Praise Makes You Brave

One of Barbara Sher’s little gems from the Scanners Retreat was “Praise makes you brave”, the idea being that by praising other people you make them braver. Today I learned that it works the other way too.

I woke up feeling pretty low this morning. (I usually do). And when I checked my emails there was one from one of the women who was at the Retreat. Basically she’s hit a bit of a slump because she doesn’t like her job but isn’t in a position to leave it just yet.

I started writing a reply feeling that I wasn’t going to be much help as, as I mentioned, I was feeling pretty low myself. I thought I could write a couple of tips to deal with the backlog of work but not much else. However, once I started writing, I noticed my energy lifted as I started to write positive words of encouragement for her. So much so, that I took out the initial reference I’d made to my own low mood, before sending the reply.

My day started in my hoorumph state but has quickly moved on to my feeling positive and motivated. So I think I will make this a part of my morning routine in future – to make a real connection with someone, especially if I can offer words of encouragement and praise.

Praise does indeed make you brave!