What sort of people are you going to meet on the road of life? Will they be happy people who will add to the happiness of your life, or will they be weary, run-down rather miserable people who will tend to drag down your life into a gray monotone? Would you like to have everybody that comes into your life be happy, someone who fills you with joy?
There’s a simple way to do it, you know. All it takes is a simple word of praise. I don’t mean insincere praise. I mean real, sincere, deep-down praise, not flattery.
I love the story about Johnny Figaro. Johnny Figaro was a thirteen-year-old Italian boy in New York. He was a real problem for his teachers. He seemed to be always fighting, spoiling the games of the younger children. He was rude to the teachers and the more he was punished, the more defiant he became.
In the 6th grade, he met a quiet, demure young teacher. One day, Johnny was sent inside at the recess. He clumped noisily to his seat and slumped down. The young teacher looked at him quietly and then said very pleasantly, “Johnny, how nice you look today in that clean shirt.” He squared his shoulders and sat up straight. At noon, a frayed black tie was clumsily fastened under the collar of the shirt he was so proud of. The teacher very quickly noticed it and praised him on it. The next day, his knotted shoelaces were replaced with new ones and his scuffed shoes were shined.
The young teacher turned to all those who were handling Johnny and said, “Just praise him, he’ll react. Just praise him.” Johnny Figaro grew up to become president of a state university in the Midwest. A boy who would probably have been doomed to the slums and poverty became a great academician because somebody took the trouble to praise him. Everything blossoms and flourishes under praise. Praise is like water on a rose.
Determine that you are going to be an instrument for good in your world by praising other people. Look at everybody you meet and look for the praise-worthy in them and praise it. Give a simple word of honest praise and you will change the identity of everybody that comes into your life. Give a word of praise because you’ll be acting as the Spirit of Love in God’s world when you do this.
My friend, you are brought into this world to serve as the instrument of God’s love. The easiest way to do it is simply to look for the good and to praise it.
Tags: Dr. Robert Anthony · law of attraction · Personal Development · Positive Thinking · power of your mind · power of your thoughts · Rich Mind Life Strategy2 Comments
2 responses so far ↓
Zoe,
Great post. Praise is such a powerful tool, but one that most people struggle with… both in giving it and receiving it. Is it even possible to count the number of times folks try to blow-off praise… you say something nice about a shirt and they don’t know how to handle.
Men are especially anti-praise! As most women will agree. “I told her I loved her 20 years ago when we got married!”
Cheers!
~Jim
Everyone needs and wants praise, but many people seem so reluctant to give it to others, even though it costs nothing to give.
Maybe people need a reminder. For years I have had a sign on my refrigerator that says “Kids need praise every day.” My kids think it is funny but they also appreciate that I am their biggest fan and I love them and I believe in them and I encourage them to follow their dreams.
This blog post is a good reminder, and hopefully people who read this post will also add “praise” to their go-do list. Thanks again for the great article.
Mark