For those of us who are not used to getting praise, our immediate response to being seen is:
Wait a minute, what’s your angle? What’s in this for you?
We are untrusting and terrified to receive people’s love. Because history has proven time and time again that an insignia of misery that has been stamped upon our life, and some fucking jack in the box is right around the corner, so we better try protect ourselves against feeling bad by not feeling too good.
On the other hand, for those of us who have been told since conception that we are perfect, beautiful, clever snowflakes who could do no wrong, we get stuck in discouragement and pity when we don’t get the praise we feel we deserve.
Excuse me, but you don’t appear to be noticing and admiring my specialness. Allow me to impress you further. Stand back.
Somewhere in the middle of these two extremes is a healthy relationship with praise.
We appreciate it, but we do not obsessively pursue it like a heat seeking missile.
We accept it, but we are not dependent on it for our happiness.
We feel flattered, but we no longer rely on the false support of worldly approval to get us through the day.
We allow it to motivate us, but we know our value doesn’t rise and fall in lockstep with it.
In the end, our evolving relationship with praise is merely the artifact of a larger goal, which is creating a sense of truth that is self generated.
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
When did you grow beyond yourneed for kudos?
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Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.
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