Show Your Thanks and Boost Motivation. By Brian Tracy

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Every day I want to encourage you to voice your “attitude of gratitude.” Say thank you and give constructive feedback to your staff, friends, children and co-workers and encourage them to be better in their lives and work. Make it a habit to give people continual praise and encouragement. The more you praise and encourage positive, constructive behaviors, the more deposits you make to the emotional bank account. The easier it will then be for people to take constructive feedback from you at a later time.

Appreciate People for Everything They Do There are three keys to getting the best out of others, and the first of these is appreciation. Every time you thank another person, you cause that person to like themselves better. You raise their self-esteem and improve their self-image. You cause them to feel more important. You make them feel that what they did was valuable and worthwhile. You empower them. Build Your Own Self-Esteem And the wonderful thing about thanking other people is that every time you say the words “thank you,” you like yourself better as well. You feel better inside.

You feel happier and more content with yourself and life. You feel more fully integrated and positive about what you are doing. When you develop an attitude of gratitude that flows forth from you in all of your interactions with others, you will be amazed at how popular you will become and how eager others will be to help you in whatever you are doing. Praise and Approve Others Continually The second way to make people feel important, raise self-esteem and give them a sense of power and energy, is by the generous use of praise and approval. Psychological tests show that when children are praised by the people they look up to, their energy levels rise, their heart rates and respiratory rates increase, and they feel happier about themselves overall.

Make People Feel Important Perhaps the most valuable lesson in Ken Blanchard’s book, The One Minute Manager, is his recommendation to be giving “one-minute praising” at every opportunity. If you go around your home and through your social relationships praising and giving genuine and honest approval to people for their accomplishments, large and small, you will be amazed at how much more people like you and how much more willing they are to help you achieve your goals.

Practice the Law of Reciprocity There is a psychological law of reciprocity that says, “If you make me feel good about myself, I will find a way to make you feel good about yourself.” In other words, people will always look for ways to reciprocate your kindnesses toward them. When you look for every opportunity to do and say things that make other people feel good about themselves, you will be astonished at not only how good you feel, but at the wonderful things that begin to happen all around you.
Pay Attention When They Talk The third way to empower others, to build their self-esteem and make them feel important, is simply to pay close attention to them when they talk.

The great majority of people are so busy trying to be heard that they become impatient when others are talking. But this is not for you. Remember, the most important single activity that takes place over time is listening intently to the other person when he or she is talking and expressing himself or herself. Take Every Opportunity to Build People Up Again, the three general rules for empowering the people around you that apply to everyone you meet are appreciation, approval, and attention.

Say thank you and voice your gratitude to others on every occasion. Praise them for every accomplishment.
And pay close attention to them when they talk and want to interact with you. These three behaviors alone will make you a master of human interaction and will greatly empower the people around you.

Brian Tracy is Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, a company specializing in the training and development of individuals and organizations. Brian’s goal is to help you achieve your personal and business goals faster and more easily than you ever imagined.