Surround Yourself With Encouragers

Simeon Ford, the proprietor of the old Grand Union Hotel in New York, said, "You don't need to know anything about a hotel to run one. You just open up and the customers tell you how to run it."

That must be true of other businesses, too. I heard of a newspaper editor who called in her assistant and handed him a stack of papers. "These are suggestions sent in by subscribers on how to run our paper. Make sure you carry them out," she said.

He did. He carried them out and dropped them in the trash bin.

Many people are quick to suggest, and quicker to criticize. When asked why she was always so critical, one woman said, "I guess I just have a knack for seeing other people's faults!" (There's a gift she could hide under a bushel.)

Criticizers are not hard to find. What the world needs are good encouragers. Not more people to find fault, but people to point out strengths and encourage us to excel. The most successful people look for positive qualities. They see potential where others see failure. And they encourage success in others.

Mark Twain put it like this: "Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you too, can become great."

Who do you spend time with? Criticizers or encouragers? Surround yourself with those who believe in you. Your life is too important for anything less.

~ Steve Goodier ~


by: Steve Goodier Copyright © 2007