In my life, things have come easy. School, sports, music…I’m pretty good at all those things, and it didn’t take me long to excel at them. 

In school, I was a quick learner and a straight-A student. I played several sports and was pretty good at all of them. I was fast, agile, smart, and a good team player. 

For music, I picked up playing drums and guitar with ease, and I had a good singing voice. I didn’t have to work too hard to learn to play or sing. They just seemed to come naturally.

I’m not trying to sound smug, so please here me… I’m merely trying to say that I haven’t had to work very hard for what I have. Including my wife! When we were dating, she moved across the country to live in the same city as me while I finished up my degree before we got married. (She reminds me sometimes that she didn’t make me work for it…and it’s true.)

But I didn’t really understand how easy things came to me…until now.

Recently, I’ve embarked on an entrepreneurial journey that has taken me for quite a ride.

It’s one thing to talk about starting a business. It’s another thing to actually DO it. 

This journey has had me sailing in uncharted waters (uncharted for me, at least). I’ve had later nights trying to finish projects and solve problems, and I’ve had earlier mornings doing the same. Since my wife and I both work from home with a 2-year-old, most of my work recently has been happening before 8 am and after 8 pm...which is not ideal AT ALL for me. But that’s the season we’re in. 

In pursuit of this new business venture, I’ve had to face things I don’t think I’ve ever had to face before…particularly, things not coming easily. On top of that, an enormous amount of doubt, insecurity and fear charge into my headspace and trample on my thoughts daily.

And because this new venture isn’t something that comes naturally, it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever embarked on.

Any day can be filled with an extravagant amount of energy and motivation, as well as a terrifying amount of fear and doubt and thoughts of quitting to go work at a coffee shop or drive for Uber. No seriously, I consider driving for Uber several times a week.

So why do I keep going? Why do I run after something I’ve never done before? Something unfamiliar that doesn’t come easily? Why do I stay up late and wake up early to pursue an idea that could completely and utterly FAIL?

Because my wife believes in me.

I wish I could say it’s because of my own self-confidence or drive to succeed. But if it were left to me, I would’ve probably been driving for Uber for months now. And delivering pizzas. And making coffee. 

But because my wife supports me, believes in me, and has an incredible amount of confidence in me, I press on. There are other factors, sure, but without my wife’s encouragement — I’d quit. 

As a spouse, a parent, a boss, or a friend — you have no idea the amount of influence you might have on someone else. Your encouragement and support could be the difference between starting a business or quitting a job, marrying that girl or breaking up with that girl, taking one's life or choosing to give life another chance. 

Don’t underestimate the power of your words and support. They mean more than you probably will ever realize.

Who could you encourage today? Who could you speak life to that needs uplifting? Who’s confidence could you bolster by simply saying, “I believe in you”?