Profits of Praise

       It was the end of my exhausting first day as a waiter in a big restaurant. My apron was stained, my arms and feet ached. Weary and discouraged, I didn't seem able to do anything fight. I was ready to quit. Then the guests smiled at me as they handed me my lip arid said, "Well done, you did a very good job." At that time, my tiredness suddenly vanished. I smiled back, and later I told the manager how well I' d like my first day. It was those few words of praise that had changed everything.

      Praise is like sunlight to the human spirit; we cannot flower and grow without it. Teachers agree about the value of praise. One teacher writes that instead of drowning students' compositions in critical red ink, the teacher will get far more constructive results by finding one or two things which have been done better than last lime, and commenting favorably on them. Behavioral scientists have done countless experiments to prove that any human being tends to repeat an act which bas been immediately followed by a pleasant result. And yet, while most of us ave only too ready to apply to others the cold wind of criticism, we are somehow reluctant to give our fellows the warm sunshine of praise.

      To give praise costs the giver nothing but a moment's thought and a moment's effort-perhaps a quick phone call to pass on a compliment, or five minutes spent writing an appreciative letter. It is such a small investment--and yet consider the resets it may produce.

      Therefore, let's be alert to the small excellence around us--comment on them. We will not only bring joy into other people's lives, but also, very often, add happiness into our own, namely, praise gladdens the hearts of both the giver and the receiver.