E-Word January 2, 2013

E-word , Week 1, Jan 2, 2013

 

Just what in the world is E-Word? E stands for "Encouraging" and since that word is long, I've shortened it to a cute little internet savy letter. So now, this year, each week you can ask each other, "Oh, have you said your E-word yet?

E-Word isn't just a word. It can be a phrase, compliment or otherwise nice thing to say to someone. This year's weekly blog entry will be about Encouraging other people.

I was reading an article on the Art of Manliness site how humans are more wired to hear negative things than the positive things.

For example, you could compliment someone on their hair, dress, shoes, purse, jewelry and then tell them or you have a smudge on your eyelid, they will remember only the smudge on their eyelid!

No really it's true! Somebody somewhere, not me, got paid to do a study on this! Anyway, the point is supposedly we hear more negative things and react to them than we do compliments. The solution is to try to even out this terrible travesty of human interaction by giving meaningful compliments to people, family members, co-workers, someone you meet in a store, whatever.

It must be well meant, and no back handed compliment either, which is NOT a compliment to begin with in case that's all you ever give!

So now you can use the jingle, “Have you said your E-Word today?”

Or, “Hey, what’s your E-Word?”

Okay, I digress, but I am challenging you to a year of Encouraging Words to other! Compliment someone on their manners, or the job they are doing. It doesn’t have to be hard, but it does have to sound true. No fake here people!

Think about how when you get a compliment, doesn’t it make you float for a few minutes? Someone compliments my singing and I get through at least half a day forgetting what a pain the computer was or how the copier jammed up again.

Try it, you will see it helps you feel better when you see that person light up. And if they don’t, keep doing it, take your encouraging word wherever you go.   Go on! You can do it, I know you can. You are so good at helping people feel good and positive about themselves! I really like that about you!