Sunny Side Up: Real encouragement comes from being understood

Studies show that praising effort, strategy, and persistence fuels motivation, resilience, and achievement more than praising intelligence or outcomes. — 123rf

LAST week I received an inadvertent masterclass on how to reassure someone when they’re having self-doubt, and it lasted the length of a single comment.

Over the past year or so, I’ve been preparing to apply for a PhD and while the process requires a lot of work, I’ve also thrown in a dash of procrastination for good measure. I’ve talked about my self-doubt over this in my own therapy and it stems from a mixture of things, including messages received growing up, and a bizarre notion that I shouldn’t “rise above my station”.