Daily Meditation

Praise is Like Sunlight-Daily Meditation 2.20.23

Today’s quotation:

Praise is like sunlight to the warm human spirit; we cannot flower and grow without it.  And yet, while most of us are only too ready to apply to others the cold wind of criticism, we are somehow reluctant to give our fellow the warm sunshine of praise.-Jess Lair

Today’s Meditation:

Praise is free.  It’s pretty simple.  Unfortunately, constructive praise is also quite rare, it seems.  We seem to have an aversion to praising someone else’s efforts, especially if we perceive competition between them and us.  Did a co-worker do something very well?  Well, that’s just his or her job.  Did our child do very well at school?  Well, that’s what kids are supposed to do at school.  Our world is full of people criticizing and judging people, but not full of people praising others.  It’s quite a shame because praise can do much to make the life experience more optimistic for those whose lives we touch. 

Of course, there’s the problem of giving too much praise, which is more destructive than constructive.  And there’s the problem of praising mediocre or poor work, which is also counterproductive when all is said and done.  But these things are going to happen no matter what, and we shouldn’t withhold our praise of something well done simply because someone else praises too much or praises something that doesn’t deserve praise.

Some of us withhold our praise because we don’t get praised much, if at all.  We may do a great job at work yet receive only criticism for the few things we may do less well at.  But this philosophy only spreads discontent and frustration–we can be those who stop the negativity chain and turn it into something positive.  As a teacher, I get almost no praise from anyone.  I get people coming into my classroom intent on finding something they can put on an evaluation that I need to improve.  But I know how it feels to receive such attention, so I want to praise my students as much as possible, as long as the praise is warranted and sincere.

Spread praise.  If you have difficulty finding something to praise in someone, dig deeper instead of giving up or criticizing.  We can contribute to the positive energy of this world with a few simple words now and then, and that’s a desperately needed contribution by all of us.

Questions to consider:

What keeps us from praising others?  Why is it sometimes difficult to praise someone?

How do you feel when you receive praise?  How do you feel when others withhold it?

How might sincere praise affect another person’s feelings?  Their job performance?  Their school performance?

For further thought:

The French believe that kids feel confident when they can do things for themselves and do those things well. After children have learned to talk, adults don’t praise them for saying anything. They praise them for saying interesting things and for speaking well.-Pamela Druckerman

If you missed our last Daily Meditation, it is right here.

BeckyWillis

BeckyWillis is a "glass is half full" type of person, so she decided that she would share that with others. After going on 15 years in the blogosphere she decided it was time to make a change and in doing so help uplift others. Her husband is her biggest cheerleader; you can visit his site at https://lifeasrog.com.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *