Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
Compliments and Criticisms
When I was in a preacher training program (like Paul with Timothy), someone made a “but” statement I have never forgotten: “You’re not the smartest young preacher, but… (followed by a compliment). I’ve never forgotten either the critique or compliment, but the criticism hit harder. There’s a good lesson here for all, especially parents. Correction is necessary, but approval even more so. We all tend to remember the criticisms more easily and for longer. Tests have been done showing compliments need to be more numerous than criticisms to have the same impact. So remember to be positive more than we are negative. Words are remembered long after people forget saying them.
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