Monday Morning

Motivation    6/13/2011

THE POSITIVE PLACE. SALES MOTIVATION AND PERSONAL GROWTH

Say, do, be

“Say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.”

Last week, I wrote about criticism. I really dislike the current trend toward open and unbridled criticism in the workplace and the world around us -- perhaps that’s because as I boy, I was openly criticized and derided by other kids. Oddly enough, I find that many people, golden children excluded, fell into the same category.

The Wall Street Journal ran a piece some months ago by a woman who talked about being a “tiger mother,” which included openly and frequently criticizing her kids into doing what she wanted them to do. It generated quite a bit of interest, which is what I think she wanted, since she was selling a book about it all.

But that doesn’t mean that I think there should be no conversation or discussion among people. I don’t believe we should shy away from talking about improvement, but that we should actively work to support each other in the best way possible -- and be supported by our friends ourselves.

I believe that open, positive dialogue is a good thing -- but mindless criticism is rarely something good. A woman I used to know was openly criticized by her parents, along with her two sisters. As a result, she took to telling lies to everyone, including me, trying to make herself seem more important and competent (and caring) than she was. I have no doubt that her web of lies continues to this day, all the result of her attempts to gain some recognition after being roundly criticized by people who should have cared about her. Her sisters were also criticized constantly by those parents, who fell into the “tiger parents” category. I’m glad I haven’t seen her or them for 30 years. I can do without people like that.

But the common response to the possibility of criticism is to do nothing at all. Do nothing, we think, and we leave nothing to invite criticism. In many cases, I believe this fear of criticism is the root behind the tendency of many people to put off doing things.

But as the quote that stars this piece notes, when we “say nothing,” and “do nothing,” we become nothing.

Even in the face of possible criticism, we still need to actively work to say what we feel, do what we should, and be the best person that we can become. Those who never try, never do.

The world around us is influenced by those who do, not those who hesitate. For good or for ill, the “doers” around us make an impact on our world, while those of us who quietly sit by and watch it all happen could contribute a great deal -- but don’t.

It’s important that we make our voices heard, even if we may attract criticism from others -- but it’s also very important that we not let ourselves be derailed by the derisive comments that are made by unthinking “know-it-alls” who are more mouth than brain.

“Say nothing, do nothing, be nothing -- say something, do something, be someone.”

Copyright, 2011, by Daryl R. Gibson. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted for the non-commercial redistribution of this document as long as it remains intact with this copyright and all other lines. This license does not extend to the use of this material in a compilation, whether for profit or non-profit use. Join us at http://www.Weekdaywisdom.com.