The article discusses a critical incident in the author's life, which led to his development as a counselor. One day he went for coffee with Bruce Shertzer, his dissertation chairperson, and several other faculty members and students. During the conversation Bruce remarked that he thought a paper written by the author for one of his classes was of publishable quality, suggesting him to make several revisions and submit it for publication. Bruce's public affirmation on his writing potential gave him the encouragement he needed to revise and submit the article, which was accepted for publication. This critical incident in his professional development has increased his sensitivity in several areas. First is appreciation of client's readiness to change. An important aspect of encouraging process, whether mentoring or counseling, is the ability of the encourager to affirm the potential of the other person. During his critical incident it was Bruce who recognized and validated him. The author shares this incident with his students and clients, which reminds himself never to underestimate the ability of the human spirit to move in the right direction.