More often than not, we react on a situation that we feel is wrong rather than a situation that we feel is good. We feel more strongly connected to making things right than praising a situation that has changed or is doing fine. One time, my nephew’s teacher called me at home to tell me he had received the highest grade on a test. This was good news and not a common occurrence for my nephew. I asked the teacher why he was calling me; usually the call is about the opposite. He replied that he always calls the parents of the students who have earned both the lowest and the highest scores. I’ve often wondered what would happen if we adopted this strategy in everything we do. Does paying equal attention to what is great in your life change and enhance our experiences?
I’m not saying we should not be realistic about our shortcomings. What I am saying is that we spend most of our time criticizing situations we feel need to change. Suppose we brought this into balance. Suppose we spent just as much time searching out people in our lives to tell them we liked what they did or we felt the situation was a very wise and good one. This is the way I try to teach. I find what is good and praise to the hilt. My results are not instant in any way.
Today I decided to act on my words and I sent out emails to all the people in my life I needed to praise.
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