Cheerleader Attire

Why Good Ideas Come from High-Fives

I wasn’t trying to cheer anyone on today. It was a pretty ordinary Sunday here.

Church, lunch, helping my kids get ready for the week ahead.

But after all of that, the counters were wiped, glistening white and the dishwasher was loaded, I sat down and opened up instagram.

First, I noticed a fellow writing friend had attended a conference just over an hour away… a conference I didn’t know about, nor could I have attended due to several deadlines this week.

Second, another friend posted a photo of plants, flowers, and trees in her garden.

What do these two things have in common?

Well, to be honest, not much, except I felt a twinge of jealousy toward each. But then seconds later, okay, maybe a minute, I reminded myself there’s nothing to want from their lives.

Instead, there’s something to be inspired by.

They are both living out the calling of God on their lives and doing what makes them light up. One is passionate about all things memoir and the other is passionate about all things growing season.

(We could go deep here and talk about how memoir and growing seasons have everything in common, but we won’t. I may file that away for an analogy in an article, though.)

So I talked myself right out of that twinge and decided to become their biggest cheerleader. OK, maybe not their BIGGEST cheerleader, but cheering them on for sure.

I hearted their posts with an authentic “Good for you” in my mind, knowing I am not called to either of those pursuits. While I admire the craft of memoir, I’ve not once wanted to write one. While I definitely admire people who can grow things, I’m just not that interested in growing things myself. (I keep hearing that I’m on the cusp of this because I have a milestone birthday coming up, but so far, that fire has not been lit.)

How does one cheer from afar?

For me, I simply applaud quietly first. Then, I look for ways to build up - it may be in person the next time I see one of them or it could simply be an encouraging DM. To cheer for someone in your cirlces isn’t unlike being a real cheerleader where you put on the obvious uniform, don’t make plans for Friday night, and jump up and down throughout the game.

It actually starts long before the game.

Cheering starts with working hard at the gym, getting your body to do flips and leaps in ways it’s not naturally inclined. Then, it continues by learning steps to dances and words to cheers and then combining them with acrobatics to create routines performed in synchronicity with 10-20 other girls.

The mindset of being on a cheerleading squad or team continues in the little things you do to befriend other girls on the squad or let players know you’re in their corner when they don’t understand a problem because they were out that day, headed to the game.

You can help by showing them how to do the problem, encouraging them to ask the teacher for a quick tutorial after school, or offering to show them your notes before the next major test.

Being a cheerleader has nothing to do with being a popular person. It’s a quiet encourager when the field lights are turned off, the crowd has gone home, and you’re on the bus with a bunch of smelly players who suffered a huge upset to their rival school.

What then?

The same holds true for being a cheerleader in life: Don’t compare your journey to that of someone else.

Whether you are a writer, a reader, or both, remember that you can watch what others are doing and get inspired. But don’t cross the line of comparison.

Comparison kills creativity, and inspiration lights it up.

How can being a cheerleader give you great ideas for writing?

Encouraging someone else reminds you that there’s hope—hope for whatever God has called you to write or do.

Encouraging someone else gets your eyes off yourself and onto how to make someone else feel like a million bucks.

Encouraging someone else means genuinely supporting their success, whatever that looks like for them, all the while knowing that it doesn’t define your own.

Encouraging someone else can launch your own ideas for creative pursuit simply because you see someone else following their ideas to the game, through the evening, and on the bus ride home; even after a loss, it carries them to school the next week, to practice every day, to learn from what “failed” and then you watch them get up to try again.

Encouraging someone else doesn’t mean rooting for them to mess up; it’s reminding them that setbacks on the road to “there” are normal. We can get up again, we can support each other in hard times, and we can support each other in good times.

Have you ever heard this quote?

“Her win does not mean you lose. Just clap for her. You aren’t even in the same race.”

I saw this on social media a few weeks ago and it stood out to me because of this quiet pursuit I call “work.” Writing and editing are quiet work, and it’s easy to either cheer or sulk softly when we see someone else’s success.

The difference is merely an attitude and a uniform. Are we going to put on the cheerleader uniform and remind her how great she is? Or will we pretend it should’ve been us when we aren’t even in the same race?

The next time you are tempted to be jealous of someone else, remember what you’d want someone else to say if your dream job landed at your doorstep.

You’d want someone to celebrate with, clink glasses, and yes, maybe even jump up and down on a Friday night, bright field lights and all.

Resources for Friday Night Cheer Sessions

Photo by Chris Barbalis on Unsplash

“Encouragement: The Unexpected Power of Building Others Up” by Larry Crabb

A Children’s Book (“Mamie Takes a Stand”) about Sticking Up for What’s Valuable to Us

Reminders About Who You Are If You’re a Follower of Christ

Tips for Letting Others Shine While Not Devaluing Your Work (in Collaborations)