Free (parking) Validation for Life
61"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around" - Leo F. Buscaglia
What would you do for validation? Would you stand in line for hours? Maybe even park a few blocks away?
Would you change your everyday routine to make time for free validation? Probably. But I'm not talking about parking...
Say What?
What I'm talking about is self-esteem building, life affirming, positive reinforcing, good finding, genuine verbal validation. The kind some people so desperately need to hear, but rarely do. These words can heal broken relationships, give someone courage, even talk someone off of a ledge.
In a world where most of the talk you hear is negative, it's easy to miss how powerful a positive word can be. Unfortunately, today's society saves it's good news and joyous messages only for birthdays and certain holidays, usually in the form of a card, written by someone who gets paid to do it.
Below is one of the best videos I have ever seen, especially in relation to positive, uplifting, words of affirmation. It is very entertaining, but do not miss the message. I understand that not everyone likes a happy ending, or even positivity in general, but they can still watch the video I guess.
You might roll your eyes and say something sarcastic, and I could call you a cynic, but that would be judging you, and it goes against the overall message in this hub. So I'll simply say you're "rough around the edges" but I won't make any excuses for you. But alas, I digress. Enjoy the film..
I know what you're thinking. "I've never in my life seen a DMV that looked like that!" Get over it. You're missing the point.
The point is, we can all make a big difference in someone's day, if not their life, with the offering of a kind word. It's really not that hard to find something good to say about a person if you try. Really try. You never know how it might come back to you, tenfold. Although that really shouldn't be your only motivation.
Just remember this: "Words are like fire - you can use them to warm somebody up, or to burn them down." - Laurie Woodward (www.the-team.biz). For every one you burn down, it's another bridge burned. And the more bridges you burn, the less people can reach you, and the lonelier your life gets.
So the next time you meet someone who seems to be having an "off" day or is obviously underappreciated, say something uplifting, encouraging, or complimenting, and I think you'll find there will be two people who feel better because of it.
"I can live for two months on a good compliment" - Mark Twain
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Comments
Well I'm satisfied with that! The world can use some positivity right about now. There are times in life when a smile is about the only good you've got to give. And get. Thanks for the comment Teresa!
Hi Paradigm! Great hub! The video MELTED me! I'm going to send it to so many people --with a huge smile on my face, too! :-)
I'd like to share one video with you, it's along these lines -- not exactly the same message but the same idea --the power of kindness:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4
I swear, if these videos don't move a person, make them smile, and feel, and feel good, it's because they don't have blood in their veins :-)
Elena, I'm so glad it moved (read: melted) you! The message is so simple yet so strong, and the video itself is pretty entertaining. This was actually passed down to me through our Team Blog (www.the-team.biz) by the founder of the leadership training organization I'm a part of. Can you imagine the leader of an organization passing down this kind of information?
I can't wait to watch the video you posted! Thanks for commenting, and again, I'm really happy this video meant something to you.
What an uplifting hub and video! Flash a smile, pass it on.....and it could travel around the world and back, changing lives. Thanks for that spot of sunshine for the day, ParadigmShift... :) :) :)
Shalini, I'm glad you liked it as well. A smile is so easy to make and yet so hard to do for some. A compliment - especially to a stranger, is even more difficult to give. But you can see what an impact it can make in someone's life, and your own.
So the next time we "think" something good about somebody, we should make an effort to actually "say" it to them. It can make all the difference.
Elena
I finally got a chance to watch that video! Love it. Love the music too. It's so interesting to see the different reactions (or lack there of) from those people, and then to see someone who's like, "aw, what the hell?" and gives him a hug.
I especially liked the skateboard-ollie-over-a-person-and-a-flight-of-stairs-into-a-hug, hug. Thanks for posting!
My pleasure, Paradigm! I confess the hugs video brings a tear or two to my eyes :-) The Validation video was a smashing success yesterday among my friends and colleagues! Would you believe my boss, whom I also sent it to, called me mid morning and said, "Elena, I call you to tell you how well you do your job, and what fun it is working with you" ... of course, that brought on plenty of smiles for both of us!!! I have bookmarked the hub!
WOW! That's amazing! I am really glad that this is having an impact on people! It's reassuring to see how most people, at their core, are generous, kind, and loving. They just get distracted and stressed out by life, but when reminded, they can revert back to their true state of being...
That's really awesome about your boss though. I wonder how many other people he was able to effect yesterday with those positive affirmations? And the ripple effect it may have had. There's hope after all.
Wonderful video and entertaining as well. T J Thyne is a good actor. A lot of people don't realize it takes more energy to stay grumpy than it does to put forth a small amount of effort to smile. The real effort does come when you work at getting others to smile.
What this video also portrayed is how many people are so down for so long that they lived on that one compliment and were hungry for more. It's important to get strong enough to go energize the next guy rather than be co-dependent, draining the resources of the original giver. The givers can get burned out. That's why it's so wonderful and energizing when someone finally picks up the baton and carries on, multiplying the effect. Thanks for a great hub!
That's a very interesting perspective. I never thought about it like that, the givers exhausting their resources, until finally someone with a fresh mind full of "good" rations decides to pick up the slack! Thanks for the comment
Love the video. Your words are so true. Love the comments as well. Think I'll go give someone a hug.
This in now *officially* my favorite hub! Wow!
I also liked Denny Lyon's post. Sometimes the giver gives so much without ever getting. There's good everywhere. Sometimes, you just have to murk through the bad to find it.
Thank you, ParadigmShift. You've absolutely made my day!!
Wow! thanks for those great comments! It's always reassuring to know that people are moved by positive information as opposed to just the negative. I'm glad I could brighten up your days!
Frieda, wasn't that an awesome "hug" video?? I can't thank Elena enough for posting that. She's one of my favorite fans! Hmmm..... favorite fans.... someone should totally write a hub on that!!
Teresa McGurk says:
10 months ago
OK! I'm flashing a big GRIN! Liked the movie, liked the hub, and yes, it made me SMILE.