Friday, November 18, 2005

You can make two people happy

"When someone does something good, applaud! You will make two people happy."
- Samuel Goldwyn

It's remarkable how often I get the reply "Thanks! No one ever says that" when I compliment someone on a job well done.

We get used to giving tips to servers, bellhops and cabbies, but we don't think how much more gratified people are when they receive praise rather than money. Money does not satisfy our need for recognition from others the way a compliment does.

What we do is important to us. It's a critical investment of our most precious commodity, our time. Whether we're at work or on our own time, what we do means a great deal to us. To get a compliment for it makes it seem more worthwhile.

When we applaud someone for something well done, we do make two people happy. Seeing the joy we bring to others make us happy too.

Bill Allin
'Turning It Around: Causes and Cures for Today's Epidemic Social Problems,' striving to show what happiness is and how little money means in the search for it.
Learn more at http://billallin.com/cgi/index.pl

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