"I am sure you get told this all the time."
This lead-in is something I often see in messages sent to me or others when they're being thanked for helping and giving back or receiving gratitude.
When I have the time, this is part of what I message back. Aside from appreciating the message and knowing that somebody took the time out of their day to send it, it's always humbling to me.
People do not get told all the time. Far less than most would think. It's good month if I get two or three. Don't get me wrong here, I don't do what I do for the praise, not at all. The criticism is and will always be 100x more than the approval. That's part of life, and as far as that goes, nobody will ever be harder on me than I am on myself, but that's for another day.
Here is my point. When I wrote the book Under The Bar, there were two coaches I mentioned who made a significant difference in my life. Before writing this, I never told them. Many years after writing the book, I was able to personally tell one of them how much of a difference he made. He had NO IDEA. Very few of his past students had ever come back to tell him. The next week I went to contact the other coach only to find out he had passed. If it were not for these two people, you would NOT be reading this. That much I know for sure! I regret not telling the one sooner and regret never being able to tell the other. I decided never to let that happen again and I won't ever assume anyone gets messages or is told anything “all the time.”
This is a reminder to us all that just because you think people are told something "all the time," the odds are that they are not. We all have people in our lives who have shaped who we are. It could have been one small conversation or years of guidance. One post, video, or statement; sometimes it doesn’t take much.
Let them know. Trust me, it will not go to their heads or blow their ego up. It won't change why they do what they do because it comes from their hearts, not their heads. It will be one of the greatest things you can do for yourself. I can't explain how or why, but do it and you will see.
@elitefts #elitefts
More Blogs & Articles From Dave Tate Here
On one occasion, I was in a restaurant and saw two polite, well behaved small children sit quietly while their parents finished dinner. The astonished and pleased looks on the parents' faces when I stopped on my way out and told them they had well behaved, polite children and should be proud of them was a reward to me for acknowledging their accomplishments.
Good work, good living and accomplishments should be noted. It is so easy to criticize and complain, but it is just as easy to praise the good.
Thank you for this blog. It made me think about this issue and how I could be better at praising what people do. However, I am sure you get told this all the time. :)