Monday Motivation….. February 16, 2015 (210)
Once upon a time a mother with a small boy was doing groceries. The woman barely noticed another lady who was walking across the aisle because she was so furious at her little boy, who seemed intent on pulling items off the lower shelves. As the mother became more and more frustrated, she started to yell at the child and several aisles later had progressed to shaking him by the arm. At this point the other lady could not resist and spoke up. That lady is a wonderful mother of three and founder of a progressive school; she had probably never once in her life treated any child so harshly.
I am sure you would expect that the lady would give that woman a solid mother-to-mother talk about controlling herself and about the effect this behaviour has on a child. Instead, upon confrontation, the lady said, “What a beautiful little boy. How old is he?” The woman answered cautiously, “He’s three.” She went on to comment about how curious he seemed and how her own three children were just like him in the grocery store, pulling things off shelves, so interested in all the wonderful colours and packages. “He seems so bright and intelligent,” the lady said. The woman had the boy in her arms by now and a shy smile came upon her face. Gently brushing his hair out of his eyes, she said, “Yes, he’s very smart and curious, but sometimes he wears me out.” The lady responded sympathetically, “Yes, they can do that; they are so full of energy.” As the lady walked away she heard the mother speaking more kindly to the boy about getting home and cooking his dinner. “We’ll have your favourite—macaroni and cheese,” she told.
Moral:
Compliments have the power to change behaviour because they make the recipient feel needed and valued. The effects of positive speaking/uplifting are energizing and empowering when acknowledged, appreciated& encouraged, however to use the Rule of Esteem effectively, you must clearly understand the relationships between self-esteem, pride, and ego.
With this Monday Motivation E-Mail, it marks the 4th anniversary of Monday Motivations (210th)….. Started on February 14, 2011.
Have a great week ahead!
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