Lets just say I love you...

So today I want to talk about something near and dear to my heart, affirmation!  I realized that as I've walked around this week, I've seen a multitude of different people each with their own unique gifts, talents, abilities, and personalities.  You know what I noticed about most of them, low self-esteem, I hadn't noticed for a long time just how unhappy certain people have been in my life.  Sadness, stress, worry, pain, grief permeated their very beings. So I said to myself where the hell have you been, let not another person go by without telling them something good about them, or how much I value them, or just how much I love them.  With that attitude at the front, I lead a charge against self-esteem with the sword of affirmation.  I don't think I have given so much affirmation in one week or done more to make people feel loved in one week.  Whatever need I saw, I fell upon it like a hawk.  Lest this turns into bragging, I want to talk more about the attitude of affirmation and its effect on people.

First the attitude of affirmation, it seems like such a simple thing just to say nice things to people.  Like "wow I'm glad you did well on such and such", or "good luck on your midterm", but what really encompasses an attitude of affirmation is telling people, "I knew you'd do well on such and such, your so awesome, you've always been one of the most intelligent people I know" Its letting them know you see them, you understand who they are.  Its seeding over your pride to boost theirs, its taking the time to figure out what makes them unique and directing all positive energy to that fact.  The attitude of affirmation is looking for the special in everyone and focusing on the uniqueness that makes them incredible.  Even if you don't think you see it, that specialness, or you even think that each person seems the same or that "why should I complement someone who is obviously not as good as I am".  I just want to say this attitude is not about you, its about them.  So you ask what's in it for me? Actually quite a lot.  Firstly, when you look for the good in others, you end up finding the good in yourself, because as you see their uniqueness, you start to understand what makes you unique.  Secondly, as you start examine others you start to see all the potential in them, and in that realization you understand what potential you can do together!  The greatest fault of mans pride is in thinking that if he does things alone they will get done better then together.  Realizing that potential for collaboration and then acting on that potential could radically change your life. 

The bane to this attitude is focusing on comparing how you stack up, looking for weakness, turning everything into a competition.  It will only lead to momentary happiness, only the momentary elation of you winning will fill you, until you have to find the next challenge to master, a slave to your own ambition.  How small that is in comparison to achieving something as a team, as a group, as a community.  The reward of achieving something beyond yourself, that exists beyond your own consciousness. That is the effect of affirmation on a community. It starts small, a community begins with an affirming attitude, then people start to affirm the awesomeness they see, then they realize the uniqueness of others, then they see the potential in the combination of talents. And together they do amazing things. 

The more I think about the interactions I've had this week, I realize that people meet affirmation with curiosity, generosity with caution, love with confusion.  So when someone asks you, "What's this for" just answer, lets just say I love you.