Human Relations #7
Human Relations Rule #7: Be generous with praise - cautious with criticism.
Words. We all love to hear someone else singing our praises. It makes us feel good and valued, right? Praise feels like the sweet kiss of approval and we all crave to be approved by others. On the other hand, criticism feels crushing. Crushing hopes and dreams. This can lead to depression and while depression is a state of mind, depression can be overwhelming and life consuming. A terrible way to live.
The tongue is indeed a two-edged sword. We can bless others with praise or we can hurt them with criticism. Indeed, criticism can certainly do harm to another human being. The old school yard saying, "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but names can never hurt me," is very wrong. Physical wounds from stick and stones heal and go away and only sometimes leave a scar. Words, on the other hand, can leave invisible scars and actually damage someone's heart, forever. Instead of judging others, we need to choose our words very carefully so that we do not damage another human being. There are times when criticism is necessary, but it can be done without wounding another soul.
This week, take the #PraiseChallenge: Try to do nothing but praise others everywhere you go. I'm not generally a betting person, but I'm willing to bet that by the end of the week, in doing this challenge, you will have lifted others spirits and you will also find that you are happier because of spreading joy to others. Give that kiss of approval to others. I'm certain you will feel better about yourself when the week is done.
>^,,^<
