F or below 55%.  We took the time and did the math averaging the total number of test and the scores.  We respectfully appreciated the negative value of five missing assignments on the total grade.  

Speaking life isn't just giving affirmations and expressing belief, it was calmly coming up with a solution. Speaking life is telling the truth in a compassionate way and expressing confidence in the ability to achieve. 

In this case the agreed upon solution included an external motivation.  The student earned this much time playing games when the weekly assignments were completed and turned in on time.  

His grades climbed back up to where they were when he put in the work.